High school basketball player who identifies as girl accused of causing injuries in game, opponents forfeit

A girls’ basketball game between two Massachusetts schools made waves earlier this month after one team forfeited against their opponent, which had a biological male who identifies as a female on the court, a source told Fox News Digital. 

The Collegiate Charter School of Lowell forfeited against KIPP Academy, which resides in Lynn, Massachusetts, at halftime. KIPP was leading the game 31-14, but the game goes into the record as a 10-0 win. 

A video circulated online on Monday showing one player for the Collegiate Charter wrestling for a rebound with the biological male athlete from KIPP Academy.

Some have expressed concern after the girl for Collegiate Charter was injured on the play after hitting the court, grabbing her back in pain. 

A source told Fox News Digital that the biological male who identifies as a female is more than 6 feet tall and has facial hair. 

KIPP Academy did not immediately answer a request for clarification regarding the athlete’s gender identity.

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Prior to this injury, two others had been suffered by a Collegiate Charter team that was only carrying an eight-player bench due to injuries in previous games. It is unknown if these injuries occurred during plays involving the biological male athlete. 

Collegiate Charter spokesperson Casey Crane released a statement which indicated the school’s approval of coach Kevin Ortins’ decision to forfeit at halftime, especially considering the team’s playoff game was close.

“On February 8th, the coach of the Collegiate Charter School of Lowell Girls’ Basketball Team decided to end a game at halftime after watching a third player injured in the game with KIPP Academy,” the statement read. 

“The bench was already depleted going into the game with the 12-player roster having four players unable to play. When the coach saw three more go down in the first half leaving him with five players, he made the call to end the game early. The upcoming Charter School playoffs were looming, and he needed a healthy and robust bench in four days.”

However, the statement also alluded to the remaining healthy girls expressing “concern” to their coach about continuing to play. 

“Once the third was injured, the remaining five expressed concern to him about continuing to play. The players feared getting injured and not being able to compete in the playoffs.

“In an effort to maintain safety for his team, he decided to forfeit. The Charter School supports this decision and reiterates its values of both inclusivity and safety for all students. We take the standards set by the MIAA and our Board of Trustees seriously and strive to uphold them on and off the court. We also follow the guidance from the MIAA and state laws regarding equity and access for all student-athletes.”

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The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) handbook states in Section 43.3.1 that “a student shall not be excluded from participation on a gender-specific sports team that is consistent with the student’s bona fide gender identity.”

However, the handbook also states that the rule cannot be enacted if the roster move has the purpose of gaining a competitive advantage.

“When a school district submits a roster to the MIAA, it is verifying that it has determined that the students listed on a gender-specific sports team are eligible to participate either based on the gender listed on their official birth certificate or based on their bona fide gender identity and that no students are included on the roster solely for the purpose of gaining an unfair advantage in competitive athletics,” Section 43.3.2 reads. “The MIAA shall defer to the determination of the student and the student’s school regarding gender classification.”    

Section 43.3.4 says that “It is a recommended best practice that schools communicate with their opponents as necessary about the gender-specific needs of their team in order to promote inclusion – e.g. to ensure that appropriate locker room facilities are available, that announcer use athlete’s correct pronouns, etc.”

Furthermore, Massachusetts General Law states “no person shall be excluded from or discriminated against in admission to a public school of any town, or in obtaining the advantages, privileges, and courses of study of such public school on account of race, color, sex, gender identity, religion, national origin or sexual orientation. 

Collegiate Charter had played KIPP Academy earlier this season and was aware of the transgender athlete on the roster during that game.