Auburn basketball team's No. 11 flight remains grounded after fight between players | College basketball

A flight carrying the No. 11 Auburn basketball team was grounded shortly after takeoff Friday after two players on board argued, according to multiple reports.

“We had two players who got into a physical altercation and their clothing was torn,” the pilot was heard telling air traffic controllers in an audio recording from WBRC-TV.

The Tigers were headed to Houston to play the fourth-ranked Cougars on Saturday. The plane took off just before 3 p.m. but turned around and landed about 40 minutes later.

According to the audio, the pilot told air traffic controllers that the police had been called.

ESPN also confirmed the altercation during the flight, citing anonymous sources. The fight was stopped before it became serious and a replacement flight took off Friday evening, ESPN reported.

The Auburn athletic department did not respond to requests for comment from WBRC or ESPN.

Auburn defeated Vermont 94-43 in its season opener on Wednesday night. The Tigers are in their 11th season under coach Bruce Pearl, who has led them to the NCAA Tournament five times, including a Final Four appearance in 2019.