I remember sportsmanship. I’m a lifelong athlete, and during my high school days was among the top handful of sprinters in my state. I ran relays, passing batons among three other sprinters. The idea that we would come into contact with other runners in a relay was virtually unthinkable—that slows you down. The idea we might assault them, absurd. Not only would our coaches have thrown us off the team, we would have instantly become social pariahs in our school and town. Not so anymore:

The Virginia high school track and field runner who was seen violently smashing her baton into an opponent's head during a relay race has spoken out about the backlash she's received, while claiming the incident was an accident.

I.C. Norcom High School senior Alaila Everett gave opponent Brookville junior Kaelen Tucker a concussion and possible skull fracture when she beat her head with the baton at an event on Tuesday. Everett claims the attack occurred because she lost her balance and her baton got "stuck" behind her opponent's back.

Everett claimed it was all just an unfortunate happenstance, the kind of thing that happens all the time in relay races. Everett, who has well learned the language and technique of eternal grievance, is the real victim:

Everett also said that while she caused physical pain for Tucker, there is not enough empathy for Everett's own "mental" impact. 

"Everybody has feelings, so you’re physically hurt, but you’re not thinking of my mental," Everett said. "They are assuming my character, calling me ghetto and racial slurs, death threats… all of this off of a nine-second video."

Everett and Tucker are both black. Let’s go to the tape (take the link for the video):

Graphic: X Screenshot

In any race, runners keep as far to the inside of their lanes as possible, which slightly shortens the distance they run. That’s a big deal in races won by hundredths of a second. Notice Tucker is maintaining that line. Notice the girl in front of Everett is heading for the inside of that lane as she rounds the curve. Notice Everett is at the outside of her lane, placing her in striking distance of Tucker, who is handily beating Everett.

There is motive. Despite being on an inside lane, with a distance advantage, Everett is being overtaken by Tucker with every stride. Unable to run faster and knowing she’s going to be beaten, Everett edges to the outside of her lane—opportunity—into striking distance of Tucker, winds up and bashes her in the back of the head.  Everett hit Tucker so hard she dropped the baton. This was no “stuck” baton. This was premeditated assault and battery, for which Everett is not sorry:

"My whole thing was no apology," Tamarrow [Tucker’s mother] said. "No coaches, no athlete, no anything. Even if it was an accident, which I don’t believe it’s an accident, but nothing. It’s been more than 24 hours now, so I guess that was the major thing. My child was hurt and nobody came to check on her."

Traditional sportsmanship would require Everett’s coaches to not only expel Everett, but to profusely apologize to Tucker’s coaches and to Tucker.

"The whole section just gasped," Tucker told WSET ABC 13 about those around her in the bleachers. "We had family come from out of town, her godparents were here from Myrtle Beach. Everybody just gasped. 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.

Track is not a contact sport, but in our time of identify politics, eternal grievance and victimhood and no individual responsibility this kind of behavior should be unsurprising. Also unsurprising is the local NCAAP chapter’s self-righteous defense of Everett:

"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…”  

"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."

Local authorities, who have the very clear video of the attack, are unimpressed and Everett has been charged with assault and battery, which is precisely what the video documents.

It’s a fable for our times full of cognitive dissonance: a black female attacker and a black female victim. The local NAACP has chosen eternal victimhood. Local authorities have chosen sportsmanship and the law. We’ll see which prevails.

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Mike McDaniel is a USAF veteran, classically trained musician, Japanese and European fencer, life-long athlete, firearm instructor, retired police officer and high school and college English teacher. He is a published author and blogger. His home blog is Stately McDaniel Manor.