Teary-eyed I.C. Norcom student athlete Alaila Everett stood before a crowd of people to thank them for their support after being criminally charged in the alleged assault of a fellow track runner with a baton. However, not everyone took her side in the now-viral incident.
A rally was held in support of Everett Thursday, March 13, for everyone who believed the alleged assault was really just an accident.
“Thank you all for supporting me. I would never do anything like that. I would never harm anybody. I’m not a fighter. I’m not even confrontational. I wouldn’t even do that on purpose,” she said tearfully to the attendees, via WTKR. She initially told the outlet her baton struck Tucker by accident as the runner came closer toward her lane, resulting in Everett pumping her arms to keep the baton out her way.
Last week, track and field runners took to the VHSL Indoor Track State Championships event. As Everett ran her 4x200 relay race, a video shows her bend the curve of the track, running up close to opponent Kaelen Tucker. As the two ran closer, Tucker appeared to be hit repeatedly in the head by Everett’s baton.
As a result, she dove off the track unable to complete the race and allegedly suffered a concussion and possible skull fracture, according to the commonwealth’s attorney for Lynchburg, Va. On the other hand, Everett and her team were disqualified from the race. Then, police came on the back end and slammed her with assault and battery charges.
Everett’s family and even the Portsmouth NACCP president James Boyd spoke on her behalf defending, her as an honor student who was being wronged by the criminal justice system, per the report.
However, folks on social media weren’t so moved by her tears nor her explanation. They ate her up in The Shade Room’s comments.
“Having a homemade press conference full of adults who refuse to hold you accountable is wild. Last I checked nobody was pressing charges, your team was disqualified, you might get kicked off the team, but that is the consequence of your actions. Learn from it and apologize,” wrote one Instagram user in response to the video of her really speech.
“She gets no sympathy.. what she did was childish and uncalled for,” wrote another user.
Even Fashion Nova’s official account got messy, writing, “Ummm chile anyways so...”