Alabama defensive coordinator Pete Golding was arrested and charged with driving under the influence by Northport (Alabama) Police early Thursday morning.
Northport Police Assistant Chief Keith Carpenter confirmed the arrest of Stephen Thomas Golding, which he said took place around 1 a.m.
Alabama officials are aware of the arrest and still gathering information. “We are mindful of the seriousness of the situation & will continue to gather more information to address this personnel matter,” the school said in a statement.
Golding, who goes by the first name Pete, has been part of Alabama coach Nick Saban’s staff since 2018 and was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2019.
“I am deeply sorry for the actions that led to my arrest last night,” Golding said in a statement Thursday. “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.”
Golding’s arrest comes the day after Alabama secured ESPN’s No. 2-ranked signing class in college football.
A Louisiana native, Golding was a key piece of the Crimson Tide’s recruiting efforts. 247Sports ranked him third on its list of recruiter rankings in 2022.
On Wednesday, Saban credited Golding for doing a “great job of selling the product” because “the players know that he cares about them.”
“Pete’s got a great personality,” Saban said. “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. 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 going to 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.”