28 Attorneys general demand NCAA reinstate women’s titles, records taken by male athletes
Twenty-eight attorneys general are calling on the NCAA to restore championships, titles, records, and awards previously awarded to men competing in women's categories.
Campus Reform interviewed Paula Scanlan, a former UPenn swimmer, who said that although positive steps have been taken to restore fairness in women’s sports, male athletes like Lia Thomas still hold women’s titles.
A coalition of 28 Republican attorneys general is calling on the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to restore championships, titles, records, and awards that were “wrongfully awarded to male athletes competing in NCAA women’s category events.”
In a letter sent to NCAA President Charlie Baker, the attorneys general urged the association to reinstate honors to female athletes affected by earlier transgender participation policies.
The letter follows a February 11 directive from the U.S. Department of Education, which called on the NCAA to restore women’s records following President Donald Trump’s executive order titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.”
Campus Reform recently interviewed Paula Scanlan, a former University of Pennsylvania swimmer and teammate of Lia Thomas, who said that although policy changes represent progress, the work is far from finished.
While the NCAA amended its policy to bar biological men from competing against women, there are still male athletes who hold women’s titles.
“Lia Thomas holds three pool records at Harvard, and Harvard has not made any deal with the Trump administration,” Scanlan said, referring to the university’s ongoing legal dispute with the administration and its failure to restore women’s titles.
“There are other pools he holds records in. I would like to see those records amended. I would like to see institutions apologizing that have allowed this,” she continued.
Scanlan called out other schools that have yet to reverse their decisions.
“San Jose State University … they had a male player on their volleyball team, and we haven’t seen anything from them,” she stated.
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The attorneys general also urged the NCAA to amend its policy that currently allows men to practice with women, noting that unfair advantages extend beyond official competition.
“Athletics is not only about what happens during competition … injuries from unfair biological advantages are just as real in practice. Your policy stops short of full fairness for women athletes,” the letter reads.
In February, the NCAA updated its policy to restrict women’s competition to those “assigned female at birth.” The association is defending its updated policy.
“The NCAA’s transgender participation policy aligns with the Trump Administration’s order and male practice players have been common practice in women’s college athletics for decades,” NCAA Director of Communications Michelle Brutlag Hosick told Campus Reform.
While the association’s policy now bars male athletes from competing in women’s sports, the group of attorneys general argues that without restoring titles and records to their rightful female holders, the NCAA continues to undermine fairness and violate the intent of Title IX.
“As Attorneys General, we have vigorously defended fairness in women’s sports and have stood up for the protections of Title IX. The NCAA should take this step for former athletes to preserve the integrity of Title IX and show your support for the women harmed by years of bad policy,” the letter reads.
Campus Reform has contacted the parties mentioned in this article for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
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