14 DAY TRIAL // An honor student in a Massachusetts high school has been suspended from the volleyball team over being a designated driver.
Erin Cox's suspension has prompted outrage on Twitter, as she believes that she has done nothing wrong.
When the senior at North Andover High received a call from an intoxicated friend afraid to get behind the wheel, she agreed to help her.
Cox was caught at the scene when she picked up her friend, as Boxford, Haverhill, Georgetown and North Andover police swooped in.
She was one of 15 teens arrested for underage drinking. However, Boxford police Officer Brian Neeley mentioned in his report that she had not been drinking.
However, her involvement in the incident has cost her the role of volleyball team captain at the North Andover High School.
“But I wasn’t drinking. [...] And I felt like going to get her was the right thing to do. Saving her from getting in the car when she was intoxicated and hurt herself or getting in the car with someone else who was drinking. I’d give her a ride home,” Cox argues for the Boston Herald.
The 17-year-old girl worked at the Andover Inn during the summer. She dreams of playing college volleyball, but she has been suspended from five games.
“She did what she thought was right, and I'm proud of her for that,” her mother, Eleanor Cox, tells ABC News. Eleanor is now suing the school for her daughter's reinstatement.
Fellow students are taking her side, and they are posting on Twitter under hashtag #IstandWithErinCox.
“North Andover High should be ashamed for punishing that girl for making a responsible decision,” one user says.
“I commend her for being mature enough to help out a friend! And for her friend for being smart enough to call for help!,” a second one agrees.