The Massachusetts women’s basketball team reportedly forfeited a game against another team that featured a transgender player due to multiple injuries that may or may not have been caused by the player.
according to item live, the game was played on February 8 between KIPP Academy and Lowell College Charter School, with the latter surrendering by a commanding score of 31-14 after just 16 minutes of play. Sources later confirmed that KIPP has a “bearded” male player on its roster who is over 6 feet tall. According to the report:
KIPP officials declined to confirm the athlete’s gender. If an athlete identifies as female, participation on a women’s team will be supported by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association, the federal governing body for high school athletics.
The player has reportedly been on the roster since the beginning of the season.
Lowell College Charter School Athletic Director Kyle Perzal said in a statement that the team was aware of the situation during the game and did not simply withdraw because of the presence of the alleged male player. The two teams also met last December, with KIPP defeating the university charter school 36-29.
“No, and coach (Kevin Ortins) already knew going into the game. We had them at home for the first game of the year, and nothing happened then, so he knew coming into the game. “I knew that,” Perzal said.
“So he basically felt the whole game that his girls were hurt,” Perzal added. “He has a playoff game on Monday, so he didn’t want to put the girls out any further.”
KIPP Athletic Director Anthony Grimaldi declined to answer questions.
“KIPP does not wish to comment at this time on why the opposing team abandoned the match. We look forward to the next match,” Grimaldi said.
Lowell College Charter School later released a statement saying its coach abandoned the game after three female students were injured. Still, he did not say whether the player in question caused the injury.
A transgender male player at Kipp Academy in Massachusetts injured three female students before halftime, leading to his expulsion from the Lowell College charter school.
In the past, when a man beat a woman, it was called domestic violence. Now it’s called bravery.
Does anyone look at this and actually think that this is “compassionate…”? pic.twitter.com/ZLlqYH6iAs
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) February 19, 2024
“The coach of the Lowell College Charter School girls basketball team made the decision to end the game at halftime after seeing a third player injured during the game against KIPP Academy,” the statement said. “Before entering the game, the bench was already depleted, with four players on the 12-man roster unable to play. The coach said three more girls went down in the first half, leaving five players down. When I saw that, I ordered them to end the game early.”
“With the upcoming charter school playoffs looming, he needed a healthy, sturdy bench for four days. When the third one got injured, the remaining five expressed concern about continuing to play. Players “I was afraid I would get injured and miss the playoffs,” he added.
