World says same thing over high school runner’s excuse for baton attack
A high school athlete at the centre of a relay race attack has been widely slammed online after speaking out about the viral incident.
Athletics
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The high school athlete who attacked a rival runner with a baton during a relay race in the USA on March 5 (AEDT) has broken her silence.
Alaila Everett found herself in the spotlight when footage of her smacking a fellow runner on the back of the head with her baton went viral.
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Kaelen Tucker and Everett were jostling for position around the final bend when Tucker was struck during the 4x200m relay final at the Virginia High School League (VHSL) Class 3 State Indoor Championships.
Tucker immediately stumbled off the track and fell to the ground clutching her head, she was treated for a concussion and a potential skull fracture.
A week after the incident, Everett has spoken out and claimed she would never hit anybody on purpose, stating the two had tangled arms and as she attempted to regain her balance the baton accidentally hit her opponent.
Watch Everett’s interview on the incident in the video player above
“After a couple times of hitting her with my baton, I got stuck behind her back and (the baton) rolled up her back,” Everett said to WAVYTV10.
“I lost my balance, and when I pumped my arms again, she got hit. I know my intentions and I would never hit somebody on purpose.”
The I.C. Norcom High School senior broke down in tears as she revealed the toll the incident had on her.
“Everybody has feelings, so you’re physically hurt but you are not thinking about my mental, right? They are going off of one angle,” she said.
“They’re assaulting my character, calling me ghetto, racist slurs, death threats, all of this, just because of a nine second video.”
Alaila’s parents added that they did not believe the act was intentional.
“I know 100 per cent that she won’t do this to nobody,” Layla Everett said.
The Everett family was served with court papers, an action that didn’t sit well with her father.
“Now we have to go to a city, three hours away, that everybody hates our guts,” he said.
The interview however didn’t fly with onlookers quickly blasting the teen and her parents for failing to take any accountability for the incident in the interview posted on Youtube by WAVY TV10.
One YouTuber commenter wrote: “This generation is cooked. The lack of accountability is incredible.”
A second added: “Did she really say that?? ‘You’re physically hurt, but you’re not thinking about my mentality?!’ Young girl and her parents are messed up. Charges should be filed. And that comment should be used against her in court. Unbelievable. Smdh.”
A third wrote: “She didn’t lose her balance she lost her temper. They really jumped out in front of this and complained that they gotta drive a ways to face consequences. The parents not even showing accountability. Easy to see where the daughter got it from.”
A fourth added: “The father complaining about having to drive hours away for their daughters punishment, shows her parents don’t take any accountability.”
The outrage wasn’t limited to the YouTube comment section either with nobody on X buying the athlete’s excuse.
Former news anchor Anita Padilla wrote on X: “Stop with the crocodile tears. You did not lose your balance. You lost your integrity and tried to pull a “Tonya Harding” in front of everyone and now you want us all to believe it was a “misunderstanding”. Please.”
A second added: “I believe that her tears are real and that she’s upset, but I don’t believe that it was an accident. She’s upset that she got caught.”
A third wrote: “This is literally insane. No apology from the runner or the coach. How is this not being treated like assault?”
A fourth stated: “Absolutely and unquestionably deliberate. She did it and now would like to be excused from the consequences. Not buying it for an instant.”
Trending Politics’ Collin Rugg wrote on X: “Her emotions are genuine but she’s just upset she’s getting called out for it. If it was an accident she wouldn’t have kept running.”
While Everett stated the act wasn’t intentional, Tucker had a different version of events on how it had all unfolded.
“When you go to the other side of the track, you have to cross into lane one, you have to merge in,” Tucker told WSLS.
“As I was coming up on her, she kind of like made me get cut off a little bit, so I backed away.
“Then, as we got around the curve, she kept bumping me in my arm. Then finally we got off the curve, I like slowly started passing her and then that’s when she just hit me with the baton and I fell off the track.”
Upon seeing the incident, Tucker’s mum Tamarrow raced onto the track to check on her daughter, as did the on-site medical staff.
The family said that no one from Norcom’s team or any of their staff members came over to apologise or check on Tucker’s welfare.
Tamarrow said: “No apologies.
“No coaches. No athlete. No anything. Even if it was an accident, which I don’t believe it was … nothing.”
But Norcom’s athletic director did later apologise on their behalf, according to the ABC.
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