A Massachusetts girls’ basketball team was forced to forfeit a game at halftime after multiple players were injured by a trans-identified male player on the opposing team.
The coach of the Collegiate Charter School of Lowell girls’ basketball team opted to end his team’s February 8 game against KIPP Academy “after watching a third player injured in the game,” a press release from the school explained.
“The bench was already depleted going into the game with the 12-player roster having four players unable to play. When the coach saw three more girls go down in the first half leaving him with five players, he made the call to end to end the game early,” the statement continued.
The school further explained that the team could not afford any more injuries with the playoffs approaching. “Once the third was injured, the remaining five expressed concern to him about continuing to play. The players feared getting injured and not being able to compete in the playoffs,” the press release explained.
The Collegiate Charter School of Lowell added that it “supports this decision and reiterates its values of both inclusivity and safety for all students.”
“We take the standards set by the MIAA and our Board of Trustees seriously and strive to uphold them on and off the court. We also follow the guidance from the MIAA and state laws regarding equity and access for all student-athletes.”
Footage from the game, which was uploaded to X by women’s rights in sports activist Riley Gaines, shows the male player dragging a Lowell player while going for a loose ball. The female student struggled to stand and was seen grabbing at her lower back.
“A man hitting a woman used to be called domestic abuse. Now it’s called brave,” Gaines wrote. Who watches this & actually thinks this is ‘compassionate, kind, and inclusive?’”
The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athlete Association (MIAA) allows males to compete in women’s and girls’ sports. “If a school offers a single team in a particular sport, it may not restrict eligibility based on gender unless such a restriction is necessary to ensure that the school’s gendered designation of athletic opportunities complies with Title IX,” reads the state’s handbook.
