Alabama OT Elijah Pritchett arrested for ‘knowingly transmitting STD’

Second year Pritchett is now a youthful offender.

Alabama OT Elijah Pritchett arrested for ‘knowingly transmitting STD’

Alabama OT Elijah Pritchett (Image via IMAGO)

It has been an eventful couple of weeks for Elijah Pritchett. The Alabama Crimson Tide offensive tackle briefly entered his name in the college transfer portal. But he is currently in the headlines for becoming a youthful offender after he was arrested on Wednesday night for knowingly spreading a sexually transmitted disease.

A Tuscaloosa Police Department spokesperson confirmed that Pritchett is charged with a Class C misdemeanor. If the court finds the college football player guilty, then he might end up in prison for three months. For now, they released him after receiving a bond of $500 just days before the Crimson Tide will play in the college playoff semifinal.

According to the Tuscaloosa Police, the youthful offender tag is given to individuals between the ages of 18 and 21. Pritchett is 19 years old, so he meets the criteria. It means he is eligible to make an additional plea to the court to lighten his sentence. He will avoid a criminal conviction, and the case will stay out of public view.

What happened to Elijah Pritchett?

Even after arriving with a four-star status from Colombus, Georgia, to Alabama, Elijah Pritchett found it hard to break into the first team of the Tide. He did play a few snaps here and there and caught the eye of several scouts last season.

Alabama OT Elijah Pritchett arrested for ‘knowingly transmitting STD’ Alabama Crimson Tide football
Elijah Pritchett (Image via SI)

However, he was hit with a massive setback at the start of 2023. On the evening of April 7, Pritchett was stopped on U.S. Route 82 in Bibb County for driving 95 mph in a 65 mph zone. It was hours after Bama’s first scrimmage at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The ticketing driver apprehended him driving a 2014 Mercedes-Benz, and he failed to comply when asked how fast he was going as per the New York Post.

A month later, the court ordered him to undergo 10 hours of community service as well as take a four-hour defensive driving course. He also had to pay $197 in court fees after the trial and complete an online driving course afterward. Pritchett went straight to making amends by volunteering with Carver High in Columbus from May 22–26.

In September, before the Tides’ second game of the season against the #3 Texas Longhorns, a judge dismissed Elijah Pritchett’s case. Neither the University of Alabama nor Crimson Tide’s head coach, Nick Saban, has yet to release any statement regarding the matter.

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