Memphis' Jamirah Shutes Pleads Not Guilty Over Handshake Line Punch Because, Hey, It's Worth A Shot

Memphis women's basketball player Jamirah Shutes has pled not guilty to punching Bowling Green State's Elissa Brett after a women's NIT game.

The Memphis fifth-year guard out of Brownsville, Tennessee is facing assault charges for the incident.

On Wednesday, according to TMZ Sports, Shutes' attorney appeared in court on her behalf and delivered her not-guilty plea. Shutes is due to be back in court next month for a hearing.

Now, I'm not going to pretend I'm a legal scholar. All of my legal training comes from old Perry Mason episodes and watching Judge Judy on mute in the dentist's waiting room.

Having said that, I'm not sure Clarence Darrow could talk his way out of this one.

You've got the incident on camera and an arena full of witnesses to deal with. That seems like a tall order to build a defense against.

But who knows, maybe Shutes' attorney Steven Crossmock has a trick up his sleeve.

The punch that you can see in that video left Brett with a swollen right eye. Still, that wasn't enough to keep her out of the lineup for the Falcoins' 6-53 win over the Florida Gators earlier this week. Brett played 38 minutes and put up 16 points. Brett is expected to play on Wednesday against Columbia in the NIT semifinals as well.

She's a tough customer, that Elissa Brett.

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