Tennessee reinstated Ruby Whitehorn, coach Kim Caldwell said Tuesday, after the senior guard was arrested in August and pleaded down to a pair of misdemeanors earlier this month.
Whitehorn faced a pair of felony charges for domestic assault and aggravated burglary. At her preliminary hearing Sept. 5, she pleaded guilty to misdemeanors of aggravated trespassing and aggravated burglary in exchange for judicial diversion.
She can have her record expunged after a year provided she attends anger management classes and does not get in legal trouble again.
“It’s not an ideal situation,” Caldwell told reporters. “It’s not of a situation that reflects our program the way we want it to. There’s a strong legacy here and it did not uphold the name of the brand. … We’ve addressed it seriously, and we’re hoping that we can now move on and put our next foot forward.”
Caldwell added that the Lady Vols were prepared to move on without the three-year starter if necessary.
“We gave her a penalty that was pretty severe,” Caldwell said. “And if she batted an eye to that, or didn’t want to do that, or wasn’t going to bend over backwards to make up for what she did to the brand of this program by failing to meet the standard, then we were going to move on. And she really wanted to be a part of this program, and she understands the severity of what she did.”
Whitehorn, 21, was arrested Aug. 8 in North Knox County, Tenn., after allegedly getting into a physical altercation with a woman outside that woman’s residence.
When the woman was able to get back into her home, Whitehorn allegedly followed her. She kicked in the front door and then the door to a bedroom where the woman had tried to take cover. Whitehorn also allegedly smashed a bedroom mirror.
Whitehorn said the alleged victim took her passport and cellphone and she wanted to retrieve her belongings, according to law enforcement records.
Whitehorn was an ACC All-Freshman selection in 2022-23 at Clemson. After a second season at Clemson, she transferred to Tennessee and started 28 of 34 games, averaging 11.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.
–Field Level Media
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