Alabama football’s Pete Golding should have known better.
News regarding assistant coaches at this point in the offseason is rarely good. Alabama football fans received bad news on Thursday morning when it was reported that Pete Golding was arrested for a DUI. Bail was placed at $500 for Golding.
The details of the arrest have yet to be released. We do not know if Golding was stopped at a routine checkpoint or if he was speeding or swerving. His blood-alcohol content has not been posted, so we do not know how close he was to the legal limit.
Regardless, there is no excuse for Golding to do this. No surrounding facts will justify his actions. As a leader for Alabama football, he should be held to a higher standard. He’s seen the harm driving under the influence can cause.
Alabama football has a disappointing history with DUI charges. Henry Ruggs, a former Tide receiver, was involved in a fatal wreck while he was driving under the influence. He was immediately cut from the Las Vegas Raiders, and making it back to the NFL is the least of his worries. Other athletes have been arrested with DUIs during their times in Tuscaloosa.
Golding also has the resources where he shouldn’t have to worry about driving. Uber and Lyft are densely populated in Tuscaloosa, and Golding can easily afford a ride. He could’ve asked a fellow assistant coach or a graduate assistant for a ride. Heck, he could have asked an Alabama football player to pick him up. Would that have been humiliating and dangerous to his character? Yes, but it is still safer than driving under the influence.
Nick Saban believes in second chances, and Golding likely won’t lose his job over this. Still, he will have to work to build back his reputation. Everyone is lucky that this ended with a night in jail and not a fatal accident. Given the resources at Golding’s disposal, this will likely never make sense.