Report: Tennessee guard Ruby Whitehorn pleads guilty to two misdemeanors in felony arrest

Suspended Tennessee guard Ruby Whitehorn pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors in exchange for judicial diversion on Friday, per ESPN. The Lady Vols star was facing charges of domestic assault and domestic battery.

“As a result of a lot of hard work and investigation, we were able to enter into a favorable plea agreement,” Whitehorn’s attorney Gregory Isaacs said, per ESPN. “Ms. Whitehorn is an excellent student-athlete and intends to focus her attention on athletics and academics at the University of Tennessee.”

Isaacs added that if Whitehorn is able to stay out of trouble and attend anger management classes, her record can be expunged after a year. That’s some more good news for the Tennessee guard.

Moreover, Whitehorn was originally arrested Aug. 8 after an alleged altercation outside a woman’s residence. Reports said Whitehorn kicked in both the front door and a bedroom door at the residence.

She also reportedly told officers the woman took her phone and passport, and locked the door after telling them she was getting some property back. She was expected to plead not guilty at a preliminary hearing Sept. 5 in Knox County court, her attorney Gregory P. Isaacs said in a statement last week, but instead they’ve worked out a new deal.

Isaacs previously said the allegations were “not accurate” and did not line up with eyewitness accounts. He also said Whitehorn hoped to have a resolution in the “near future,” and it seems to have come to fruition.

According to Knox News, an incident report said neither Whitehorn nor the woman said they were injured as a result of the alleged incident. The report also said the woman provided cell phone video that appeared to show Whitehorn entering the house and fighting with her in the bedroom. Officers said they saw a shattered mirror in the bedroom, and the woman said that happened as a result of the altercation.

All told, Whitehorn is preparing for her fourth season of college basketball and second at Tennessee after starting her career at Clemson. Last year, she appeared in 34 games – including 28 starts – as she averaged 11.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists as a key part of the Lady Vols’ roster in Kim Caldwell’s first season as head coach.

In her second season at Clemson in 2023-24, Whitehorn averaged a career-high 12.3 points to go with 5.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists. She also shot 46.4% from the field that year.

Tennessee went 24-10 last year and 8-8 in SEC play after Caldwell took over for Kellie Harper. The Lady Vols rattled off a run to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA tournament, where they fell to No. 1 seed Texas in Regional 3 in Birmingham. The program started practice last month, and we’ll see if Whitehorn is able to return sooner rather than later.

— On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this article.