Virginia
Virginia teen track runner who bashed opponent’s head with baton rallies supporters after getting assault charge
The Virginia teen who was seen bashing an opponent’s head with a baton during a high school track meet held a rally of supporters on Thursday to reiterate her innocence.
The rally came just one day after she was served with a misdemeanor battery and assault charge.
The student, Alaila Everett, held the rally outside of her school, I.C. Norcom High School, in Portsmouth, Virginia.
Dozens of individuals were seen attending the rally, as Everett delivered a tearful speech, where she thanked her supporters while sobbing.
“Thank y’all for supporting me,” Everett said to the supporters, as seen in footage by local Virginia news station WAVY. “There’s no one else that wanted to hear my story, except the people that know me and people that know 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, and I thank y’all for believing in me. I love y’all.”
Everett’s speech was met with loud applause and a chant of “We stand with you.”
Portsmouth NAACP President James Boyd also spoke at the rally, alleging threats and slurs that have been directed at Everett’s family.
“The Everett family has experienced racial slurs, they’ve experienced death threats, and we think unequivocally that those things are unacceptable,” Boyd said.
Local community activist Germain Green called for unity from the community in support of the teenager.
“It bothered me to my heart to see how the whole world was dragging this young lady, dragging her character based on what they thought they saw. I just wanted to step up, speak out, and bring unity and let this young lady know that the city of Portsmouth has her back,” Green said.
Lynchburg Commonwealth’s Attorney Office confirmed to Fox News Digital Wednesday that one misdemeanor charge of assault and battery had been filed over the incident.
The incident occurred last Tuesday during a championship meet, as footage showed Everett smashing her baton onto the head of Brookville High School junior Kaelen Tucker during a relay race.
Everett and her whole team were disqualified.
Tucker was later diagnosed with a concussion and possible skull fracture, as footage of the incident went viral.
Everett has since said the hits were accidental, in interviews with WAVY and “Good Morning America.”
The Virginia High School League (VHSL) previously issued a statement to Fox News Digital on the matter.
“The VHSL does not comment on individuals or disciplinary actions due to FERPA,” the league’s statement read. “The actions taken by the meet director to disqualify the runner were appropriate and correct. We thoroughly review every instance like this that involves player safety with the participating schools. The VHSL membership has always made it a priority to provide student-athletes with a safe environment for competition.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Portsmouth Public School District for comment from the Everett family.
Prior to the misdemeanor charges being announced on Everett, the Portsmouth NAACP released a statement defending the embattled teen on Wednesday.
“Alaila is NOT AN ATTACKER and media headlines that allude towards that in any way is shameful. We understand the sensitivity of the circumstances for both athletes and their families involved but this narrative must not go unaddressed,” the statement read.
“Alaila is an honor student and a star athlete at the historic I.C. Norcom High School. From all accounts, she is an exceptional young leader and scholar whose athletic talent has been well documented and recognized across our state. She has carried herself with integrity both on and off the field and any narrative that adjudicates her guilty of any criminal activity is a violation of her due process rights.”
Fox News Digital’s Scott Thompson contributed to this report.
Virginia
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Skydiver rescued after crashing into scoreboard during Virginia Tech football scrimmage
A skydiver crashed into the Lane Stadium scoreboard before Virginia Tech’s spring football game Saturday.
Virginia Tech officials said on X that the skydiver “was safely secured and is currently stable” following rescue efforts. The incident caused a delay in the start of the spring game.
“Thankful for game days with Hokie Nation and for the Blacksburg and Virginia Tech first responders whose quick actions safely returned today’s parachuter to the ground without injury,” the university said.
The name of the skydiver wasn’t released.
“Our primary focus remains on their well-being,” Virginia Tech officials said in a statement. “We extend our sincere appreciation to the first responders, event staff, and medical personnel for their swift, coordinated and professional response.”
Video footage showed the skydiver’s parachute landing between the “C” and the “H” on the Virginia Tech lettering on top of the scoreboard before first responders rescued him.
CBS News has reached out to the Blacksburg Fire Department for details on the incident.
Virginia
Clemson baseball picks up big Game 2 win over Virginia Cavaliers
A much cleaner performance carried Clemson baseball on Friday, as it answered the previous night’s loss with a 5-1 win over No. 9 Virginia.
Michael Sharman set the tone from the start. He kept Virginia off balance all night, working eight innings while giving up just a single run. There weren’t many free passes, and he consistently pitched ahead, which allowed him to stay in control deep into the game. Hayden Simmerson wrapped things up in the ninth without any trouble.
At the plate, Nate Savoie was the difference. He delivered two home runs, including a go-ahead shot later in the game that put Clemson in front for good. His first long ball gave the Tigers an early edge, and he finished with three RBIs on the night.
Virginia managed to pull even midway through, but Clemson quickly responded. The offense strung together quality at-bats, with Bryce Clavon driving in a run and Luke Gaffney continuing his strong weekend with multiple hits. The Tigers created more separation late, adding another run after working a bases-loaded situation.
Clemson moves to 25-15 overall and 6-11 in conference play with the win. The series now comes down to Saturday’s matchup in Charlottesville.
Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.
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