Sports
Maine gov brushes off state's trans athlete issue, says she's 'appalled' at Trump admin
Maine Gov. Janet Mills downplayed the uproar over the state’s transgender-inclusion policies in girls’ and women’s sports on Monday and said she was “appalled” over the Trump administration’s lawsuits against her state amid a battle over federal funds.
Mills appeared on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” to discuss her battle with several departments of the Trump administration, which started when the state refused to comply with President Donald Trump’s “No Men in Women’s Sports” executive order which prohibited biological males in girls’ and women’s sports.
The state did not comply with the order, which kick-started the issue.
“The chief executive is required by the Constitution to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, not to make the laws, not to invent the laws or reinterpret the laws by tweet or Instagram post or press release or executive order. He’s not allowed to do that.
Maine Gov. Janet Mills and President Donald Trump. (Getty Images)
“So, when he reinterpreted Title IX … I support Title IX. I have spent the better part of my career protecting the rights of women and girls in healthcare, in employment, housing credit and the like and I’m appalled. I was appalled at his interpretation that he can just reinvent the law.”
Mills recalled the letters she received from the Department of Education, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services. She described an April 2 letter from USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins as “rather appalling” and said some described it as a “ransom note.”
In the letter, the administration threatened to cut off funding for Maine because of the state’s continued allowance of biological males in girls’ and women’s sports.
“The very next day, because there are maybe at most two transgender athletes competing in Maine schools right now, they decided to shut off funding for our school nutrition program, the school lunch program, entirely, on which 172,000 Maine schoolchildren rely on for their school meals. That didn’t make any sense,” Mills said.
She added that the lawsuits against the state were “not rational.”
A federal judge granted Maine a temporary restraining order and ruled the funding freeze must be lifted.
Gov. Janet Mills attends an event, March 11, 2022, in Augusta, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)
“This temporary restraining order confirms the Trump Administration did not follow the rule of law when it cut program funds that go to feed school children and vulnerable adults,” Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey said in a statement. “This order preserves Maine’s access to certain congressionally appropriated funds by prohibiting an unlawful freeze by the administration.
“No one in our constitutional republic is above the law and we will continue to fight to hold this administration to account.”
MAINE ‘MAGA’ PARENT SILENCED AT SCHOOL BOARD MEETING DURING SPEECH OPPOSING TRANS ATHLETES IN GIRLS’ SPORTS
The USDA “must immediately unfreeze and release to the state of Maine any federal funding that they have frozen or failed or refused to pay because of the state of Maine’s alleged failure to comply with the requirements of Title IX,” District Court Judge John Woodcock’s ruling read.
The administration was also “barred from freezing, terminating, or otherwise interfering with the state of Maine’s future federal funding for alleged violations of Title IX without complying with the legally required procedure.”
Maine has refused to comply with Trump’s executive order to ban biological males from girls’ and women’s sports. Trump initially vowed to cut federal funding to the state if it were to refuse to comply with the order during a Feb. 20 speech.
Maine officials filed a lawsuit against the USDA last week following the agency’s decision to freeze funding to the state.
President Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
The state accused the USDA of “withholding funding used to feed children in schools, childcare centers, and after-school programming as well as disabled adults in congregate settings,” an argument the judge agreed with. The judge noted that the freeze was due to Title IX violations, but it restricted the ability to “provid[e] meals to children and vulnerable adults.”
Meanwhile, Maine residents have made their opinions known when it came to transgender athletes in girls’ and women’s sports.
A March poll showed that 64% of Maine residents believe transgender athletes “definitely should not” or “probably should not” participate in girls’ and women’s sports. Only 29% of Maine residents believed that transgender athletes “probably should” or “definitely should” compete against girls and women in sports.
The poll also showed that 56% of Maine Democrats believe that transgender athletes should be allowed to compete in girls’ and women’s sports.
When it came to enacting policies to combat the issue of transgender participation in sports, the poll showed that 50% of Maine residents wanted it at the federal level, while 41% believe policy should be left up to the states.
Maine is also among the states that were warned about housing prisoners by biological sex or face a funding cutoff.
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Sports
Eli Manning fires back amid debate comparing ex-Giants star to Falcons great Matt Ryan
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Eli Manning retired in 2019 and missed out in his first year of Hall of Fame eligibility in 2025. He was passed over again earlier this year but still fired back at a fan who claimed one of his contemporaries was the better quarterback.
On Tuesday, a social media user floated a theory about former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. Ryan, who now oversees football operations as the team’s president, last played in an NFL game in 2022. He announced his retirement in 2024, making him eligible for Hall of Fame consideration beginning in 2028.
“Matt Ryan was a better QB than Eli Manning… people just worship rings. Agree or nah,” the post read.
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New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning greets Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan after their game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, on Oct. 22, 2018. (Jason Getz/USA TODAY Sports)
Manning caught wind of the suggestion and weighed in, pointing to the two Super Bowl-winning teams he was part of during his standout run with the New York Giants.
“I will ponder this while I play with my rings…,” Manning wrote in a quote-tweet.
Ryan’s statistical production surpasses Manning’s, at least on paper. He was named NFL MVP in 2016, an honor Manning never earned. Ryan is also the most accomplished player in Falcons history and finished his career with more than 62,000 regular-season passing yards, compared with Manning’s 57,023.
NFC head coach Eli Manning leads a huddle during a practice session before the NFL Pro Bowl at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., on Feb. 4, 2023. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)
Both quarterbacks were selected to four Pro Bowls, but the key difference lies in championships. Manning won the Super Bowl in 2007 and 2011, while Ryan reached it once but fell short. Manning threw for a single season career-best 4,933 during the run leading up to the second Super Bowl title.
