“He did the right thing”: NCAAB analyst applauds Bruce Pearl for clearing “distractions” from Auburn team after flight drama
For a decade, coach Bruce Pearl has led the Auburn men's basketball team with a fiery passion and relentless intensity. However, things can become heated at times as was the case during an incident on Friday involving two Auburn players — Jahki Howard and Ja'Heim Hudson — on a flight to their game against Houston.
The Tigers were off to Houston, Texas to play against the Cougars at Toyota Center on Saturday. Shortly after takeoff, a fight broke out between Howard and Hudson that reportedly escalated into a physical brawl, prompting the plane to return to Auburn.
"We had two players that got into a physical altercation, clothes were ripped," WBRC-TV received the audio record of the pilot talking to air traffic controllers.
Coach Bruce Pearl immediately took action after the incident, suspending both players. Later, Howard and Hudson did not travel to Houston.
Jahki Howard was a four-star prospect who joined the Tigers this offseason. Ja'Heim Hudson is also new to the Auburn roster who transferred from SMU this summer.
During the broadcast on Saturday, ESPN college basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla praised Pearl for his quick response, stating that the Auburn coach "did the right thing" in handling the situation.
“This is a Final Four level team. When you come from early November to early April, you have to eliminate as many distractions as possible. That was a distraction yesterday. Bruce Pearl dealt with it, both young men are home," Fraschilla said.
"They could be key parts of this season going forward. But he did the right thing… The team comes first and hopefully, both young men will learn from this. Kudos to Bruce Pearl for dealing with it head-on."
Bruce Pearl keeps quiet on plane incident before Houston win
Auburn coach Bruce Pearl did not address the flight incident with the media before their huge victory over No. 4 Houston. The Tigers defeated the Cougars 74-69 on Saturday, continuing their impressive start to the season.
Pearl remained quiet about the situation that occurred before the game.
"It‘s an unfortunate situation," he said pregame per AL.com. "We‘re dealing with it head-on, but I’m not going to comment on it any further tonight."
While the coach stuck with what he promised earlier and remained mum on the plane altercation, he did address the win over Houston.
"I don't know the last time Auburn went on the road and beat No. 1," Bruce said postgame, per 247Sports. "But it's a historic win. We needed this. I think I've got a team that's going to want to get better."
Pearl's Auburn will host Kent State next on Wednesday at Neville Arena.