SEC College Football QB’s Brothers Get Arrested After He Scores 3 TDs in Week 1

For Diego Pavia, Saturday night was supposed to be about football glory, but it ended in booking logs. The sixth-year senior diced up Charleston Southern for 275 yards and three touchdowns, sprinkling in 44 rushing yards as the Commodores cruised 45-3. The fireworks seemed like the perfect launchpad for a quarterback chasing one more SEC dream season. Yet as Pavia walked off FirstBank Stadium’s turf to a chorus of cheers, a darker subplot was already unfolding beyond the bleachers.

Just before midnight on August 30, Metro Nashville police booked Pavia’s brothers, Roel Pavia and Javier Pavia, on charges of public intoxication and resisting arrest. Both siblings were released after roughly five hours in custody, but not before the incident splashed across local news, turning a victorious night into an uneasy storyline for Vanderbilt’s veteran signal-caller. 

Metro Nashville Police booking logs list both brothers as having been processed at the downtown detention center late Saturday night, only hours after Vanderbilt wrapped up its opener. The affidavits cite misdemeanor counts of public intoxication and resisting arrest for each, with Roel also facing a felony charge of assault on a law-enforcement officer. The reports offer no details about how the confrontation began or what happened prior to their arrest.

For now, all we know is that Javier was booked at 10:46 PM and released at 3:33 AM. His brother, Roel, on the other hand, was booked 45 minutes later at 11:31 PM and released at 4:31 AM. Interestingly, hours before the matter was picked up by Vandy fan accounts on X, one user with the username, @birdsofwar, had tweeted, “I am fairly certain I just saw Pavia’s brother get arrested.” That tweet was posted around the same time the police logs have Javier booked. 

The timing could not have been more jarring, given Diego Pavia’s on-field form. With conference play around the corner, Vanderbilt can ill afford distractions. The Vandy QB1 completed 21-of-28 passes, showing command in offensive coordinator Tim Beck’s up-tempo scheme while spreading the ball to eight different receivers. Vanderbilt’s defense matched the energy, holding Charleston Southern to 172 total yards and forcing two turnovers in a wire-to-wire rout. Head coach Clark Lea praised Pavia’s composure afterward, saying, “These guys have worked really hard and earned that win,” and noting the team’s objective of “eliminating hope early” against opponents. 

As Vanderbilt basks in its emphatic 45-3 opener, the weekend still ends on an uneasy note. The arrests of Roel and Javier Pavia, though unrelated to the football program, have seized headlines on X and diverted attention from Diego’s three-touchdown showcase. Vanderbilt has issued no public statement, and the incident remains a family matter rather than a team issue. With the SEC slate looming, the Commodores’ veteran quarterback must keep the spotlight trained on his playbook, not the police blotter.