Ryan threw for 284 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions to help the Falcons build a 25-point lead in the championship game — a matchup remembered for the New England Patriots engineering the largest comeback in Super Bowl history.
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan passes the ball against the Buffalo Bills during the second half at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., on Jan. 2, 2022. (Rich Barnes/USA TODAY Sports)
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The Falcons have reached the Super Bowl twice in franchise history, first in 1998, but the team is still chasing its first elusive championship.
The Giants marked their 100th season in 2024, winning four Super Bowls over the franchise’s century-long history.
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Sports
Rams coach Sean McVay says Puka Nacua is ‘doing really well’ after rehab stint
Star receiver Puka Nacua will fully participate in voluntary offseason workouts, the Rams are getting closer to another contract adjustment with quarterback Matthew Stafford, and coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead hope backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo decides to put off retirement and return for a third season and possible Super Bowl run.
McVay and Snead addressed those topics and the NFL draft on Tuesday during a videoconference with reporters.
Nacua led the NFL in receptions last season but also was involved in a string of off-the-field incidents the last few months, including an alleged biting incident that led to a civil lawsuit. Those situations put the brakes on any immediate discussion between the Rams and Nacua about a massive extension for the fourth-year pro.
In March, Nacua began a rehabilitation program in Malibu, but he was present for the first day of workouts on Monday.
Nacua, 24, “looks great” and is “doing really well,” McVay said. McVay declined to detail discussions he’s had with the All-Pro, who was a finalist for NFL offensive player of the year.
“He and I have a great relationship,” McVay said. “Feel really good about kind of the direction we’re going.”
Stafford, 38, led the Rams to the NFC championship game last season and is the reigning NFL most valuable player. According to overthecap.com, he is due to carry a salary-cap number of $48.3 million this season.
But Stafford has no doubt demanded, and will receive, a raise and a possible additional year in a deal that the Rams acknowledged two years ago is essentially a year-to-year situation.
“Progress has been made,” Snead said of negotiations.
There is no timeline, Snead said, “but don’t expect any drama, per se.”
Garoppolo, 34, has backed up Stafford for two seasons, and he has been invaluable.
Last year, with Stafford sidelined for training camp because of a back issue, Garoppolo ran the offense and prepped the defense with a skillset honed during a 12-year career that included a Super Bowl appearance. Stafford joined workouts before the season and remained healthy throughout, but Garoppolo was perhaps the most valuable insurance policy in the NFL.
Last season, Garoppolo played on a one-year contract and earned $4.5 million, according to overthecap.com.
McVay expressed confidence in fourth-year pro Stetson Bennett, but said he was hopeful that “when the time is right,” Garoppolo will “change his mind,” and return.
“You leave the door open,” McVay said when asked if there was a point that Rams would press Garoppolo to return. “I don’t think you want to press. What you don’t want to do is ever force a guy to play if in his mind he’s ready to move on.
“But you don’t want to minimize that, ‘Hey, if you do decide you want to play, let’s make sure it’s here with us.”
The Rams have the 13th pick in the NFL draft, which begins Thursday in Pittsburgh. They have one pick in the second and third rounds, one in the sixth round and three in the seventh.
Receiver, offensive line and edge rusher are among the positions the Rams could address with their first top-15 pick since they selected quarterback Jared Goff with the No. 1 pick in 2016.
“There’s a lot of possibilities,” McVay said. “We don’t control what happens in those 12 picks before, and so what we’ve done is a lot of contingency planning and a lot of conversations, and feel really good about that.”
Sports
PGA Tour signals new era with axing of Hawaii events from schedule
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The PGA Tour has announced that it will not be hosting an event in Hawaii during the 2027 season, ending a 56-year run of holding a tournament in The Aloha State. The change comes as the Tour and CEO Brian Rolapp have consistently teased a revamped schedule beginning next year.
The Tour was forced to cancel The Sentry at the start of the 2026 campaign due to the dying grass on the Plantation Course at Kapalua amid a local dispute with the company responsible for delivering water to the area.
An aerial view of the golf course from over the ocean prior to The Sentry at The Plantation Course at Kapalua on December 31, 2023 in Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii. (Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR) (Ben Jared/PGA TOUR)
PGA TOUR CEO ADDRESSES LIV GOLF’S UNCERTAIN FUTURE, PLAYERS POTENTIALLY RETURNING
With The Sentry being canceled, the Sony Open at Waialae Country on Oahu served as the Tour’s season opener in ‘26, which was won by Chris Gotterup. The event was in the final year of its sponsorship, although the Tour has shared that it is working toward making the event the opening event on the PGA Tour Champions circuit.
Chris Gotterup of the United States celebrates with the trophy on the 18th green after his winning round of the Sony Open in Hawaii 2026 at Waialae Country Club on January 18, 2026 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images) (Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)
The Tour’s removal of The Sentry and the Sony Open wipes out what has now turned into a traditional two-week stretch on the island to begin a new season.
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The PGA Tour did not share further details about the 2027 schedule upon its announcement about leaving Hawaii, but with Sentry reportedly being an event title-sponsor through 2035, it will need to find a new landing spot on the calendar. The logical stop would be Torrey Pines in San Diego, which checks the West Coast and great weather boxes, but the venue is also looking for a new sponsor, as its deal with Farmers Insurance ended in 2026.
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View of the 18th hole is seen during the final round of The Sentry at The Plantation Course at Kapalua on January 5, 2025 in Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii. (Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images) (Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)
The Tour’s decision not to begin next season in Hawaii makes sense, as there are plenty of venues in the lower 48 states that are much easier to operate from, but the departure will have a tremendous financial impact on the state.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports that The Sentry is estimated to have a $50 million annual impact on the community, while the Sony Open directly generates an estimated $100 million in revenue per year, plus another $1 million per year to Friends of Hawaii charities.
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