Attorney General Russell Coleman has joined more than two dozen of his counterparts from other states in urging the NCAA to restore the records, titles, awards and recognitions female athletes earned but were denied because of politics that had allowed biological males to compete in women’s sports.
In addition to featuring one of the best rivalries in the history of college athletics, Kentucky was also in the spotlight of the fight for fairness in women’s sports when former 12-time NCAA All-American University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines tied with a trans swimmer.
“Kentucky is at the epicenter of college athletics, and we must continue to protect women’s sports from unfair politics that let men invade women’s sports and private spaces,” said Coleman, a graduate of the University of Kentucky. “As the Attorney General and a father of two daughters, I’m eager to see these records be corrected and these women honored with awards and recognitions they worked so hard to earn.”
In the letter, the attorneys general wrote, "The policies that were created, promoted, and encouraged by the Biden Administration and the NCAA not only enabled biological men to compete against women in sporting events across the country, but denied deserving women the recognitions they had earned in events that you managed…. While we appreciate the steps the NCAA has taken since then, there is far more the NCAA can do for the women athletes that have competed and continue to compete in your events.”
They continue, “The NCAA should take this step for former athletes to preserve the integrity of Title IX and show your support for the women harmed by years of bad policy. As your website states, ‘Regardless of where they start, student-athletes strive to end each season at one of the NCAA’s 90 championships in 24 sports.’ Women athletes strived, succeeded, and were cheated of what they earned.”
Coleman joined the Mississippi-led letter, along with attorneys general from Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.
Kentucky Today File Photo of Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman
