Sports
Federal agency gives Maine final warning to ban trans athletes from girls' sports
The U.S. Department of Education has given Maine a final warning to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order to ban trans athletes from girls’ sports.
The DOE sent a letter to the Maine Department of Education (MDOE) on Monday advising a final deadline of April 11 to address the issue or risk a second referral to the Department of Justice. The Department of Health and Human Services already referred Maine to the DOJ last week.
“The Maine Department of Education’s indifference to its past, current, and future female athletes is astonishing. By refusing to comply with Title IX, MDOE allows—indeed, encourages—male competitors to threaten the safety of female athletes, wrongfully obtain girls’ hard-earned accolades, and deny females equal opportunity in educational activities to which they are guaranteed under Title IX,” the letter read.
“Under prior administrations, enforcement was an illusory proposition. No more. The Trump-McMahon Education Department is moving quickly to ensure that federal funds no longer support patently illegal practices that harm women and girls.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to MDOE for comment.
HHS’s Office for Civil Rights announced Friday that it had referred Maine’s “noncompliance” with Title IX rules to the DOJ for enforcement, including the MDOE, Maine Principal’s Association and Greely High School, where a trans athlete who won a girls’ pole vault competition attends.
CALIFORNIA LAWMAKER WARNS DEMOCRATS OF CONSEQUENCES FOR NOT PROTECTING GIRLS’ SPORTS FROM TRANS ATHLETES
The Maine School Administrative District 51, home to Greely High School, where a transgender athlete incited national controversy after winning a girls’ pole vault competition in February, said Thursday it was not complying and will instead “continue to follow state law and the Maine Human Rights Act.”
The Maine Principals’ Association said in a statement it is also “bound by the law, including the Maine Human Rights Act, which our participation policy reflects.”
Maine has become a national battleground over the issue shortly after the state indicated in early February that it would not follow Trump’s executive order.
The situation involving the trans athlete at Greely High School attracted national attention after Maine Republican state Rep. Laurel Libby identified the athlete by name with a photograph in a social media post. Libby was later censured by the Maine legislature, and she has since filed a lawsuit to have it overturned.
The issue with Maine came to a head at a meeting of the National Governors Association on Feb. 20, when Trump threatened to cut federal funding to the state for not banning biological males from girls’ and women’s sports.
The next day, Mills’ office responded with a statement threatening legal action against the Trump administration if it withheld federal funding from the state. Then Trump and Mills verbally sparred in a widely publicized argument at the White House during a bipartisan meeting of governors.
Since then, multiple protests against Mills have been held outside the state Capitol, and the Maine University System has cooperated with the Trump administration to ensure no trans athletes compete in women’s sports after a temporary funding pause.
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Philadelphia Eagles star Jalen Hurts reportedly made a decision on whether he would attend the team’s Super Bowl celebration at the White House with President Donald Trump on Monday.
Hurts will not attend due to “scheduling conflicts,” Fox News confirmed.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts speaks to the media after defeating the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, Feb. 9, 2025. (Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)
The word of Hurts’ decision came hours before the celebration was set to take place. Hurts raised eyebrows last week when he dodged a question on the red carpet for the Time100 Gala about attending the celebration.
Hurts didn’t give a glowing review of the president’s decision to attend Super Bowl LIX, which saw Philadelphia defeat the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22.
“He’s welcome to do what he wants,” Hurts said in February.
NFL NETWORK’S KYLE BRANDT SLAMS MEDIA OVER SHEDEUR SANDERS DRAFT COVERAGE
Honoree Jalen Hurts attends the Time100 Gala, celebrating the 100 most influential people in the world, at Frederick P. Rose Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center on April 24, 2025, in New York. (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
Meanwhile, running back Saquon Barkley was seen with Trump at his golf course in New Jersey on Sunday. He rode back to Washington on Air Force One with the president.
Barkley pushed back on the criticism he received on social media for his interactions with Trump.
“lol some people are really upset cause I played golfed and flew to the White House with the PRESIDENT,” Barkley wrote on X. “Maybe I just respect the office, not a hard concept to understand. Just golfed with Obama not too long ago… and look forward to finishing my round with Trump ! Now ya get out my mentions with all this politics and have amazing day.”
President Donald Trump talks to Philadelphia Eagles’ Saquon Barkley before boarding Air Force One at Morristown Municipal Airport, Sunday, April 27, 2025, in New Jersey. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Eagles team owner Jeffrey Lurie and head coach Nick Sirianni have both expressed their excitement to head to the White House.
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With a 12-2 win over Loyola on Saturday, Venice’s baseball team improved to 21-1 and is positioning itself for a high seeding in the City Section Open Division playoffs.
While the winner of the West Valley League, either Birmingham or El Camino Real, is the likely No. 1 seed, Venice has a good argument to be right behind. The Gondoliers are 14-0 in the Western League and own wins over Valley Mission League leader Sun Valley Poly and have a win over El Segundo, which is 17-6-1.
Coach Kevin Brockway has a senior-dominated team that includes Noel Moreno, who is 8-1 with an 0.58 ERA. Sophomore Jace Lindblom is 5-0 and senior Canon King is 6-0. Having three quality pitchers is a must to win a City Open Division title.
King leads the team in hitting with 30 hits. Venice has six games left on its regular-season schedule, with matchups against San Fernando and San Pedro set to be the toughest.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
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Shedeur Sanders was not the only person in Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders’ household to have a significant fall during the NFL Draft over the weekend.
Shilo Sanders, the defensive back who also played for the Colorado Buffaloes, failed to be selected at all. He was a bit of a long shot to be drafted, and experts predicted he would become an undrafted free agent once the event wrapped up on Saturday.
Colorado Buffaloes safety Shilo Sanders (Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images)
Sanders did find a time after the seven rounds finished. He signed a deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and will now embark on a quest to make the 53-man roster before summer is over.
He said on Saturday afternoon that he needed to fire his father as his agent.
“Dad was our agent, but that hasn’t been working out too good,” he said during a Twitch livestream. “So today I had to sign with an agent. So, we’re going to see what happens.”
SHEDEUR SANDERS PRANK CALL CONTROVERSY YIELDS STUNNING DEVELOPMENT
Colorado Buffaloes safety Shilo Sanders (Dylan Widger-Imagn Images)
Sanders transferred to Colorado once his father took over as the head coach of the Buffaloes. He initially went to South Carolina.
He played in 21 games for Colorado between the 2023 and 2024 seasons. He had 137 tackles, one interception and one sack during his career. The lone interception was returned for a touchdown.
Sanders making the roster will be a tough journey.
Colorado Buffaloes safety Shilo Sanders (Troy Taormina-Imagn Images)
Tampa Bay selected cornerbacks Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parrish in the draft. The team already has Zyon McCollum, Jamel Dean, Josh Hayes, Tyreek Funderburk and Bryce Hall as corners; Antoine Winfield Jr., Christian Izien, Kaevon Merriweather and Marcus Banks are listed as safeties.
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