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West Virginia senator wants NCAA to make clear ‘a women’s locker room is for women only'

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West Virginia senator wants NCAA to make clear ‘a women’s locker room is for women only'


EXCLUSIVE: West Virginia Sen. Jim Justice and more than half a dozen GOP senators are seeking clarification from the NCAA on its policy allowing biological males in women’s locker rooms, telling Fox News Digital that the organization needs to make clear that “a women’s locker room is for women only.” 

Justice, R-W.Va., penned a letter to National Collegiate Athletic Association President Charlie Baker Monday, obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital. 

FEMALE ATHLETES CALL OUT NCAA OVER NEW TRANS-INCLUSION POLICY: ‘WE DEMAND FAIR SPORTS’

Justice, who is a women’s basketball coach at Greenbrier East High School in Lewisburg, West Virginia, and has coached both boys and girls basketball since he was governor of West Virginia, explained to Fox News Digital that he will “always” work to ensure female athletes are protected. 

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“I’m a coach, and I know the last thing any athlete needs is to be distracted or concerned with their own safety or privacy while in a locker room,” Justice told Fox News Digital. “I really believe the NCAA has made the right move following President Trump’s order, but let’s be clear across the board that a women’s locker room is for women only.” 

West Virginia Sen. Jim Justice is a women’s basketball coach at Greenbrier East High School and has coached both boys and girls basketball since he was governor of West Virginia.  (Sen. Jim Justice)

Justice added: “I’ll always work to make sure women athletes, like those I coach back in West Virginia, feel safe while changing in locker rooms and competing in athletic events.” 

The letter Justice sent Monday also was signed by Sens. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va, Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, Jim Banks, R-Ind., James Risch, R-Idaho, Mike Lee, R-Utah, and James Lankford, R-Okla. 

West Virginia Sen. Jim Justice and more than half a dozen GOP senators are seeking clarification from the NCAA on its policy allowing biological males in women’s locker rooms.

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“On February 5, 2025, President Donald J. Trump issued an executive order–Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports to strengthen Title IX and protect opportunities for biological female athletes to compete in safe and fair sports.’ After the Biden-Harris administration’s assault on Title IX in its efforts to allow biologically male athletes who identify as female to compete in women’s sports, this order came as a sigh of relief to millions of female athletes across the country who desire equal opportunity to engage in competitive athletic,” Justice wrote. 

Justice said that the NCAA responded to Trump’s order by updating its student-athlete participation policy to block biological male students from participating in women’s sports — a move he and his Senate colleagues “commend,” but is further encouraging the organization to “take additional steps to protect the safety and privacy of female athletes nationwide.” 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

“The NCAA’s new policy makes clear that biological male student-athletes may not compete on a women’s team. We could not be more supportive of this essential policy change,” Justice said. “The NCAA’s policy guarantees that biological male athletes who practice with female athletes will ‘receive all other benefits applicable to student-athletes who are otherwise eligible for practice.’” 

Fox News Digital reached out to the NCAA for comment and did not immediately receive a response. 

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Justice said the NCAA has “an opportunity to clarify that these guarantees do not include access to facilities that would undermine the privacy and safety of female athletes- -such as women’s locker rooms or other female-only spaces which the President’s order made clear should be protected.”

Justice is asking that the NCAA “consider adding language to its policy that explicitly bars biological male athletes from female-only spaces and to consider adopting additional privacy protections for women and girls in sports.”

NCAA’S NEW TRANS-PARTICIPATION POLICY IS ‘AS CLEAR AS MUD,’ RILEY GAINES SAYS

Justice, though, applauded the NCAA’s policy defining “*sex assigned at birth” as the male or female designation that doctors assign to infants at birth, which is marked on birth records. 

“Publicly, the NCAA has affirmed that biological male athletes may not compete on a women’s team with amended birth certificates or by other documentary means,” Justice wrote. “The NCAA’s public stance on this issue is commendable, and its policy could go a step further and explicitly state that amended birth certificates are prohibited.” 

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“We stand in support of President Trump’s unparallel actions to protect the safety and privacy of female athletes across the country,” the letter states. “The NCAA’s efforts are likewise respectable, and we look forward to working with you to ensure women and girls have equal opportunity in athletics.” 



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West Virginia

Why is Popular Bracketologist Still Considering West Virginia for NCAA Tournament?

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Why is Popular Bracketologist Still Considering West Virginia for NCAA Tournament?


Losing to Kansas State wiped away all hope for West Virginia to make the NCAA Tournament. That seems to be the clear consensus in the Mountain State, but is there actually still a chance? Well, I guess so.

