The Atletico Madrid striker was ruled to have ‘doubled touched’ the ball during the penalty shoot-out defeat to rivals Real Madrid
© Getty Images
© AP
The Virginia high school track and field athlete who was seen bashing an opponent's head with a baton during a race has been charged with assault and battery, Lynchburg Commonwealth’s Attorney Office confirmed to Fox News Digital.
I.C. Norcom High School student athlete Alaila Everett was seen smashing her baton on the head of Brookville High School junior Kaelen Tucker during a championship meet last week. Footage of the incident went viral in the following days, prompting national controversy and backlash against Everett.
Tucker was later diagnosed with a concussion and possible skull fracture.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Tucker and her family members did not definitively say whether they would press charges against Everett after the incident in an interview with WSET ABC 13. However, charges have now officially been pressed, as Everett faces one misdemeanor count assault and battery.
Everett has since said the hits were accidental, in interviews with WAVY and "Good Morning America."
Prior to the charges being announced on Everett, the Portsmouth NAACP released a statement defending the embattled teen on Wednesday.
"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," the statement read.
"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."
Fox News Digital has reached out to Everett's family via the Portsmouth Public School District for comment.
Tucker recounted the incident in an interview with WSET ABC 13 last Friday, and said the entire section gasped when they saw the repeated baton bashing.
"The whole section just gasped," Tucker told the station 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.
"She was kind of hysterical because she just couldn’t believe that’s what had happened."
Everett claims the hits occurred because she lost her balance and her baton got "stuck" behind her opponent's back.
"After a couple times of hitting her, my baton got stuck behind her back like this, and it rolled up her back. I lost my balance when I pumped my arms again. She got hit," Everett said in an interview with WAVY. "I know my intentions and I would never hit someone on purpose."
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."
During an interview with Good Morning America on Wednesday, Everett and her family showed a different angle of the footage, and re-enacted the incident to try and prove it was an accident.
"Her arm was literally hitting the baton like this until she got a little ahead and my arm got stuck like this," Everett said while using a family member to represent Tucker during the incident in the clip.
The Virginia High School League (VHSL) previously issued a statement to Fox News Digital on the matter.
"The VHSL does not comment on individuals or disciplinary actions due to FERPA," the league's statement read. "The actions taken by the meet director to disqualify the runner were appropriate and correct. We thoroughly review every instance like this that involves player safety with the participating schools. The VHSL membership has always made it a priority to provide student-athletes with a safe environment for competition."
Fox News Digital's Scott Thompson contributed to this report.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Olivia "Livvy" Dunne roasted a troll in her TikTok comments who called her out for returning for a fifth year at LSU.
Dunne had an extra year of eligibility with LSU’s gymnastics team after entering college in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last week, the Tigers had their senior night celebration, but one commentor tried to make a joke about Dunne, saying she would be a senior "for the next 10 years."
Dunne posted a one-minute video showing the comment and ripping it to shreds.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
"I really don’t understand what’s so hard to get," she said. "I came to college in 2020, got granted a fifth year because of COVID and I came back for the fifth year. I only ever see this comment on female athletes’ posts. Why do you care if I come back for a fifth year and have another year of eligibility?"
Dunne could’ve finished after that, but she provided proof of how normal it is for athletes compete a fifth year in college.
OLIVIA DUNNE REVEALS ‘FRUSTRATING’ PART OF SOCIAL MEDIA FAME WHILE COMPETING IN NCAA GYMNASTICS
Dunne used LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier as an example. He’s entering his fifth year with the Tigers after redshirting his freshman year.
"Football and basketball players redshirt and take fifth years all the time," Dunne added. "The starting quarterback of LSU football is coming back for a fifth year. This comment is nowhere to be found on his account.
"People commenting stuff like this obviously were never a college athlete or never loved a sport. So, you’re not funny. Why do you care what I’m doing with my life? Please stop."
Dunne also made sure to add that she gave up her athletic scholarship to allow another gymnast to have it as she competes in her final year.
Dunne is the top women’s NIL earner in the country and fourth overall earner at an estimated valuation of $4.1 million with her partnerships, according to On3.
She also launched "The Livvy Fund" in partnership with LSU’s official NIL collective to help more female athletes "create more opportunities" for NIL deals themselves "while emphasizing the importance of bringing NIL funds to women in college sports."
Dunne was a 2024 WCGA All-American, appearing in nine meets for the Tigers while competing in the bars and floor events. She recorded a career-high 9.900 in the floor event in the Podium Challenge last year and in the NCAA Fayetteville regional second round. Dunne also posted a season-best 9.875 on the bars in a meet at the Podium Challenge.
