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Maine high school sports deals with new trans-athlete controversy as state's policy comes under fire

Maine high school athletics were embroiled in another trans-athlete controversy as state lawmakers have fought against President Donald Trump’s executive order banning biological males from girls and women’s sports.

The latest issue came at the State Nordic Skiing Championships. Soren Stark-Chessa finished in third and fourth place in Class C Freestyle and Class C Classical competitions, respectively, according to the Independent Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS).

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The athlete helped Maine Coast Waldorf to third place in the women’s competition. Stark-Chessa has been one of the top skiers in the state, earning All-Western Maine Conferee honors in girls Nordic skiing during the 2023-24 season, according to the Sun-Journal.

The school’s athletic director, Susan Sonntag, defended Stark-Chessa’s participation against high schools in 2023 in a statement to The Daily Mail. However, Trump’s executive order and his public spat with Maine Gov. Janet Mills put the state’s gender-participation policy under the microscope.

Trump threatened to take away federal funding from Maine schools if the policy of allowing boys to participate in girls’ sports stands. Mills replied that she would see Trump in court over the ruling.

The Maine Principals’ Association’s (MPA) rules stated that a prospective student athlete must "declare their gender identity to their member school if their gender identity differs from the student’s sex assigned at birth." The rules stated that the school has "sole authority to determine gender identity assignment for the purposes of athletic registration and participation in MPA sponsored events."

NCAA'S NEW TRANS-PARTICIPATION POLICY IS 'AS CLEAR AS MUD,' RILEY GAINES SAYS

Furthermore, "no medical records or official documents shall be requested for required to establish a student’s gender identity."

The Department of Education launched a Title IX investigation into Maine.

Republican state Rep. Laurel Libby appeared on OutKick’s "The Ricky Cobb Show" earlier this week and called the state’s rules "extreme."

"That is the policy that Governor Mills is defending against President Trump," Libby said. "It is so extreme. It is an outlier even among other states that have similar policies. And it’s an extreme position that Mainers don’t support. 

"Not only is she supporting this extreme policy, her stance could cost the state $250 million for Maine’s schools and that is money that we need to provide education for Maine kids. It’s a two-for as far as how this hits our state. And it seems like she’s pretty dug in, and President Trump is gonna have to take this all the way through the courts."

Libby called the policy "incredibly broad" and pointed to an issue the state has seen recently over a transgender athlete winning a state title in girls' pole vaulting.

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Ravens are evaluating kickers amid Justin Tucker allegations, John Harbaugh says

Amid mounting accusations of sexual misconduct alleged against veteran NFL kicker Justin Tucker, the Baltimore Ravens begin the new season on the hunt for a new kicker. 

Head coach John Harabaugh confirmed as much during a press conference at the 2025 NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis on Tuesday, clarifying that the position was always going to be looked at given Tucker’s age. 

"Every position is important, we’re going to look at every single position. But certainly different years you look at different positions. We’re looking at kicker," Harabugh told reporters Tuesday. 

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"The kicker position would’ve been a priority no matter what because – Justin’s our kicker, we love him and I would’ve always expected him to keep going forever, but nobody goes forever. So, we’ve gotta look at every position like we do." 

Tucker, 35, is facing more than a dozen accusations of sexual misconduct. 

The Baltimore Banner reported that 16 massage therapists from several different spas and wellness centers in the Baltimore area have accused the NFL kicker of inappropriate behavior during sessions.

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The NFL has begun an investigation into the accusations. 

According to the outlet, the league has spoken to at least three accusers. 

"It’s not what you want to wake up and read," Harbaugh said Tuesday of the accusations against Tucker. "You don’t want to read about it, it’s not something you want to see. I don’t care what it is in terms of things that are hurtful and harmful to people – it’s too many headlines like that, too many stories that you hear that make you just sad, disappointed."

Harbaugh said the Ravens will determine what actions to take pending the league’s findings. 

"The NFL is looking into it, they’re gonna review it. They’re gonna try and gather all the facts and hopefully we’ll have a – I’m sure we’ll have an understanding of it at that time. And once there’s an understanding of it, then you have a chance to make some decisions and determinations and things like that and that’s where we’re at right now."

Tucker has spent the entirety of his 13-year career with the Ravens and has established himself as one of the most reliable kickers in the league. His 1,775 career points rank 16th all-time, and his career field-goal percentage of 89.1% is the best in league history. 

Tucker has denied all allegations, calling them "unequivocally false."

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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