High School Sports

A federal discrimination complaint has been filed with the United States Education Department's Office for Civil Rights by a law firm on behalf of three Connecticut girls against a policy for transgender athletes. 

Per the Alliance Defending Freedom's complaint (h/t ESPN.com), the girls want an investigation into a policy that allows transgender athletes to compete in sports according to the gender with which they identify. 

"Girls deserve to compete on a level playing field," Christiana Holcomb, legal counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, said. "Women fought long and hard to earn the equal athletic opportunities that Title IX provides. Allowing boys to compete in girls' sports reverses nearly 50 years of advances for women under this law. We shouldn't force these young women to be spectators in their own sports."

The complaint aims to overturn the policy, adopted by the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference, and force transgender athletes to compete based on their gender at birth. 

The three girls believe the policy for transgender athletes has prevented other female runners from finishing higher in races, potentially missing out on college scholarships as a result. 

Andraya Yearwood and Terry Miller are the two transgender athletes identified in the complaint. Miller told Dan Brechlin of the Hartford Courant she feels the complaint is an attack on her accomplishments. 

"I have faced discrimination in every aspect of my life and I no longer want to remain silent," Miller said. "I am a girl and I am a runner. I participate in athletics just like my peers to excel, find community and meaning in my life. It is both unfair and painful that my victories have to be attacked and my hard work ignored."

Yearwood issued a statement about the complaint:

"I have known two things for most of my life: I am a girl and I love to run. There is no shortage of discrimination that I face as a young black woman who is transgender. I have to wake up every day in a world where people who look like me face so many scary and unfair things.

"I am lucky to live in a state that protects my rights and to have a family that supports me. This is what keeps me going. Every day I train hard—I work hard to succeed on the track, to support my teammates, and to make my community proud."

Both athletes are working with the American Civil Liberties Union on the case.  

Per TransAthlete.com, Connecticut is one of 17 states that allows transgender athletes to compete in high school sports without any medical restrictions.

Mount Vernon ISD Superintendent Jason McCullough insisted his Texas high school went through a proper vetting process before hiring former Baylor coach Art Briles even though no victims or NCAA officials were interviewed.

McCullough said those involved "vetted coach Briles to the best of our ability" when speaking to reporters:

The Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com) noted Mount Vernon announced it hired Briles on Friday even though Baylor fired him following an external investigation into how the Big 12 school and football program handled sexual assault allegations against students and football players.

Briles had been coaching in Italy prior to this latest hiring.

In 2018, Dennis Dodd and Adam Silverstein of CBSSports.com reported 17 women accused 19 former Baylor players of sexual or domestic assault from 2011 to 2016, while Ryan Young of Yahoo Sports cited one lawsuit that said 31 players committed 52 acts of rape from 2011 to 2014.

Mac Engel of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram noted Briles was cited for "lack of institutional control" and the "failure to promote an atmosphere of compliance."

Briles was the head coach at Baylor from 2008 through 2015.

An assistant baseball coach in East Lansing, Michigan, died after throwing his team's batting practice prior to a game, according to Eric Lacy of the Lansing State Journal.

Ed Outslay collapsed before East Lansing High School's game against Pewamo-Westphalia. East Lansing head coach Mark Pendred performed CPR until medical personnel arrived. Paramedics continued to attend to Outslay, but he was declared dead at a local hospital.

East Lansing's players and coaches weren't informed of Outslay's death until after their 4-3 defeat to Pewamo-Westphalia.

In addition to coaching East Lansing, Outslay was an endowed professor of taxation at Michigan State University.

Lacy noted Outslay was a recipient of the AFLAC National Assistant Coach of the Year award in 2003. The 67-year-old was a volunteer assistant under Pendred for 23 seasons.