Tennessee announced on Sunday that senior guard Ruby Whitehorn had been dismissed from the Lady Vols basketball team, following her recent arrest on campus for marijuana possession.
Lady Vols head coach Kim Caldwell made the announcement, explaining that it is her responsibility to protect the program’s standards.
“In light of recent events, Ruby has been unable to reflect those standards, and I have made the difficult decision to dismiss her from our team,” Caldwell said in a statement. “I love Ruby and will always be rooting for her, but my priority is to uphold the respected reputation of the Lady Vols.”
The incident happened on Thursday, after campus police stopped Whitehorn. She was charged with a misdemeanor simple possession/casual exchange. This was Whitehorn’s second arrest in less than three months.
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Whitehorn was allowed to return to the team after being arrested in early August, after Whitehorn allegedly broke into a woman’s house, from whom she claims had taken some of her property. Whitehorn pleaded guilty on Sept. 5 to two misdemeanors of aggravated burglary and aggravated trespassing in exchange for judicial diversion following the altercation on Aug. 8.
On Sunday, Whitehorn posted a statement to Instagram following coach Caldwell’s announcement, in which she apologized for failing to “uphold the standards of the lady vol legacy and what it represents.”
In Whitehorn’s first year at Tennessee after transferring from Clemson last season, she helped the Lady Vols to a 24-10 record and an NCAA tournament appearance. She averaged 11.6 points, 4 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.
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Last season, Whitehorn started in 28 games for Tennessee, including the Lady Vols’ run to the Sweet 16, where they were eliminated by Texas. The No. 8-ranked Lady Vols’ 2025-26 season begins with a matchup against No. 9 N.C. State in Greensboro, North Carolina on Tuesday.
