Former NCAA swimmer and OutKick host Riley Gaines delivered a message Wednesday to states defying President Donald Trump's executive order to keep transgender athletes out of women's and girls sports.
Gaines appeared on Fox News' "The Story With Martha McCallum" to praise U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi for urging states who have not complied with the order by threatening to withhold federal funding.
"The Constitution is very clear that federal laws, such as Title IX, takes precedence over state laws," Gaines said. "Even with President Trump back in the White House, the war on woke has not been won yet."
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Bondi's warning came on Tuesday, when she warned California, Maine and Minnesota, who have openly defied Trump's order, that they will lose federal funding if they continue allowing trans athletes in girls sports.
Maine has become a battleground on the issue after a war of words between Gov. Janet Mills and Trump over the issue. Additionally, a Republican Maine state legislator, Rep. Laurel Libby, was censured Tuesday for bringing attention to the state with a social media post calling out a transgender high school athlete who took first place in a girls pole vault competition.
Gaines praised Libby and defended the lawmaker, while condemning Mills Wednesday.
"[Mills] would rather lose over $5 billion in federal funds to send a message that boys deserve to and are entitled to trample on girls in the process," Gaines said. "I commend and am so proud and so grateful for Rep. Libby. And just looking at this, watching a female representative lose her ability to vote and to speak on the House floor for defending girls and women.
"No, this didn't happen in Afghanistan. This happened in America."
In addition to Democrats in states like Maine and California, the NCAA has been criticized for its recent revision to its gender eligibility policy to comply with Trump's order. Many critics, including Gaines, have pointed out that the NCAA's new policy does not account for amended birth certificates, noting 44 states in the U.S. allow genders to be changed on birth certificates.
The apparel brand XX-XY Athletics, whom Gaines is a brand ambassador for, put out a video advertisement Wednesday that featured multiple college women's athletes speaking out against the NCAA for its policy, insisting it didn't go far enough.
"We partnered with XX-XY Athletics to release this ad directly to message (NCAA President) Charlie Baker, directly to the NCAA," Gaines said. "They released a policy following President Trump's executive order claiming to fall in line, but the NCAA policy is in direct conflict to Trump's beautifully and thoroughly written executive order."
Gaines will be traveling to Minnesota next week to advocate for a state bill to ban transgender athletes in girls and women's sports there.
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Manchester United’s manager also defended Patrick Dorgu who was sent off against Ipswich
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The 2025 season isn’t off to a great start for the New York Jets.
The Jets suffered another lackluster finish last season, which prompted owner Woody Johnson to initiate a major overhaul of the team's coaching staff and put an end to the Aaron Rodgers’ era.
But on Wednesday, the NFLPA’s annual report cards dealt another blow to the organization.
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The initiative, which includes feedback from 1,695 active players, saw the Jets rank 29th overall — a significant drop from last year’s ranking of 21st.
According to the report’s overview, some of the most glaring issues included the team’s food program.
"Rather than addressing concerns, players believed that management responded to feedback by making conditions worse," the report read, noting that the team's former dietitian left to take a full-time role with the Kansas City Chiefs.
AARON RODGERS’ POTENTIAL LANDING SPOTS AS JETS PREPARE TO MOVE ON
But perhaps the most telling detail in the report that could explain the overall ranking was the players' sentiments towards Johnson.
In the ownership category, Johnson was ranked dead-last with an F grade. The Jets were the only team to receive that grade in that specific category.
"The players feel that Johnson does not contribute to a positive team culture, a rank of 32 out of 32," the report read.
Johnson will be under the microscope next season.
The Rodgers' trade failed to live up to the expectations set by Johnson, and new general manager Darren Mougey and new head coach Aaron Glenn are hoping to be the change.
"Every decision that me and (Mougey) make is to win and to win now," Glenn said at the combine on Tuesday. "This is not going to be the last decision I make that’s going to upset some people, and that’s OK. But as men, we talk about it. We make sure we keep it in-house, and that’s what we’re going to continue to do."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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The Gunners were held to a goalless draw at the City Ground and dropped further behind the league leaders
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