Jamirah Shutes, a player for the Memphis Tigers women’s basketball team, has been charged with assault after allegedly punching a player from Bowling Green State University (BGSU) in the face following their game on Thursday in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) in Ohio.
The incident occurred during the postgame handshake line when BGSU player Elissa Brett reportedly exchanged words with Shutes. In a video clip captured by a spectator, Shutes is seen reaching out and appearing to punch Brett in the face.
Here is a statement from BGSU: “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.” BGSU Athletics is conducting its own review of the incident.
Below is a video from twitter @jordanstrack of the incident.
The Memphis Commercial Appeal reported that Shutes had reportedly taken an elbow to the face within the final seconds of the opening quarter of the game, but she returned to start the second half.
BGSU released another statement on Twitter, saying that the incident had been turned over to the police and that they would not make comments about active police investigations. “Our priority is with the health, safety, and support of our student-athletes,” the statement added.
BGSU takes on the Florida Gators in the next round of the NIT on March 27th.
