Tennessee Lady Vols Guard Pleads Guilty to Misdemeanors After Door-Kicking Incident

Rudy Whitehorn, a guard for the Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball team, pleaded guilty Friday to two misdemeanor counts stemming from an August incident in which authorities say she kicked in a front door and a bedroom door at a woman's residence.

Under the plea agreement, Whitehorn must complete anger management classes and avoid further legal trouble. If she meets those conditions, the charges of aggravated trespassing and vandalism can be expunged from her record after one year, court records show.

Whitehorn was arrested on Aug. 8 by deputies with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office and was suspended indefinitely from the Lady Vols weeks later, the team said at the time. Her status with the program going forward remains unclear. Her attorney, Gregory Isaacs, called the plea agreement "favorable" and said Whitehorn intends to concentrate on her athletics and academics at the University of Tennessee.

"As a result of a lot of hard work and investigation, we were able to enter into a favorable plea agreement," Isaacs said. "Ms. Whitehorn is an excellent student-athlete and intends to focus her attention on athletics and academics at the University of Tennessee." He previously told reporters that eyewitness accounts contradicted some of the allegations and that Whitehorn told officers she had gone to the residence to retrieve a phone and passport that had been taken.

Prosecutors reached the misdemeanor plea after investigating the events reported at the residence. Court filings identify the offenses as aggravated trespassing and vandalism; those are the charges eligible for expungement under the terms of the deal if Whitehorn fulfills the court-ordered conditions. The plea resolves the criminal case without a contested trial.

The University of Tennessee has not released any additional disciplinary details beyond the initial announcement of Whitehorn's indefinite suspension. The athletic department typically reviews legal outcomes and internal conduct policies when determining roster status for student-athletes.

Whitehorn, a scholarship student-athlete, joined the Lady Vols program amid expectations to contribute on the court while maintaining academic responsibilities. The legal resolution allows a pathway to have the misdemeanor convictions removed from her record after the probationary period and completion of mandated classes, though failure to comply would leave the convictions in place.

The case drew attention because of Whitehorn's profile as a member of a high-profile college program and the nature of the allegations. The plea agreement and conditions were entered as the academic year and the college basketball season approach, leaving questions about Whitehorn's immediate availability to the team pending institutional review and any additional steps required by coaches or the conference.

No additional criminal charges related to the incident have been announced since the plea. Court records indicate the matter will be revisited in approximately one year to assess compliance with the terms that could permit expungement.