Plane makes emergency landing as basketball teammates brawl on flight

Pilots have been forced to take emergency action after a fight broke out between teammates, causing a “level of threat”.

The Auburn Tigers celebrate after the SEC Tournament Championship. Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images.

Pilots have been forced to take emergency action after a fight broke out between college basketball teammates, causing a “level of threat”.

The Auburn Tigers were involved in a mid-air skirmish when they were supposed to be travelling to Texas to take on the highly rated Houston University Cougars when the pilot made the snap decision to turn the plane back to its original destination, The New York Post reported.

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WBRC in Alabama reported that the team was fighting on the flight and that the plane diverted several minutes after takeoff in the afternoon.

The Auburn Tigers celebrate after defeating the Florida Gators in the SEC Tournament Championship game. Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images.

The pilot was asked about the “level of threat” that led to needing an emergency landing, to which he replied, “We have a bunch of basketball players fighting.”

WBRC reported the audio could not be shared due to legal reasons.

The plane returned back to Auburn about 40 minutes following their takeoff, according to FlightAware.

Basketball analyst John Goodman added that there was “horseplay between players” on the flight.

ESPN reported the issue on the flight was resolved before anything “serious” happened.

Auburn Tigers players on court last week. Photo by Stew Milne/Getty Images.

Auburn freshman Jahki Howard and senior Ja’Heim Hudson were left behind and were not on the plane when it took off for a second time, according to The New York Post.

While what transpired during the skirmish on the initial flight still remains unclear, the pilot’s radio messages showed how serious the situation was.

“The flight deck is secure,” the pilot later told air traffic control,” according to WRBC News. “The threat level is contained for the moment. … We’ll have police on the ground, and we had two players that got into a physical altercation, clothes were ripped.”

Jahki Howard of the Auburn Tigers. Photo by Stew Milne/Getty Images.

Hudson transferred to Auburn in the offseason — with two years of eligibility remaining, according to the program’s commitment announcement — after two seasons with Georgia State and one with SMU, and he averaged 5.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per game for the Mustangs last year.

Howard committed to the Tigers as a four-star recruit — and No. 85 overall in the Class of 2024 — and collected seven points and four rebounds in 19:39 off the bench during his Auburn debut.

Hudson recorded two points, two rebounds and two assists in just over 15 minutes of playing time to start his first season under head coach Bruce Pearl.

Auburn defeated Vermont, 94-43, in their season opener earlier this week, and the Tigers entered the showdown with No. 4 Houston ranked No. 11 in the country as they try to erase the lingering disappointment from a first-round upset against Yale in last year’s NCAA Tournament.

— This story originally appeared on the New York Post and has been republished with permission

Originally published as Plane makes emergency landing as basketball teammates brawl on flight