Alabama Defensive Coordinator Pete Golding Arrested for DUI

Golding was taken to Tuscaloosa County Jail where his bond was set at $500.

Author:
Joey Blackwell
Publish date:
Feb 3, 2022 11:13 AM EST

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama defensive coordinator was arrested for driving under the influence early around 1 a.m. local time on Thursday morning in Northport, Ala., records from the Tuscaloosa County Police Department show.

Golding's bond was set to $500, but as of 10 a.m. local time, he remains in jail. While it is currently not confirmed as to why Golding has not been released, inmates at Tuscaloosa Count Jail must register a blood-alcohol level lower than .03 before they are allowed to be released.

Golding's mugshot was later released, courtesy of the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office.

Pete Golding DUI Mugshot - Feb. 2, 2022 — Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office

At 4:48 p.m., a statement was released by Golding was released through his attorney, Jason C. Neff:

“I am deeply sorry for the actions that led to my arrest last night," Golding's statement reads. "I sincerely apologize to my family, everyone in our organization, including our players, Coach Saban, the staff, The University of Alabama, and our fans. Regardless of the outcome of this pending investigation, I did not uphold the values I have for myself and the values of the Alabama football program. I am committed to learning and growing from this mistake and I will work to earn back the trust of those who I have disappointed.”

Following the release of Golding's statement, Alabama Athletics released a statement of their own:

“Alabama Athletics is aware of the incident involving Pete Golding. We are mindful of the seriousness of the situation and will continue to gather more information to address this personnel matter.”

Golding was hired by head coach Nick Saban in 2018 and was named the team's defensive coordinator in 2019. He was the team's defensive coordinator in 2020 when the program won its 18th national title.

In 2021, Golding led the Crimson Tide to be the seventh-ranked total defense in the country, giving up an average of 304.1 yards per game and 4.77 yards per play. The team played for a second national title at the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship Game against Georgia, but lost 33-18 to the Bulldogs.

Golding is also known as a great recruiter, helping Saban bring in the No. 1 recruiting class in 2021 and the No. 2 class in 2022, which wrapped up on Wednesday with National Signing Day.

Saban was asked about Golding during his National Signing Day news conference, praising the defensive coordinator for his “great personality.”

“I think he spends a lot of time with players," Saban said. "And I think it’s all about relationships. I know that we have a good product here. Pete does a great job of selling that product. But I think in the end, the players know that he cares about them. Players really don’t know what you know until they know that you care. Pete’s got a great personality. I think he really works hard at it, he’s a really good coach and he has a good relationship with the players on our team. And I think when players talk to the players on our team, they sort of get that feedback, and that’s all helpful in terms of players feeling comfortable here, knowing that they have a good relationship with the coach that recruited them but also with the coach that’s gonna coach them and a lot of the other people involved in the organization.

"So Pete does a good job of selling all those things in a positive way.”

This story will be updated as more details emerge.