Riley Gaines praised a Massachusetts high school for deciding that its girls' field hockey team should forgo playing a team that included boys and also criticized NCAA President Charlie Baker.
Gaines, host of OutKick's “Gaines for Girls” podcast and director of the Riley Gaines Center at the Leadership Institute, appeared on “Don't @ Me with Dan Dakich” to discuss Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School's decision to lose to Somerset Berkley.
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Riley Gaines (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images)
“This is what leadership looks like. There was a team, it was last year, actually, it's the high school, it's called Dighton-Rehoboth field hockey,” Gaines said, mentioning last year's incident. “They're playing another team, Swampscott. A guy is on that team. He took a shot, and the ball hit one of the players in the face. I mean, Dan, she lost all of her teeth. She had to have facial reconstruction surgery to rebuild her face, her smile.”
“The superintendent released a statement saying that safety is more important than winning. And I think he put it incredibly accurately. He even went so far as to say that we may not even get a playoff spot. We may not be able to compete for our league championship, and that's OK because I'm doing my job of prioritizing and protecting my students, my athletes.”
HIGH SCHOOL FIELD HOCKEY CAPTAIN SPEAKS OUT AGAINST RULE ALLOWING BOYS ON GIRLS' TEAMS AFTER HORRIBLE INJURY
Tuesday's decision to resign, which came after coaches and team captains met on the matter, came after a new policy was implemented that allows players and/or coaches to opt out of any game or contest against an opposing team that “includes a member of the opposite sex.”
“In accordance with the School Committee's Police JJIB – Interscholastic Athletics, updates to which were approved by the Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School Committee on June 25, 2024, the District has notified Somerset Berkley Regional High School that we will forfeit the field hockey contest scheduled for September 17,” the school district's statement reads.
“Our field hockey coaches and captains made this decision and we have notified our opponent,” the statement continued. “The District supports this decision as there are times when we must place a higher value on safety than winning. We understand that this loss will impact our chances of winning a league championship and possibly playoff eligibility, but we remain hopeful that other schools will consider following suit in achieving safety and promoting fair competition for female athletes.”
Gaines said he wanted Baker to follow his example.
Charlie Baker, president of the NCAA (Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar/USA TODAY NETWORK)
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“I wish NCAA President Charlie Baker,” Gaines said, “I wish he had half the courage that this superintendent, I believe his name is Bill Runey, has. I wish he had half the courage and determination that Bill Runey possesses.”
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