Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo has come out in support of the women of the University of Nevada for refusing to play their scheduled game against San Jose University because the latter has allowed a man who identifies as a woman to play on the team.
The Republican Governor posted a statement to X stating, “No student athlete should ever be pressured to play a game where they don’t feel safe—period.”
The Nevada women are protesting being forced to play against San Jose State after the Californian team included transgender player Blaire Fleming.
“As I’ve said previously, I believe there are competition and safety concerns with this issue, and it’s irresponsible for the NCAA to put student-athletes in a position of balancing their personal safety against the schools, competition, and sports they love,” Lombardo’s statement continued.
“The student athletes at the University of Nevada, Reno have determined that they do not want to play against San Jose State, and I wholeheartedly respect the decision of the players,” he wrote.
“No student athlete should ever be pressured to play a game where they don’t feel safe – period.”
“The NCAA has a responsibility to address this issue in a consistency way that protects the integrity of women’s sports and the student athletes who participate,” the statement concluded.
The governor is reacting to the announcement by the Nevada Wolf Pack players, who said that they felt their safety was more important than playing.
“We, the University of Nevada Reno women’s volleyball team, forfeit against San Jose State University and stand united in solidarity with the volleyball teams of Southern Utah University, Boise State University, the University of Wyoming, and Utah State University,” the women said in their statement.
“We demand that our right to safety and fair competition on the court be upheld. We refuse to participate in any match that advances injustice against female athletes,” they added.
This move went contrary to their school’s athletic department, which insisted that the team would play its game against San Jose State.
Nevada is the fifth women’s college team to forfeit to San Jose. Nevada has now joined Southern Utah, Boise State, Wyoming, and Utah State in boycotting games against San Jose.
Trans opponents have seriously injured several women and girls over the last several years, and those injuries have caused a lot of female athletes to pause their support for radical transgenderism.
The NCAA is now being sued by several groups over its policy of allowing transgender players to play as women.
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