Utah
Utah school board member faces calls to resign over post falsely suggesting teen girl was transgender
A Utah state school board member has come under fire for sharing a post in social media that appeared to falsely suggest a high school basketball player is transgender — sparking online threats against the 16-year-old girl.
Natalie Cline, a conservative member of the Utah Board of Education, posted a photo Tuesday on Facebook of Al and Rachel van der Beek’s daughter in uniform with the caption “Girls’ basketball,” KSL-TV reported.
She implied in the since-deleted screenshot of an Instagram ad about a game that the Salt Lake City girl is transgender and should not be allowed to play, according to the outlet.
The girl, who was not named, was reportedly inundated with hateful comments and threats from social media users who saw the outspoken Republican’s post.
Equality Utah said the teen is not transgender, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.
The van der Beeks told KSL that school officials called them Wednesday to inform them of Cline’s post and the hateful comments directed at their daughter, whom they described as a tomboy.
“Someone has posted some things on Facebook and it’s starting to get a lot of attention and there’s a lot of people commenting,” Al said. “Basically, your daughter is accused of being a boy playing girls’ basketball.”
“To look at someone’s outer appearance and make an assumption that they’re either playing in the right arena or not, based on how someone looks I don’t think is appropriate,” Rachel told the outlet.
The elected 15-member school board reacted to the controversy on Thursday.
“The Utah State Board of Education leadership condemns the actions taken by Board Member Natalie Cline on her recent Facebook post directed toward a female high school student athlete in Utah,” it said in a statement.
“Board Leadership is very concerned about this post and the harm it has caused to students and families in Utah. We are deeply saddened by the events that have taken place and will be taking prompt action regarding this matter as determined by the full Board,” it said.
The board noted, however, that it “has no power or authority to unseat an elected official,” adding that “if the full Board determines discipline is warranted, Board Bylaws provide guidelines for additional action.”
Meanwhile, Gov. Spencer Cox and Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, both Republicans, also denounced Cline.
“We were stunned to learn of the unconscionable behavior of board member Cline and others toward a high school student today. The last thing our children need is an elected official harassing them on social media,” Cox and Henderson said in a joint statement Wednesday.
“Sadly, this is not the first time that board member Cline has embarrassed the state of Utah and State Board of Education,” they said in the joint rebuke of the board member who previously faced calls to resign over inflammatory comments about LGBTQ+ students.
“We urge the State Board of Education to hold her accountable and we commend Granite School District for taking swift action to protect this student’s safety and well-being,” the two leaders added.
On Wednesday, the embattled member apologized to the girl — while calling her post “Constitutionally Protected Speech.”
“I previously shared a public advertisement for a school basketball game that was sent to me by multiple concerned parents, and it created a firestorm around one of the players pictured,” Cline wrote.
“Personal information as well as derogatory comments about the player were made by several commenters. To protect the player, I have removed the post. My deepest apologies for the negative attention my post drew to innocent students and their families,” she wrote.
She insisted that she “never claimed the student was a boy,” adding that “for those who are still claiming the student is a boy, please know that several people I know and trust have reached out to me who personally know this girl and have vouched that she is in fact a biological girl and always has been since birth.”
Cline also noted that the girl “does have a larger build, like her parents.
“We live in strange times when it is normal to pause and wonder if people are what they say they are because of the push to normalize transgenderism in our society,” she wrote.
“We are all trying to preserve women’s sports and their privacy spaces. In doing so, we most certainly recognize that there is great variety within females when it comes to physical characteristics, and of course, we are accepting of these differences and want all girls to feel welcome in school sports,” Cline continued.
“Sadly, our good faith efforts to be accepting of differences has, at times, been taken advantage of causing a loss of trust, which leads to suspicion about girls who are more buff than most. This is a sad consequence of the trans movement being foisted upon us, which puts us all in a difficult spot,” she added.
Democratic state lawmakers have called for Cline to resign and said they’re working with attorneys to begin impeachment proceedings against her.
Republican leaders have not signaled whether they would support impeachment, but Senate President Stuart Adams on Thursday said he was “looking at all options” to address Cline’s “reprehensible” behavior.
The girl’s parents also called on Cline to resign.
“I feel like she should have a public apology that’s not just Facebook,” Al told KSL. “What if our daughter didn’t have that strong character and have our support, and community support to where she internalized this? Worst-case scenario, she could’ve ended her own life.”
With Post wires
Utah
2025 ‘College GameDay’ Week 10: Cincinnati at Utah
Week 10 location
The 39th season of “College GameDay” has kicked off its 32nd year of road shows. “College GameDay Built by The Home Depot” is headed to Salt Lake City, Utah on Saturday for a showdown between Cincinnati and Utah. Rece Davis hosts the three-hour show, and will be joined by analysts Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee and Nick Saban at the desk, along with college football insider Pete Thamel, reporters Jen Lada and Jess Sims and college football betting analyst “Stanford Steve” Coughlin. “GameDay” legend Lee Corso retired after the Aug. 30 broadcast.
