The Trump administration set a Friday deadline for states to ban transgender athletes from girls’ sports. Minnesota missed it. The state’s Attorney General Keith Ellison cited the current government shutdown in his response, saying he had no substantive answer to the Title IX deadline.
Jack Brewer Says Minnesota Policies Are Holding His Family Hostage (Screenshot Via X/@RapidResponse47)
Now a former Minnesota Vikings captain is speaking out about what this means for his family.
**Jack Brewer Says Minnesota Policies Are Holding His Family Hostage**
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Jack Brewer played safety for the Vikings and captained the University of Minnesota football team. He still has family throughout the state. Nieces, nephews, cousins, and former teammates who now coach high school sports. He says Minnesota’s transgender athlete policies are holding them hostage.
“My family is being held hostage to these dark and demonic laws,” Brewer told Fox News Digital. “I feel for my little nieces who have dreams of being athletes, for my young cousins playing high school sports, and for my former teammates who are now coaches and athletic directors across the state.”
He added that he speaks out because they can’t, calling it a sad reality that they’re forced to raise children around what he termed “this sickness.”
The Trump administration determined in September that Minnesota policies violated Title IX. The findings cited a transgender softball pitcher who led a girls’ high school team to a state title last spring.
Officials also documented transgender athletes competing in Alpine and Nordic skiing, lacrosse, track and field, and volleyball across Minnesota.
Brewer didn’t hold back his opinion on President Trump’s stance. “President Trump is absolutely right to demand that men stay out of women’s sports,” he said.
He called for cutting federal funding to states that continue allowing transgender athletes in girls’ sports. “Minnesota has become the laughingstock of America — the embarrassment of our nation.”
The U.S. Department of Justice has already filed lawsuits against educational agencies in Maine and California for similar violations.
A DOJ referral for Minnesota is now likely when the government reopens. The stakes are real and the consequences are mounting.
**Hundreds of Minnesota School Board Members Urge Compliance Despite State Resistance**
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The gap between state leaders and local communities is clear. So far, 280 school board members from 113 Minnesota districts have signed a letter asking the state to follow Trump’s executive order, pointing to worries about girls’ privacy, safety, and possible loss of federal funding.
One fan wrote, “I fully support cutting the national financial benefits for female sports from states who refuse to follow this edict.”
Another added, “I’m sure this isn’t the only thing that Minnesota is doing that is in violation and contrary to federal policy. Minnesota is just begging to be the state that the federal government has to make a example of.”
A third pointed out, “Cancel all federal funding to Minnesota. They don’t want to adhere to federal law, then forego federal support.” The sentiment reflects growing frustration with state leadership that appears out of step with local school officials and many residents.
The sides are set. It is now federal leaders against state officials, school boards against state leaders, and former NFL players speaking up while current coaches stay quiet. Minnesota is at the heart of a national fight that isn’t slowing down.