"I would never hit somebody on purpose"- Alaila Everett breaks silence with tearful confession after widespread criticism for baton attack

Alaila Everett has come in for criticism after she hit another runner with a baton during a race. The incident happened at the VHSL Class 3 State Indoor Championships in Virginia, where Everett took part in the 4x200m relay. She hit Brookville High School's Kaelen Tucker in the head.

The video of the incident went viral, and soon after, Everett started receiving threats and insults. She claimed it was an accident. The video of Everett defending her situation was shared on X, accompanied by a caption:

"The track runner who attacked another girl with a baton in the middle of a race speaks out".

In the video, she could be heard saying:

"I'm just a person by myself. Nobody's gonna believe me because I can admit from the video, it does look purposeful, but I know my intentions, and I would never hit somebody on purpose."

Alaila Everett is currently a senior at I.C. Norcom High School. The I.C. Norcom High School team was disqualified after the incident. Vincent Pugh, a former athletic director, disagreed with the decision, saying a play-by-play showed Tucker running closely to Everett. He explained that a runner must be a full stride ahead before moving in front.

The Tuckers are asking Everett for an apology, and her family has received court papers for a protective order. Everett’s father, Genoa Everett, said they now have to travel to a city three hours away where they feel disliked.

Alaila Everett shares her side of the baton attack incident

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Alaila Everett recently reflected on her side of the baton attack, after the video of her hitting opponent (Kaelen Tucker) with a baton went viral on social media. Tucker later said she suffered a concussion from the incident.

However, Everett explained that she lost her balance during the race and did not mean to hit Tucker. She said her baton had gotten stuck behind Tucker's back before making contact with her head.

Following the incident, Everett spoke about how the situation impacted her mentally.

"They're assaulting my character, calling me ghetto, racist slurs, death threats, all of this, just because of a nine second video," she said (via labible.com).

Furthermore, the athlete said, she tried to contact Tucker on social media but found she had been blocked. Tucker's family said neither Everett nor her coach reached out after the race.