Teen track runner who bashed opponent's head rallies supporters in Virginia 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 Everette 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 jad 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."
Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Immigrant shelter whistleblower asking DOJ to investigate 'disturbing pattern' at taxpayer-funded hotels
A former immigrant shelter director in Massachusetts is petitioning Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Department of Justice to launch an investigation into the "disturbing pattern" of criminal activity, sexual assaults and financial abuse that he says is widespread in the state-run migrant shelter system. Jon Fetherston, a former director of an immigrant shelter in Marlborough, Massachusetts, first blew the whistle about the widespread abuse in the shelter system after he discovered a Haitian migrant named Ronald Joseph, who was living in his shelter, had repeatedly raped and impregnated his 13-year-old daughter. Fetherston previously told Fox News Digital that as soon as Joseph heard he was losing custody of his daughter, he "reached across the table and grabbed me and got angry with me and started cursing and yelling and screaming and swinging at me because he realized what was happening." However, instead of being arrested immediately, Fetherston was directed to order Joseph a Lyft ride to another shelter in Worcester County. Joseph was not arrested until eight months in February. Us Attorney Alina Habba Announces Rep. Mciver Hit With Federal Charges Over Newark Ice Clash Though this case was particularly egregious, Fetherston said that "there is a lot of undocumented violence that goes on" and that rape, domestic violence, sex trafficking, drug dealing and other crimes are so commonplace in the Massachusetts shelter system that many incidents simply fall through the cracks. Read On The Fox News App Fetherston said, "The entire experience has shaken me to my core." In a letter sent to Bondi on Monday, Fetherston said that this was "not an isolated incident" but despite his raising the alarm, "there has been a deliberate wall of silence. No reforms. No accountability. Just more spin, stonewalling, and bureaucratic excuses." "This is a crisis — one that requires federal action now," he said. Fetherston is now asking Bondi to launch a full investigation into criminal activity and sexual violence within Massachusetts-run migrant shelters, widespread fraud and misuse of federal and state funds, the deliberate refusal to coordinate with federal law enforcement agencies and the pattern of retaliation against those reporting abuse, danger or misconduct. Republican State Ags Seek 'Game Plan' From Fbi, Doj Amid 'Growing Wave Of Antisemitic Domestic Terrorism' The former shelter director turned whistleblower said that "these crimes and failures cannot be brushed aside any longer," because "innocent people — especially children — are being hurt, and the people responsible are being protected by silence and political calculation." Fetherston placed much of the blame for rampant mismanagement and abuse in the shelter system on Massachusetts Democratic Gov. Maura Healey, who has been extremely critical of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. In a statement to Fox News Digital, Fetherston said that "the impact of the Healey administration's hotel shelter policy has been devastating for both residents inside the shelters and the local communities surrounding them." "I personally witnessed traumatic incidents — including assaults, fraud, and serious mental health crises — with minimal intervention from the state," he said. Blue State Governor Sounds Off About 'Disturbing' Ice Operations On Affluent Liberal Islands "Families were placed in overcrowded, poorly managed facilities with little to no oversight, where safety was constantly compromised," he explained. "Local communities were never consulted, resulting in growing resentment and fear. Neighborhoods saw increased police calls, strain on emergency services, and the burden of absorbing hundreds of people without additional resources." He said the Healey administration's "lack of transparency and refusal to collaborate with municipalities left both residents and local officials in the dark, with serious consequences." He also claimed he has faced retaliation for speaking out, including "having my safety threatened, being publicly discredited, and physically targeted." "If you challenge the narrative, you're silenced," he said. "That culture of suppression has created a dangerous environment where truth is buried and accountability is nonexistent." Handful Of House Democrats Join Republicans In Sanctuary City Crackdown Healey's office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. Healey has previously expressed outrage and called for a full audit of the state's shelters after it was discovered that a 28-year-old illegal immigrant, Leonardo Andujar Sanchez, was discovered using a shelter to store an AR-15 and nearly $1 million in illegal article source: Immigrant shelter whistleblower asking DOJ to investigate 'disturbing pattern' at taxpayer-funded hotels
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
NNPD hosts 3rd annual Gun Violence Awareness Walk at City Center
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) – The police department is hosting the third annual 'Gun Violence Awareness Walk' at City Center Wednesday evening. The walk comes after a string of violence police are hoping to get the public more involved. NNPD hosts 2nd annual Gun Violence Awareness Walk The walk is a way for people to allow themselves to talk to each other about how tired they are about gun violence. In its third year, it's a way for people who call Newport News home a chance to take back the community after recent shootings in the city. One man was seriously hurt at a shooting on Traverse Road, and one woman was killed near the intersection of 27th Street and Wickham Avenue — both at the end of May. As a long time resident of Newport News, James Perrin said he is happy the police are getting involved with the community to stop the violence. 'They patrol around like they are supposed to. But you still got a lot of young people out here doing those sneaky stuff at night,' said Perrin. Dozens of people will walk around the fountains at City Center wearing orange, the symbolic color for gun violence awareness. At 6 p.m., police, city leaders and community members will walk and talk about the collective commitment they have to end gun violence. 'This event serves not only as an important reminder of the seriousness of gun violence both in our community and nationwide, but also as a celebration of our community's commitment to developing lasting solutions to this critical issue,' said Chief of Police, Steve Drew. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Three Virginia high school students seeking $10M in lawsuit over principal's accusation of ‘racist harassment'
Three Virginia high school students are suing their principal, alleging defamation for being called racist over a birthday card and gift they gave a fellow student they insist is a friend. Three students at Kellam High School in Virginia Beach say Ryan Schubart, the school's principal, 'published materially false and defamatory statements in an email addressed to the entire student body on or about March 13, 2025,' according to reporting from WAVY. The students are seeking $10 million in damages. According to court documents obtained by the outlet, the principal claimed the students engaged in 'racist harassment' and 'will be disciplined to the fullest extent possible.' The plaintiffs were reportedly part of a 'close friend group,' which included a student who was allegedly a victim of racial harassment. Tim Anderson, an attorney representing the students, said: 'They shouldn't have been brought out to the town square and castigated in front of the entire community, with adults weighing in, calling them racist. You don't do that to children. It ruins their lives.' He added that what Schubart wrote in the email was not an accurate reflection of what occurred. Per court records, on March 12, the birthday of the alleged victim, the plaintiffs 'presented the gift recipient with a gift intended as a joke consisting of handwritten notes on a birthday card, a bag of fried chicken, and various candy, which was received in the same spirit as a friendly gift by the recipient.' The entire encounter lasted between two to three minutes, court records state. Security footage of the incident showed 'The plaintiffs, the gift recipient and other students laughing, hugging and engaging in friendly behavior.' In his email, the principal wrote that a staff member intervened after witnessing the exchange, which Anderson disputes. 'The principal said that a teacher had to break up the incident that didn't happen,' he told the TV station. 'We have video evidence [that this] absolutely did not happen.' 'All of these boys were close friends. The Black child, [it] was his birthday,' Anderson said. 'The boys were bringing him a gift for his birthday, a gift that he asked for. The child said that the card that was given to him was funny.' He continued: '[The] principal had all that information, but he omitted it, and he spun it up as this is an incident of racial harassment, racial bullying.' The attorney claims the plaintiffs 'have been threatened and property damage has occurred.' The boys have also been removed from the school. The Independent has emailed Kellam High School for comment.
