A nearly ten-second video of a track athlete smacking her opponent over the head with a baton has dominated headlines and conversations lately — and now a lip reader has revealed the passing words that could have been uttered between the two.
On Friday, March 7, Alaila Everett from I.C. Norcom High School and Kaelen Tucker from Lynchburg’s Brookville High School were both participating in a 4x200m relay event at Liberty University, Virginia.
Highlights
- Everett was seen hitting Tucker with a baton during a relay race.
- A lip reader claims Everett shouted, "Get off!" and "Hey, oh!" before striking, but the video footage wasn't clear.
- Tucker suffered a concussion and possible skull fracture from the incident.
The latter was running the second leg of the relay when she could be seen passing Everett. In just a moment, the former had pulled her right arm back and hit her competitor in the head.
A lip reader has decoded what Alaila Everett seemingly yelled at Kaelen Tucker before striking her in the head with a baton
Image credits: WAVY TV 10
Tucker collapsed to the ground, clutching her temple. She was forced out of the race and had to be treated for a concussion and possible skull fracture.
According to expert Nicola Hickling, the founder of LipReader, Everett briefly shouted at Tucker before the strike.
She told the Daily Mail that the high schooler had yelled, “Get off!” and “Hey, oh!” as the attack happened, although the grainy footage made it difficult to be completely certain.
Since the incident, Everett has broken her silence and shared that she’s been privy to receiving death threats and racial slurs, getting emotional during an interview with Wavy.com on Monday, March 10.
Image credits: WSET ABC 13
Image credits: WSET ABC 13
She claimed the video does not properly showcase what happened — and paints her as a different person altogether.
“Nobody is going to believe me because I can admit from the video it does look purposeful,” the athlete said. “But I know my intentions and I would never hit anybody on purpose.
“After a couple of times of hitting her, my baton got stuck behind her back like this,” she said as she gestured upwards, “and it rolled up her back. I lost balance, and when I pumped my arms again, she got hit.”
Tucker collapsed and had to be treated for a concussion and potential skull fracture
Image credits: WSET ABC 13
Everett added, “[The Internet is] assuming my character, calling me ghetto and racial slurs, death threats. All of this off of a nine-second video,” later saying, “Everybody has feelings, so you’re physically hurt, but you’re not thinking of my mental [health].”
Her mother additionally came to her defense and said that she didn’t have to see the video to be “one hundred percent” certain her daughter “would never do that to nobody.”
However, Tucker was inclined to disagree. From her side, the shocking blow was intentional.
As she shared her side of the story with WSET ABC 13, she said, “So, on the back curve, I kind of got cut off, and I tried to pass her the first time, so I let her go ahead. I knew when I got fully on the curve that I was going to have to push through past her.
“So, as we were coming up in the middle of the curve, we were bumping arms a lot. So, I got a little more on the outside of the curve to go around her. When I finally pushed through to get in front of her, that’s when she hit me in the head with the baton.”
Tucker continued, “I still can’t believe it, I’m in shock. I’m still trying to take it all in. I can’t believe it happened,” before addressing Everett, “Why did you do it? And why haven’t you apologized yet?”
Everett claimed the video didn't accurately represent what happened on the track
Image credits: Brookville Track and Field
Her mother, Tamarro, had been watching from the stands and caught the moment her daughter went down, saying the entire section had erupted in collective gasps.
“We had family come from out of town; her godparents were here from Myrtle Beach. Everybody just gasped,” she said. “When I saw her go down, all I could do is run out of the bleachers.
“I just knew I had to get to her. She was kind of hysterical because she just couldn’t believe that’s what had happened.”
Image credits: WSET ABC 13
They have reportedly taken legal action against Everett’s family.
The Virginia High School League (VHSL) is still continuing to investigate the matter but has disqualified the Norcom team for “contact interference.”
It seems like most of the Internet has taken Tucker's side
