On Friday, Auburn’s men’s basketball team faced an unusual situation when an altercation between two players led to the team plane getting turned around mid-flight. Auburn, ranked No. 11 in the AP poll, was on the way to face No. 4-ranked Houston, with the game set to take place on Saturday night.
The two players, identified by multiple reports as freshman Jahki Howard and senior Ja’Heim Hudson, were left behind as the team traveled to Houston later on Friday. Both Howard and Hudson are reserves, but they played significant minutes in Auburn’s season opener against Vermont earlier this week.
The physical altercation, originally categorized as “horseplay,” was severe enough that the pilots decided to abandon the flight plan. The flight had reportedly been traveling for 45 minutes before heading back home.
Air traffic control audio indicates that a pilot told air traffic controllers that “we have a bunch of basketball players fighting” while still in Alabama airspace. Pilots told air traffic controllers that “clothes were ripped” during the altercation and that police were on the ground when the flight landed.
Auburn University has yet to release an official statement about the incident.
The Tigers and Cougars will face off at 9:30 p.m. ET in the Toyota Center, home of the Houston Rockets.