Alabama’s Elijah Pritchett deemed ‘youthful offender’ on misdemeanor STD charge
Alabama offensive lineman Elijah Pritchett (57) warms up before Alabama’s A-Day NCAA college football scrimmage, Saturday, April 22, 2023, in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Alabama football offensive tackle Elijah Pritchett has been granted youthful offender status after being arrested Wednesday night for knowingly spreading a sexually transmitted disease.
He is charged with a Class C misdemeanor based on a charge filed a week ago, a Tuscaloosa Police Department spokesperson confirmed.
Pritchett could face fines and up to three months in prison. He was released on a $500 bond, days before the Crimson Tide is set to leave the state for the College Football Playoff semifinal in California.
Youthful offender status is eligible for 18- to 21-year-olds.
Pritchett, 19, was granted the status by a judge in Tuscaloosa, which can allow him to plead down to a lighter sentence and waive his right to a jury trial. Pritchett will avoid a criminal conviction and records of the case will be sealed from the public.
Part of the agreement Pritchett entered includes an evaluation of his character and prior criminal history before the court.
On April 7 at approximately 5:45 p.m., hours after Alabama’s first spring scrimmage in Bryant-Denny Stadium, Pritchett was stopped on U.S. Route 82 in Bibb County for driving 95 mph in a 65-mph zone. He pleaded guilty, according to court documents.
Pritchett was driving a 2014 Mercedes-Benz and told the ticketing officer he wasn’t aware of how fast he was going.
In court a month later, he was ordered to complete 10 hours of community service and a four-hour defensive driving course, as well as pay $197 in court fees. Pritchett, of Midland, Ga., completed an online driving course.
He spent May 22-26 volunteering with Carver (Ga.) High in Columbus. According to a signed statement submitted to the court from Carver coach Michal Osoh, Pritchett worked with players during practice and “spoke to the guys again about the importance of having discipline,” among other topics.
A judge dismissed the case on Sept. 5, between Alabama’s season-opening win over Middle Tennessee and Week 2 loss to Texas. The University hasn’t publicly disciplined Pritchett since he arrived in Tuscaloosa in 2022.
The University of Alabama has yet to release a statement since Pritchett was arrested.
Pritchett entered the year battling for playing time. On April 12, five days after his citation, head coach Nick Saban praised Pritchett’s development.
“He’s done a good job. Elijah is getting better. I think he’s one of those young guys who needs to be able to sustain his intensity, not get penalties, do the little things right.
But he has done a really, really good job this spring. He’s played well. He’s made a lot of progress and improvement. He’s really competing for a position as a starter.”
Pritchett is the third Alabama football player to be arrested this year. In both prior cases, Alabama quickly suspended or dismissed the player from the program.
In March, freshman defensive back Tony Mitchell was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell after a traffic stop when authorities said he drove over 141 mph while trying to evade deputies in the Florida panhandle.
Saban publicly announced Mitchell’s indefinite suspension five days later (Mitchell returned to the team in July). In September, walk-on Antonio Ross was dismissed from the team within hours of his arrest on sodomy charges.
“Everybody’s got an opportunity to make choices and decisions,” Saban said after Mitchell was suspended. “There’s no such thing as being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
You’ve got to be responsible for who you’re with, who you’re around and what you do; who you associate yourself and the situations that you put yourself in.
It is what it is, but there is cause and effect when you make choices and decisions that put you in bad situations.”
Pritchett contributed on special teams during Alabama’s SEC Championship win over Georgia on Dec. 2. Pritchett briefly entered his name into the transfer portal last week.
