Elijah Pritchett, an Alabama football player, was arrested on Wednesday night ahead of the College Football Playoff game.
According to AL.com, Elijah Pritchett, an offensive lineman for the Alabama Crimson Tide football team, was arrested on Wednesday night by the Tuscaloosa Police Department in Alabama. The 19-year-old was accused of knowingly transmitting a sexually transmitted disease. Prichett was released after posting a $500 bond. If convicted of the Class C misdemeanor offense, Pritchett may face up to three months in jail or a $500 fine.
Pritchett, who is from Midland, Georgia, appeared in two games last season. This season, he started all 13 games and helped the team win the SEC Championship earlier this month. Pritchett stated his intention to join the transfer portal following the SEC championship game, but changed his mind on Dec. 16. “It is not in my best interests to transfer.” I sincerely sorry for any inconvenience. I’m completely committed. “Go, Tide!” Pritchett told On3 in a statement.
The arrest occurred less than two weeks before Alabama’s semifinal game against Michigan in the College Football Playoff. The Crimson Tide have a chance to win their second national championship in four seasons and their eighth overall under head coach Nick Saban.
“Our team is very excited about having the opportunity to play the No. 1 team in the country, the University of Michigan,” Saban told Sports Illustrated earlier this month. “The Big Ten champions have had a very, very successful season.” I’d want to congratulate them on this achievement. We’re looking forward to the challenge that lies ahead in terms of what we need to do to prepare and be the best that we can be to play against the country’s No. 1 squad.”
Saban also mentioned his team’s 6-1 record in College Football Playoff semifinal matchups. “I think early on in preparation for these games when you have this long span of time, we probably practiced too much, and by the time we got to the game, our players were probably mentally and physically maybe not in peak performance,” he went on to say. “So as we’ve transitioned through the years, we’ve kind of learned how much you need to practice and how you can psychologically get them in the right place at the right time.”