Stream ‘College GameDay’ | ‘College GameDay’ merchandise | College football schedule | College football rankings
Where to go
“College GameDay” will take place at Presidents Circle at the University of Utah from 8-11 a.m. ET. The pit will open at 6:30 a.m. ET, and fans can line up early.
Click here for more details on directions, parking instructions and everything else you need for No. 17 Cincinnati at No. 24 Utah.
Why we’re excited for Cincinnati at Utah
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The conference foes meet for the first time ever.
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Brendan Sorsby’s 20 passing touchdowns for Cincinnati is the 3rd-most in the Big 12.
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Cincinnati are 5-0 in the Big 12.
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Utah’s 267.1 rushing yards per game are the 5th-most in the FBS.
The last time Cincinnati and Utah were on ‘College GameDay’
Cincinnati last appeared on “College GameDay” on Nov. 6, 2021. The Bearcats beat the Tulsa Golden Hurricane 28-20. Saturday marks Cincinnati’s 3rd appearance on the program. Utah last appeared on CGD on Oct. 28, 2023, falling to Oregon 35-6. Saturday will be the 6th time “College GameDay” visits Utah.
Keep ‘College GameDay’ going
Christine Williamson, Harry Douglas and Harry Lyles Jr. return with “Countdown to GameDay Live.” The digital pregame show will be live each week at 8:30 a.m. ET and is available across social and streaming platforms.
Fans can also keep up with the game on the ESPN App. To learn more about ESPN’s networks and services, check out this direct-to-consumer FAQ.
For all of the latest “College GameDay” updates this season, check back in with our “College GameDay” home page periodically.
Utah
Mammoth ‘Hat’ Rewards Strong Play | Utah Mammoth
This year’s player of the game memento: an oversized Utah Mammoth hat. You may have seen photos and videos of it being passed around the locker room after wins. After being named and a round of applause, the new winner dons the headwear for a job well done. Switching to the hat started with Captain Clayton Keller and a joke for one of his linemates.
“I actually ordered one as a joke for (Barrett Hayton) because we always say that he has a big head,” Keller laughed. “They’re kind of popular and then I brought it into the rink one day and me, (Lawson Crouse), and (Mikhail Sergachev) just kind of talked about him.
“We said ‘hey, we should make that our postgame hat,’” Keller continued. “After you win it, you sign it and after the year, I don’t know what we’ll do with it (yet).”
Keller and the leadership group have the rest of the regular season to decide what happens to the hat. But for now, it remains a key part of the post-win celebrations. Having a moment to celebrate and recognize each other is a key part of any team.
“That’s important,” head coach André Tourigny explained. “That’s part of team chemistry, having fun, building relationships all of that.”
“It’s super cool,” Keller reflected. “Brings the guys together after the game, celebrate the win, and enjoy it for a little bit before we move on to the next one.”
Utah
Betting lines, point spread for Utah vs. Cincinnati Week 10 college football game
College football’s Week 10 slate is set to start and finish in Salt Lake City, where Utah will host Cincinnati in a pivotal Big 12 clash featuring conference title and postseason implications alike.
The ranked matchup between the No. 24 Utes (6-2, 3-2 Big 12) and No. 17 Bearcats (7-1, 5-0 Big 12) will also be the site for ESPN’s College GameDay pregame show, setting both teams up with an opportunity to gain national relevance and improve their standing in the Big 12 with a win in prime time.
Heading into Saturday’s 8:15 p.m. MT kickoff from Rice-Eccles Stadium, FanDuel Sportsbook established Utah as a 7.5-point favorite over Cincinnati in its opening betting lines for Week 10.
That line was set less than 24 hours after the Utes put together their most thorough performance of the season, crushing Colorado, 53-7, while dominating all three phases of the game to earn their sixth win of the 2025 campaign. After Morgan Scalley’s defense stifled the Buffaloes in the first half, holding them to -18 total yards while recording five sacks, an interception, a safety and a blocked punt, Utah finished with 422 rushing yards — the second-most by a Kyle Whittingham-coached team — behind true freshman Byrd Ficklin’s 151 yards on the ground.
In place of Devon Dampier, Ficklin also threw for 140 yards and tallied 3 total touchdowns in his first collegiate start. Dampier had been upgraded to probable prior to kickoff, though the Utes opted to play it safe and start the former three-star recruit instead.
Dampier’s health status didn’t have much of an impact on the point spread last week, though it could over the course of the next six days as his squad prepares to face a defense that just held one of the country’s top offenses through the air to a season-low in passing yards.
Cincinnati brings a seven-game win streak into the matchup, with its latest victory coming against Baylor in a game where the Bearcats thwarted a late rally by the Bears with 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter of a 41-20 final. Despite engineering three consecutive scoring drives to make it a 3-point game after trailing 24-0, Baylor quarterback Sawyer Robertson never found his usual groove, finishing with just 137 passing yards while being sacked twice in his team’s fourth loss of the season.
The win kept Cincinnati in a first-place tie with BYU (8-0, 5-0 Big 12) atop the league standings. Sitting two games back, Utah has a chance to shake up the leaderboard with its first top-25 win of the season on Saturday.
Spread:
Moneyline:
Total: 56.5 (Over -115/Under -105)
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook
Utah
Cincinnati
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
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