NAIA votes to all but prohibit transgender athletes
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, the governing body for mostly small colleges, announced a policy Monday that all but bans transgender athletes from competing in women's sports, the Associated Press and ESPN.com reported.
The NAIA Council of Presidents approved the policy in a 20-0 vote. The NAIA, which oversees some 83,000 athletes at schools across the country, is believed to be the first college sports organization to take such a step.
According to the transgender participation policy, all athletes may participate in NAIA-sponsored male sports but only athletes whose biological sex assigned at birth is female and who have not begun hormone therapy will be allowed to participate in women's sports.
A student who has begun hormone therapy may participate in activities such as workouts, practices and team activities, but not in interscholastic competition.
"With the exception of competitive cheer and competitive dance, the NAIA created separate categories for male and female participants," the NAIA said.
There is no known number of transgender athletes at the high school and college levels, although it is believed to be small. The topic has nonetheless become a hotbutton issue among conservative groups and others who believe transgender athletes should not be allowed to compete on girls' and women's sports teams.
NFL
Cowboys: Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb is not expected to attend offseason training activities barring a lucrative contract extension, the Dallas Morning News reported Monday.
The Cowboys begin the voluntary portion of their spring workout program April 15.
Lamb, who turned 25 on Monday, is due to earn $17.99 million under a fifth-year team option in 2024. That’s a bargainbasement price for a player coming off a record-setting All-Pro season in 2023.
Lamb broke Michael Irvin’s single-season franchise marks with an NFL-high 135 catches and 1,749 yards, adding a career-high 12 touchdown catches in 17 starts.
The Cowboys will hold six OTA practices starting May 24. Player attendance is not mandatory until the June 4-6 mini-camp.
Bears: Ohio State wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. visited the team at Halas Hall, representing one of the franchise’s “top 30” visits permitted by the NFL prior to the April 25 draft. Harrison is projected as a top-10 selection. The top receivers in the draft are considered to be Harrison and LSU’s Malik Nabers, who has also visited the Bears. They hold the first and ninth picks overall, and are expected to take USC quarterback Caleb Williams at No. 1.
Patriots: The team and star safety Kyle Dugger have agreed to terms on a four-year contract extension, media outlets reported. Dugger is expected to receive a base value of $58 million for the contract, and the deal could be worth up to $66 million. It includes $32.5 million in guarantees. Dugger, 28, received the transition tag from the Patriots last month. The tag allowed the Patriots to match any offer from another team. Dugger recorded a career-best 109 tackles last season to go with two interceptions and 11⁄2 sacks in 17 games.
NBA
Knicks: The NBA fined the team $25,000 for violating league injury reporting rules, the league announced. The fine was for the Knicks’ failure to “accurately disclose” the status of 7-footer Mitchell Robinson ahead of their meeting with Toronto on March 27. The Knicks listed Robinson as out on their initial injury report and he went on to appear in the game. The 145-101 win over the Raptors marked Robinson’s return from a 50-game absence due to an ankle injury.
Lakers: Forward Anthony Davis played just one quarter during Sunday’s 127-117 home loss to Minnesota after taking a blow to the left eye while making a put-back dunk. The Lakers were already without LeBron James (flu-like symptoms).
Davis’ injury situation was nearly identical to a March 16 loss to Golden State, when he took a glancing blow to the left eye and missed the final three quarters. He was able to come back two days later.
Coach Darvin Ham didn’t specify when Davis might return. Los Angeles, currently ninth in the West, has three regularseason games remaining, with an outside chance of moving up to the No. 6 spot and avoiding the play-in tournament.