A Memphis Women’s Basketball player has pleaded not guilty to an assault charge after being accused of punching an opponent following the team’s loss to Bowling Green. Senior guard Jamirah Shutes allegedly punched Elissa Brett with a closed fist following Memphis’ final loss of the season.
Fox News Digital received word from the City of Bowling Green Prosecutor’s Office that Shutes’ attorney has entered a not-guilty plea on Wednesday. The charges, which included an assault charge, were pressed quickly after the on-court incident, which can be seen below.
BGSU women’s basketball moving on to the final 8 of the WNIT after beating Memphis — but this will steal the headlines unfortunately.
Ugly, ugly scene in the handshake line. A Memphis player punched Elissa Brett. Just brutal. pic.twitter.com/2hptXYBEtj
— Jordan Strack (@JordanStrack) March 24, 2023
The loss marked the end of Shutes’ senior season after the team saw Bowling Green advance in the NIT Tournament by a score of 73-60. Unfortunately for both teams, the game was overshadowed by the action taken in the postgame handshake line. According to the New York Post, Shutes was one of Memphis’ on-court leaders, scoring 15 points per game on her way to being named to the All-AAC team at the end of the regular season. When charges were initially filed, Bowling Green shared this statement with WTOL:
“Following Thursday’s unwarranted physical incident after the WNIT home game, the Bowling Green State University Police Department has charged a member of the Memphis Women’s Basketball team with assault. Additionally, BGSU Athletics is conducting its own review. Violence is never acceptable and our priority remains the health, safety and support of our student-athlete, who is recovering and doing well. This is an active investigation in conjunction with the City of Bowling Green Prosecutor, and no further comment is available at this time.”
The Memphis Athletic Department also shared a statement. The school has no intention of impeding the legal proceedings that Shutes will face. The school said:
“The incident that occurred following Thursday’s women’s basketball game was extremely unfortunate and certainly not consistent with, or representative of, our expectations for our programs and student-athletes. Because the incident occurred after the game, jurisdiction falls in the hands of local authorities, and we are cooperating fully with their process. To be respectful of that process, we will not comment further until it is complete.”
It is unclear if anything was done or said to make Shutes feel she needed to punch an opponent following the game. The New York Post noted that an elbow hit Shutes in the first half, which shook her up before she managed to reenter and finish the game. Memphis Head Coach Katrina Merriweather also announced that she would leave the program, although ESPN reports that the decision had nothing to do with the incident on Friday.
The outcome of this game may soon be forgotten, but the actions of Shutes will live on as a lasting memory of this year’s Women’s NIT Tournament. It’s a shame that one action from a disgruntled player on the losing team can outshine all the hard work and good play from the winners, but such is the news cycle.
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