Florida news-site the Independent Florida Alligator is reporting that Florida swimmer Lily Ramirez has been permanantly removed from the program after an arrest for cocaine possession on Monday.
This is at least the second legal run-in in the last 9-months for the 21-year old Gainesville native. She was indefinitely suspended in February after allegedly shoplifting two jackets from a Nordstroms with a teammate, where the charges were misdemeanor petit theft.
Troy had the following to say to the Independent Florida Alligator:
“We are aware of Lily’s arrest,” swimming coach Gregg Troy said in a statement Tuesday.
“She was attempting to work her way back on to the team as a walk-on this fall after being suspended indefinitely in the spring.
“One of the most rewarding moments as a coach is seeing your athletes take advantage of their opportunities; it is even more disappointing when they don’t. As of [Tuesday], she will no longer be granted that opportunity and is not a member of the Florida swimming and diving team.”
The police report says that she was first detained after she was seen striking another female twice in the face at a DJ Tiesto concert on Monday night. There were no charges filed for that event, but while officers were removing her from the event, she allegedly fled from police on foot. She was eventually chased down and searched, when a small bag containing a “white powdery substance” was discovered, which later was field-tested to be cocaine, according to the report.
The details surrounding the entire situation are still becoming clear, and we caution our readers, given how personal and tight-knit swimming community is, that everyone is due their day in court. If more details become officially available, we will post an updated story.
When Ramirez first enrolled at Florida, she had a bright future, including earning Honorable Mention All-American honors as a freshman as a part of Florida’s 9th-place 200 free relay. That year, 2009, she also placed 25th in the 100 back (53.18) at NCAA’s.
Thank you for the clarification.
The accomplishments listed for Lily Ramirez are not always correct.
The 200 Freestyle Relay consisted of 4 swimmers….Jemma Spofforth, Stephanie Napier,
Shara Stafford, and Sarah Bateman…..Lily Ramirez was not on the relay, so how could she be an All American for what 4 other swimmers accomplished.
Arlene – the group you named was the 2010 free relay. In 2009, it was Spofforth, Napier, Ramirez, and Bateman.
Full results from that meet here:
http://www.usctrojans.com/sports/w-swim/stats/2008-2009/09wncaafullresults.html
I can see that this is going to get out of control, because this is a very personal, real-world issue for many of our readers. Comments closed.