The Tennessee Lady Volunteers have made the difficult decision to part ways with senior guard Ruby Whitehorn following her second arrest in just three months. This development comes on the eve of the 2025 season opener, leaving the team to reshuffle its lineup.
The announcement was made on Sunday, with Tennessee’s head coach, Kim Caldwell, confirming Whitehorn’s dismissal. “My responsibility is to maintain the high standards of this historic program,” Caldwell stated, as reported by SBNation. “Given recent events, Ruby has not met those standards, and I have had to make the tough call to dismiss her from our team. While I care deeply for Ruby and wish her the best, my priority remains the esteemed reputation of the Lady Vols.”
Whitehorn’s troubles began at the end of October when she was apprehended on a minor drug charge for possessing 5.59 grams of marijuana. This incident followed her earlier arrest on August 8, when she faced charges of domestic assault and aggravated burglary. She later pled guilty to two misdemeanors related to aggravated trespassing and burglary stemming from the August incident.
Initially, Whitehorn had been suspended indefinitely after her August arrest but was eventually reinstated to participate in exhibition games. However, her recent run-in with the law ultimately led to her release from the team.
Reflecting on the situation last month, Coach Caldwell expressed her concerns, stating, “This is not the image we want for our program. The Lady Vols have a strong legacy, and this situation didn’t uphold the brand’s name. It didn’t help us with recruiting either. We’ve taken the necessary actions to address it, and we’re now focused on moving forward.”
“It’s not an ideal situation; 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 at all in recruiting. It’s something that we have addressed. We addressed it seriously, and we’re hoping that we can now move on and put our next foot forward,” coach Caldwell told the press last month.
Whitehorn started with Clemson, where she was voted to the 2023 All-ACC Freshman Team and started in 62 of 66 games. In her first season with Tennessee, she averaged 11.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game while shooting 46.3 percent from the floor. She was one of the Lady Vols’ top players.
Despite being released, she could still be picked up by another school.
