Charges Against South Carolina Women's Basketball Star Ashlyn Watkins Reportedly Dismissed
Back in August, South Carolina women's basketball player Ashlyn Watkins was arrested on charges of assault, battery, and kidnapping.
According to an August 31 report by WTLX News19 station in Columbia, South Carolina, warrants filed by the police state Watkins assaulted the alleged victim by "forcefully grabbing her face, pulling her by her arms, and pushing her," while inside of a student housing center on South Carolina's campus.
The report then writes, "The warrant states that Watkins also picked up the victim against her will and carried her. It goes on to say that Watkins 'grabbed the victim's head and forced her to walk down the hall, thus controlling her movement while preventing her from leaving.' The latter allegation led to an additional charge of kidnapping."
Additional reports indicated that Watkins had a trial date set for October, and she was released on a $30,000 personal recognizance bond in August.
However, a November 5 report from Lulu Kesin of Greenville News indicated that the charges against Watkins have now been dismissed.
"According to the public index, both charges list the deposition as 'Dismissed Not Indicted' on Nov. 1 but give no details," Kesin wrote.
"Since her arrest, Watkins has been suspended from all team activities. The Greenville News reached out to a spokesperson for the team Tuesday morning but has not received a response."
Charges against South Carolina forward Ashlyn Watkins have been dismissed, The Greenville News has learned.
— Lulu Kesin (@LuluKesin) November 5, 2024
There is no official update on her status with the team as of 12:45 ET Tuesday: https://t.co/D3UanvSm85
It remains to be seen whether this means Watkins will return to the court for the Gamecocks, who started the defense of their 2023-24 NCAA Championship with a 68-62 win over the Michigan Wolverines on Monday.
Watkins averaged 9.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per game last season as a sophomore while helping Dawn Staley's squad go 38-0 (the first undefeated year for the program since 2016) and defeat Iowa to claim a second national title in three seasons.
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.