Riley Gaines praised a Massachusetts high school for deciding that its girls’ field hockey team should forgo playing a boys’ team, and she also criticized NCAA President Charlie Baker.
Gaines, the 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 forfeit the game against Somerset Berkley.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Riley Gaines (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images)
“That’s what leadership looks like. There was a team, this was last year, actually, it was high school — it was called Dighton-Rehoboth field hockey,” Gaines said, referring to last year’s incident. “They’re playing another team, Swampscott. There’s a boy on that team. He takes a shot, and it hits one of the girls in the face. I mean, Dan, she lost all her teeth. She had to have facial reconstruction surgery to rebuild her face, her smile.”
“The superintendent put out a statement saying that safety is more important than winning. And I thought that was incredibly well said. He even said that we might not even get a playoff spot. We might not be able to compete for our league championship, and that’s okay because I’m doing my job of putting my students and my athletes first and protecting them.”
HIGH SCHOOL FIELD HOCKEY TEAM CAPTAIN COMBATS RULE ALLOWING BOYS TO PLAY ON GIRLS’ TEAMS AFTER HORRIBLE INJURY
The decision to withdraw on Tuesday, which came after coaches and team captains met to discuss the matter, follows the implementation of a new policy allowing players and/or coaches to withdraw from any match or competition against an opposing team that “includes a member of the opposite sex.”
“In accordance with the Police JJIB – Interscholastic Athletics School Committee, whose updates were approved by the Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School Committee on June 25, 2024, the district has informed Somerset Berkley Regional High School that we will be forgoing the field hockey competition scheduled for September 17,” the school district’s statement read.
“Our field hockey coaches and captains have made this decision and we have communicated this to our opponent,” the statement continued. “The District supports this decision because there are times when we must prioritize safety over winning. We understand that this forfeit will impact our chances of winning a league championship and potentially being eligible for the playoffs, but we remain hopeful that other schools will consider following suit to ensure safety and promote fair competition for female athletes.”
Gaines said she wants Baker to follow her example.
Charlie Baker, NCAA President (Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar/USA TODAY Network)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“I wish NCAA President Charlie Baker had half the guts that this superintendent has – I think his name is Bill Runey – I wish he had half the courage and backbone that Bill Runey has,” Gaines said.
Follow Fox News Digital sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
