LSU's MiLaysia Fulwiley was arrested Saturday night. Arrest records indicate she was hit with five charges: flight from an officer, resisting an officer, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, and obedience to police officers. Fulwiley is accused of driving her car into a police officer.
There's not a lot of information out there right now. What's been reported is that the incident happened around 10 pm Saturday night. Fulwiley was allegedly told to stop by a cop and then put her car in reverse before switching it back to drive. She then struck a second officer and left the scene.
Situations like this grab a lot of attention immediately and for understandable reasons — it's not okay to hit anyone, anywhere with your car, barring some kind of very dangerous circumstances/a threat to yourself — and all available information doesn't indicate that's what happened here. There's the obvious basketball angle: Fulwiley is one of the stars of the LSU Tigers, and has started in each game this season. She's averaging 17.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 4.3 assists. She also transferred to LSU from South Carolina, and she's been a centerpiece of LSU's game plans ever since.
There's also a racial aspect: Fulwiley is a young Black woman arrested by police officers in Louisiana, a situation that is often (understandably) fraught with tension and fear. She made a terrible choice in first hitting the officer and then fleeing the scene, and it's a choice that could reverberate throughout her collegiate career — it could even stop her from being drafted into the WNBA — and it probably should.
Inflaming complicated stories doesn't help anyone
The story has already hit social media, where there's plenty of specualtion about what did or did not happen. LSU's women's basketball program issued a short statement today: "We are aware of the situation and have no further comment at this time as it’s an ongoing legal matter." The program and Fulwiley have an obligation to follow up with more information and what will happen next, and also deserve to have the ability to do so when the time is right.
LSU's head coach Kim Mulkey has displayed a willingness to offer second chances to players who have been arrested before, but the charges against Fulwiley are extremely serious. Alexis Morris, who met Mulkey in seventh grade and played for her at Baylor, was arrested for assault and dismissed from the team ahead of the 2018-2019 season. She ended up playing for Mulkey again several years later, after taking accountability for her actions.
But Fulwiley's charges involve a police officer, something that is extremely serious no matter what happened. There's a lot to wonder about right now, but it's difficult to see how she could have a way back to basketball — it's difficult to even argue that she should.
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