A plane believed to be carrying the Auburn men’s basketball team had to be diverted back to Alabama after violence broke out on board, according to multiple reports.
The Tigers were said to be on their way to Houston ahead of Saturday’s game against the No 4 Cougars.
But FOX6 WBRC claims that the plane turned back to Auburn 45 minutes into the journey, with air traffic control audio mentioning a fight involving ‘a bunch of basketball players.’
College basketball insider Jeff Goodman reported shortly after that there was ‘horseplay’ between the players, and officials believed it ‘could have escalated into a fight.’
Another report claimed that three players were involved in the altercation, which ‘nearly turned into a free-for-all brawl’.
Auburn celebrates during the second half of the game against Vermont. There is nothing to suggest any of the players pictured were involved in the alleged mid-air altercation
Head coach Bruce Pearl is yet to comment about the alleged incident on the flight to Houston
Auburn officials have yet to make any comment on the alleged mid-air violence.
The team are reportedly due to take another plane to Houston later tonight, with the game set to go ahead as planned on Saturday night.
It is unclear which players were involved in the mid-air altercation, but the team includes multiple talented basketball stars that have been tipped for the NBA.
Auburn are currently 1-0 for the season and ranked No 11 heading into their first road trip of the season.
The team beat Vermont 94-43 in a blowout season opener, with Miles Kelly scoring 21 points, and Denver Jones getting 16.
