Ruby Whitehorn rejoins Tennessee women's basketball team after suspension for August arrest

Tennessee guard Ruby Whitehorn rejoined the Lady Vols basketball program after serving a suspension for her Aug. 8 arrest, coach Kim Caldwell said Tuesday. The program suspended Whitehorn on Aug. 21, and Caldwell said she rejoined the team the week of Sept. 8 and is a "full go" in practice moving forward.

Whitehorn was involved in a domestic dispute at a North Knox County residence, which the Knox County Sheriff's Office said followed a physical altercation with a woman outside the home.

"It's not an ideal situation," said Caldwell, who is set to embark on her second season at the helm. "It's not a situation that reflects our program the way we want it to. There's a strong legacy here, and it did not withhold the name of the brand. It's not something that helped us all in recruiting. It's something that we have addressed. We have addressed it seriously, and we're hoping that we can now move on and put our next foot forward."

After reviewing video evidence, authorities identified Whitehorn as the aggressor in the incident. The victim told sheriff's deputies she heard glass break and saw Whitehorn in the parking lot outside her home. After a physical fight, the victim ran inside and locked the door. Whitehorn was then seen on video kicking down the front door and entering the residence.

WNBA coaching tracker: Liberty fire Sandy Brondello; Wings part ways with Chris Koclanes after one season

Jack Maloney

Whitehorn chased the victim upstairs, kicked in a bedroom door and broke a mirror before recovering her phone -- which she claimed the victim took, among other personal items -- and leaving the residence.

Authorities arrested Whitehorn aggravated burglary and domestic assault charges and later released her on bond. Whitehorn appeared on Sept. 5 in Knox County General Sessions Court and had her charges lowered to misdemeanors of vandalism and aggravated criminal trespass. She also received judicial diversion, which will remove the charges from her record after a one-year probationary period that includes anger management and "no trouble or assaultive behavior" against the victim.

"It was a difficult process," Caldwell said. "I think as a coach, it's really hard, and I'm going to be really transparent here. You have to look at the scope of the team. That's my job as a head coach, is to protect the Lady Vol brand. You have to look at that. But it's also my job to coach my players. My players are young people, and they make mistakes. She made mistakes that did not reflect well on this program.

"We talked about it at length. We -- I don't want to say punished, but we gave her a penalty that was pretty severe, 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. She really wanted to be part of this program, and she understands the severity of what she did. So those conversations led to where we are now."

Whitehorn is a three-year starter who opened her career at Clemson and transferred to Tennessee ahead of the 2024-25 season. The former ACC All-Freshman Team selection started 28 of 34 games for the Lady Vols in her debut SEC season and averaged 11.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.