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ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi still has West Virginia listed as a team to consider, the second team outside of the “next four out” grouping.

Lunardi’s current NCAA Tournament bubble

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Feb 28, 2026; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Honor Huff (3) shoots a three point shot over BYU Cougars guard Robert Wright III (1) during the second half at Hope Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

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Last Four Byes: Missouri, Texas A&M, Texas, Ohio State

Last Four In: SMU, Santa Clara, New Mexico, Indiana

First Four Out: VCU, Auburn, Virginia Tech, Cincinnati

Next Four Out: San Diego State, USC, California, Seton Hall

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Next: Stanford, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Arizona State

How is this even possible?

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Feb 28, 2026; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Ross Hodge watched a play from the sideline during the first half against the BYU Cougars at Hope Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

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Short answer? I don’t really know.

My best guess as to why? Two things: the respect for the Big 12 and the opportunities left on the table, and two, an incredibly weak bubble.

Should West Virginia beat UCF on Friday, it will give the Mountaineers a 9-9 record in Big 12 play. That’s not as much of a guarantee to make the dance as having a winning record, but still, it’s an impressive mark, especially when, in this instance, they would have wins over Kansas, BYU, and sweeps over Cincinnati and UCF.

If you ask me, they still have too many bad losses for it to matter. I mean, even if they got red-hot out of nowhere and made it to the Big 12 championship game next week, is that enough? Potentially, but that’s a big IF.

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The one thing WVU does have on its side is the number of Quad 1 wins, which they have five of. Virtually every other team in college basketball that has a minimum of five Quad 1 victories is expected to make the tournament. In that previously mentioned scenario, they would add at least one more Quad 1 win in the conference tournament, giving the committee something to think about.

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The bubble is just incredibly weak, though. Like, how in the world is Auburn, who is 16-14 currently, the second team out of the field? Cincinnati, which WVU swept and has the same record as, is the fourth team in the “first four out” grouping.

At this point, the only path I see is for the Mountaineers to cut down the nets in Kansas City — good luck with that. We could be having a very different conversation if they didn’t lallygag their way through the first 30 minutes of the games against Utah and Kansas State.



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Buckle up: West Virginia launching seatbelt enforcement campaign Friday

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Buckle up: West Virginia launching seatbelt enforcement campaign Friday


Buckle up, Upshur County. Starting Friday, March 6, law enforcement officers across West Virginia will step up seatbelt enforcement as part of a statewide Click It or Ticket campaign running through March 23.

The West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program (GHSP) announced the high-visibility mobilization as a warm-up to the national seatbelt campaign in May. The goal is to ensure every occupant — front seat or back, driver or passenger — is buckled on every trip.

“During this mobilization, law enforcement officers across West Virginia will be out in full force. They will be strictly ticketing drivers who are unbuckled or who are transporting children not properly restrained in car seats,” said Jack McNeely, Director of the GHSP.

The numbers behind the campaign are sobering. In 2023, 40% of passenger vehicle occupants killed in West Virginia crashes were unrestrained. The state’s seatbelt usage rate has also slipped — from 91.9% in 2024 to 91.6% in 2025.

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Rural drivers face elevated risk despite a common assumption that country roads are safer. In 2023, 65% of the state’s traffic fatalities occurred in rural areas, compared to 35% in urban centers.

Under West Virginia law, wearing a seatbelt is required. A citation carries a $25 fine, though McNeely says the real point isn’t the penalty.

“Click It or Ticket isn’t about the citations; it’s about saving lives,” he said. “A ticket is a wake-up call. It is far less expensive than the alternative — paying with your life or the lives of your family and friends.”

For more information about the West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program, visit highwaysafety.wv.gov or call 304-926-2509.



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West Virginia man accused of threatening Trump, ICE agents indicted

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West Virginia man accused of threatening Trump, ICE agents indicted


A West Virginia man accused of threatening to attack President Donald Trump and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement workers was federally indicted this week.

Cody Lee Smith, 20, of Clarksburg was indicted on two counts of threats to murder the president, one count of influencing and retaliating against federal officials by threat of murder and one count of influencing a federal official by threat of murder, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of West Virginia.

Smith is accused of making a series of public posts on Instagram encouraging and threatening the murder of Trump, those who support him, Israelis and “all government officials,” the news release said.

The indictment also alleges that Smith sent a direct message via Instagram to Donald J. Trump, Jr., stating he would kill his father by cutting his “jugular.”

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In a phone call with the ICE tip line, Smith also threatened to kill ICE agents in Clarksburg and employees staffing the tip line.

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Smith faces up to 5 years for each of the presidential threat charges and faces up to 10 years in federal prison for each of the remaining counts.



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