RICHMOND, Va. -- There are a lot of parallels between the basketball court and court of law. VCU basketball star Mo Alie-Cox will now know both, after he was charged with misdemeanor assault and battery. But one legal expert said this is a case where it would be easy to play defense.
Alie-Cox, known for his hard work and hustle on the court, is one of the heavyweights in VCU's ‘HAVOC’ brand of basketball.
"I've played ball with him a few times," VCU student Harrison Wrenn said. "He's not a violent person, but if he actually hit a girl in her face, she'd be out cold."
Alie-Cox was charged after a woman accused of him of hitting her. She said she was walking by Alie-Cox and a group of people inside the Society Club in Shockho Slip, when a woman asked her "What was she looking at?"
In a court affidavit, the woman said she responded with "I can look at whatever I want."
The alleged victim also said she made a comment about the basketball player being upset because Shaka Smart had left VCU. That was when she alleged the girl lunged at her. Then, she claimed Alie-Cox punched her in the face.
"It's [a] very defensible [case]. It doesn't look like a strong case and with the complaint being filed 19 days after the alleged incident, the warrant has a lot he can work with," WTVR CBS 6 legal expert Todd Stone said. "The fact that it happened at a bar, there should be a lot of people. So I assume she will bring a witness or two and he could bring witnesses that will exonerate him."
The alleged victim in this case declined an interview request.
The VCU Athletic Department released the following statement:
We are aware of the charge against Mo Alie-Cox and we will continue to monitor the situation closely. We will allow the legal process to run its course and act appropriately within our VCU Athletics student-athlete code of conduct as more details become clear.