LSU is ranked No. 2 in the country this season, but, during senior night, Dunne revealed she was unable to compete due to a knee injury.
"Hi friends! Unfortunately, I’ve been dealing with an avulsion fracture of my patella and will not be able to compete on senior night," Dunne posted in an Instagram story. "It absolutely breaks my heart to not get the opportunity to compete in the PMAC one last time. Tiger fans, you’ve been so good to me! Thank you for the endless support and as always Geaux Tigers! – Liv."
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
.jpeg?width=1200&auto=webp&crop=3%3A2)
Aston Villa 3-0 Club Brugge (6-1 on aggregate): Marco Asensio scored twice as Unai Emery’s side reached the quarter-finals, where they will face PSG
© Getty
Don't taunt Juan Soto because he'll make you look silly.
Soto signed the richest deal in the history of North American sports in December, when he agreed to a 15-year, $765 million deal with the New York Mets.
In the early going, Soto seems to be worth every penny, hitting nearly .400 in his first Mets spring training.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
But one fan in the stands Monday night disagreed, constantly heckling Soto by calling him "overpaid" and "overrated," and it was caught on camera.
Soto turned and gave the fan a look. Perhaps it was a look of annoyance, but maybe Soto was warning the fan of his imminent revenge.
The fan got an immediate taste of his own medicine when Soto launched a solo home run directly at the fan, and he didn't even come away with the ball.
Soto pointed at the fan after the ball cleared the fence, and it gave the Mets a 4-0 lead in an eventual 8-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.
GERRIT COLE WILL MISS 2025 MLB SEASON AS YANKEES ANNOUNCE ACE WILL UNDERGO TOMMY JOHN SURGERY
Soto, a four-time All-Star, had the best season of his career with the Yankees last season, hitting .288 with a career-best 41 home runs and 109 RBIs.
In the Yankees’ run to the World Series, Soto elevated his game, hitting .327 with four home runs in 14 postseason games, including the ALCS-winning home run.
In addition to his four All-Star game appearances, Soto, just 26 years old, is a five-time Silver Slugger and won the batting title in the shortened 2020 season.
Now, he'll be at the top of a lineup that made it to the NLCS in a surprising late-season run last year.
Fox News' Ryan Canfield contributed to this report.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
College football saw its first expanded playoff system in 2024, with the Ohio State Buckeyes winning it all over Notre Dame in the end.
However, the system was criticized by many, leading to discussion about how to fix it. At the same time, expanding the playoffs even more was always a card on the table as well.
Speaking of Buckeyes, Urban Meyer, the ex-college and NFL head coach, made an appearance on Fox Sports’ "The Herd with Colin Cowherd," where he said he would be a fan of the 14-team College Football Playoff format.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
"I’ve actually done a little research on this," Meyer said, via Awful Announcing. "It’s a 4-4-2-2-1-1 format. I know it’s out there a little bit, but I did a little diving into it, and of all the ones I’ve heard, it makes the most sense. It’s a 14-team playoff. Now, there’s going to be a big caveat in that, the Big 12 and ACC are going to be pissed."
Why does Meyer believe two of the Power Five conferences will not be happy with this format? Well, this proposal for a 14-team playoff would have the SEC and Big Ten each getting four automatic bids. An at-large team and the highest rate Group of Five team would get in as well.
MIAMI'S CAM WARD: ‘GOD AND WORK’ HAVE GOTTEN ME AS POTENTIAL NO. 1 PICK
"Here’s the best thing — it takes it out of selection and more into access," Meyer explained. "So, the selection committee’s going to be wrong. It’s an imperfect system. It’s been that way since the BCS. I like the idea you play into it. …It does not penalize you. If I’m a coach in the current model, I am not playing a tough team in the early part of the season. That’s going to hurt my team."
One of the main qualms about the current CFP system was teams in conferences like the SEC and Big Ten having tougher opponents than others, especially at the start of the season.
With automatic bids, there’s less risk in losing early in the season when thinking about playoff chances.
"If you go on the conferences handle the access, the Big Ten gets four (teams). You’re darn right I’m going to play Texas because I want to challenge my team. It’s great for recruiting. It’s great for our fans. It’s great for the game of football, and it will not penalize me. If I still win the Big Ten, I’m the No. 1 seed."
Meyer is only one of many inserting their opinion about this matter, with others like SEC Network top analyst Paul Finebaum believing auto bids would be "completely wrong" for the game.
"Doing our show yesterday, even SEC fans were calling in… saying they don’t like it," Finebaum said. "There’s something inherently wrong about stacking the deck before the season."
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
