Track Star Who Hit Opponent in Head with Baton Breaks Silence amid Controversy Over If It Was Intentional

• A precocious schoolhouse sprinter is speaking retired for the archetypal clip aft she was disqualified for hitting an hostile connected the caput with a baton, calling it an accident

• Alaila Everett says she’s received decease threats and racist insults aft the video went viral

• Everett’s parents are staying by her side, saying she’d ne'er intentionally wounded someone

A teen way prima who deed an hostile connected the caput with a baton during a Virginia authorities title contention is speaking out, calling it an accident.

“I cognize my volition is that I would ne'er deed idiosyncratic connected purpose,” said Alaila Everett, a elder astatine I.C. Norcom High School, successful an affectional interrogation with section outlet WAVY TV 10.

The teen’s position comes 5 days aft the 4×200 metre relay astatine a authorities indoor title astatine Liberty University, during which Everett was seen striking her opponent, Kaelen Tucker, with a baton, according to section quality outlet WSLS 10.

The incidental connected Tuesday, March 4 was captured connected video and showed Tucker, a inferior from Brookville High School, clutching her caput and falling towards the infield aft the hit. Kaelen was aboriginal assessed by a doc and was told she had a concussion and imaginable skull fracture, according to the outlet. The I.C. Norcom High School squad was disqualified from the event.

The schoolhouse told PEOPLE that it instantly reported the incidental to the Virginia High School League (VHSL), which is continuing an probe into the matter. “We are cooperating with the VHSL successful its work,” said Dr. Lauren Nolasco, the main communications serviceman for Portsmouth Public Schools. “The part volition enactment and travel the ruling that comes from the VHSL upon its completed investigation.”

Brookville High School has not instantly responded to PEOPLE's petition for comment.

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In a connection obtained by PEOPLE, the VHSL stood by the determination to disqualify Everett.

“The VHSL does not remark connected individuals oregon disciplinary actions owed to FERPA. The actions taken by the conscionable manager to disqualify the runner were due and correct,” the enactment said. “We thoroughly reappraisal each lawsuit similar this that involves subordinate information with the participating schools. The VHSL rank has ever made it a precedence to supply student-athletes with a harmless situation for competition."

During her caller interview, Everett claimed that the video is misleading.

“They’re going disconnected of 1 angle,” she told WAVY TV 10.

“After a mates times of hitting her [with her body], my baton got stuck down her backmost similar this,” Everett said, gesturing upwards, “and it rolled up her back. I mislaid my equilibrium and erstwhile I pumped my arms again, she got hit.”

Tucker, who was successful the 2nd lane during the relay, was seen moving adjacent to Everett arsenic she tried to overtake her opponent, per the video. The adjacent proximity past resulted successful the onslaught to Tucker’s head, Everett claims.

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Since the incident, Everett said she’s received a question of hatred.

“They’re assuming my character, calling maine ghetto, racist slurs, decease threats, each of this, conscionable due to the fact that of a nine-second video,” Everett told WAVY TV 10.

The evening aft the race, Tucker and her mother, Tamarro Tucker, spoke to WSLS 10. Both questioned wherefore Tucker hadn’t received an apology.

“My full happening was nary apology," Tamarro said successful the interview. "Like, nary coaches, nary athlete, nary anything. Even if it was an mishap — which I don’t judge it was — but nothing. And it’s been much than 24 hours now. So I conjecture that was the large thing. My kid was wounded and cipher came to cheque connected her.”

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Kaelen echoed her mother’s statement, telling the outlet she’s been near wondering: “Why did you bash it? And wherefore haven’t you apologized yet?”

Her hostile said she has tried to apologize, but it hasn’t been received. Everett told WAVY TV 10 that Kaelen has blocked her connected societal media. The outlet besides reports that Everett’s household is being sued by the Tuckers.

Everett’s parents are appalled astatine the vitriol their girl has received, according to the outlet. And they’re lasting by their daughter.

Everett’s ma told the outlet that she “didn’t person to spot a archetypal video, 2nd video oregon 10th video. I cognize 100 percent that she would ne'er bash that to nobody.”

Read the archetypal nonfiction connected People