Riley Gaines’ NCAA lawsuit dismissed

A federal judge on Monday dismissed a Title IX lawsuit filed by Riley Gaines and a number of current and former college athletes against the NCAA after concluding that the plaintiffs failed to prove that the NCAA was a recipient of federal funds.

In March 2024, Gaines and several other current and former female college athletes filed the lawsuit, alleging the NCAA violated their Title IX rights by permitting men to compete in women’s events and use women’s locker rooms. Title IX is a statute intended to promote equal opportunities for women in academics and athletics at institutions that receive federal funding.The plaintiffs argued that the NCAA was subject to Title IX restrictions because the organization received funding from the Department of Defense through a concussion research partnership.

What did the judge rule? U.S. District Judge Tiffany R. Johnson, whom former President Joe Biden nominated to the federal bench, found that the NCAA and the Defense Department maintained separate funding streams for the concussion research. Both contributed money to Indiana University, which served as a pass-through entity to funnel the funds to the actual research participants, according to court documents. Johnson wrote that there was no evidence that the NCAA ever received, or could have received, federal funds. Therefore, Title IX claims could not proceed, the judge concluded.

The ruling did not determine whether the NCAA’s former transgender-athlete policy qualified as sex discrimination.

How did Gaines respond? In a press release Tuesday, the Independent Council on Women’s Sports, or ICONS, which funded the lawsuit, said that the ruling meant the NCAA could force as many men onto women’s teams and into women’s locker rooms as it wished. Gaines said she would appeal the decision, and insisted she and the other plaintiffs were on the side of truth.

The plaintiffs were given 30 days to file a notice of appeal, which would be the first step in appealing Judge Johnson’s ruling to the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit.