Sports
Vermont pays $566K in damages to Christian school it banned from all sports competitions for years
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FIRST ON FOX: State education agencies in Vermont have paid $566,000 in damages and legal fees to a Christian school that was banned from all sports and academic competitions for two years after its girls’ basketball team refused to compete against a trans athlete in 2023.
A judge’s decision was finalized on Tuesday that awarded the plaintiffs, including the Mid Vermont Christian School and its law firm Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), the $566,000. The plaintiffs took legal action to challenge the ban in November 2023, and have now officially been transferred their winnings.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Vermont Principals’ Association and the Vermont State Board of Education for a response.
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The settlement comes after a years-long saga in which all the school’s sports teams, and even its academic teams, like spelling bee and mathletes, had to travel out of state to compete against other schools.
The conflict dates back to an afternoon early in the 2023 school year at Mid Vermont Christian, when the school decided to forfeit a girls’ basketball postseason game against a team with a trans athlete.
Their Christian faith was more important to them than a game. But it was still a hard call, and it brought some tears.
“We were all in agreement that the right decision was to not compromise our beliefs and to withdraw, but the conversation with the players was the hardest,” Mid Vermont Christian girls’ basketball coach Chris Goodwin told Fox News Digital.
“Because you play a 20-game season, and you put in the work and the expectation is that you enter the postseason tournament with a shot to see how you’re going to do and to see how far you can get. So there were some teary eyes, and some sad faces, but in the end, they all really did understand that it was the right thing to do.”
But it was about to get much harder for not just the team, but for the entire school of about 111 students.
Within days of the forfeit, they learned the consequences escalated far beyond a single game. The Vermont Principals’ Association banned the school, not just from basketball, but from all athletics and a range of academic competitions.
“Almost immediately… they came out very strongly,” Goodwin said. “We were going to be banned from all athletic competition in the state… and then on top of that… science fairs and spelling bees.”
What followed was not a single lost season, but years of dislocation. The school was forced to arrange competitions with schools out of state just to make sure their extracurricular programs could continue.
Instead of short bus rides to nearby schools, teams traveled hours across state lines. Familiar rivalries disappeared. Home gyms sat quieter.
“The travel is probably triple,” Goodwin said. “You’re getting back at 10 o’clock at night… kids trying to do homework. I don’t want to say there’s a nightmare, but it was difficult.”
Along the way, Goodwin said there were teams he coached that had the potential to win the state championship, but never got the chance.
“You know, the hard part was that we knew we had lost… we lost a couple years of participation. And we had some really good teams during those two years where we would have been, if not winning the state championship, competing for the state championship.”
Goodwin says it affected the school’s entire culture.
“That’s a big part of the culture… having games in your gym, where parents and community members come,” he said. “That just disappeared.”
When the school took the issue to the courts, the state and its agencies didn’t fold.
ADF Senior Counsel Dave Cortman told Fox News Digital that he was shocked at how firmly the education authorities in Vermont wouldn’t back down from their sweeping sanction on the small Christian school.
“It’s been surprising how much the state has dug in their heels,” he said. “The arguments they’ve made… even saying your beliefs are wrong…
“Their message was, ‘in order for you to follow your religious beliefs, boys are boys, girls are girls, that would actually violate their nondiscrimination policies.’ So the irony of it was, they were discriminating against religious schools.”
Mid Vermont Christian School girls basketball team plays following the school’s reinstatement to Vermont state sports after a U.S. Court of Appeals order in February 2024. (Alliance Defending Freedom)
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The turning point came in 2025, when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ordered the school reinstated while the case continued — a decision that opened the door for students to return to competition.
The appeals court ruled in September 2025 that Mid Vermont Christian must be allowed to participate in state athletics, after two years of banishment had passed. The court then returned the case to district court for further proceedings.
So Goodwin was able to lead his team back onto the court this season.
A bittersweet moment occurred when Mid Vermont Christian made it back to the state tournament and back to the Barre Auditorium. It is the state’s old arena every Vermont player dreams about stepping onto for a chance to win a championship.
“When we won our quarterfinal game to get there, our senior captain who graduated a year ago, was talking on the phone to her sister who plays for me now, they’re both crying on the phone, number one because of the joy of achieving a goal that they wanted to achieve, but also the sadness of her sister, who’s a freshman in college now, not having that opportunity,” Goodwin said.
Mid Vermont Christian School’s girls basketball team was reinstated to Vermont state sports following a court order by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in June 2024. (Alliance Defending Freedom)
“That’s the hardest part to see the sadness that these girls have to experience. Because the state decided to make the decision it just, it was hurtful and it’s bittersweet that we’re back in, but we are glad we’re back in.”
For the school and ADF, the satisfaction of their win in court goes beyond just the arena of play, as the movement to “save girls sports” grows nationwide.
Cortman recalled a moment during the proceedings.
“In one of the hearings before the court, the state argued that the school was on the wrong side of history,” Cortman said.
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“The school is on the right side of history and will be for following his faith in its beliefs, for doing what’s right… sometimes there’s a price to pay. But it’s always the right thing to do. You’re always on the right side of history when you stand up for truth.”
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Sports
Patriots captains deflect questions about Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini controversy: ‘We’re just focused’
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While focus should be on the New England Patriots heading into the 2026 season looking for redemption after a Super Bowl loss, the hot-button topic of head coach Mike Vrabel’s relationship with ex-The Athletic reporter Dianna Russini was prevalent on Tuesday.
Tight end Hunter Henry is obviously aware of the situation at hand with Vrabel, who spent Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft away from the team to seek counseling amid the Russini controversy.
But Henry, and the rest of the Patriots, are trying to focus on football as much as possible.
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Hunter Henry of the New England Patriots celebrates a touchdown during an NFL game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Md., on Dec. 21, 2025. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)
“Obviously, you know, I know you guys want to hear about everything that’s going on, but to be honest with you, we’re just focused,” he told reporters on Tuesday, per Yahoo Sports. “I’m focused on what we got going on right now in this building with this team.
Henry, a team captain, added that he’s “just focused on the guys in this locker room and trying to build it from the ground up.” In other words, he’s not going to be commenting on his head coach’s off-the-field controversy.
Fellow captain Robert Spillane was also asked about Vrabel’s situation, but he echoed Henry’s sentiment.
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“Coach coaches football. He keeps the main thing the main thing,” Spillane said, per MassLive. “I know he’s dealing with personal issues. But when we’re in the building. We speak football.”
While Spillane wasn’t going to comment on others’ relationship with Vrabel, he did note that he would “be here to support him” as he believes his coach would do the same.
Vrabel spoke publicly about the Russini controversy, and he noted during his statement that he spoke with players.
“I thought he did a great job,” Henry said about Vrabel’s handling of the situation when it came out. “It’s been the same Vrabes bringing a lot of energy in the room, so, I mean, obviously, he addressed it. That’s kind of what I’ll say about it.”
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel stands on the field before the 2026 AFC Championship Game at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colo., on Jan. 25, 2026. (Ron Chenoy/Imagn Images)
The Patriots released a statement before the first round of the draft this past Thursday, saying they “fully support” Vrabel.
“Mike has been open with us about his commitment to being the best version of himself for his family, this team and our fans, and we respect the steps he is taking to follow through on that commitment,” the statement read.
“We are confident in the leadership and communication Mike has established with our personnel staff throughout this pre-draft process.”
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Vrabel was with the Patriots for the first two nights of the draft, but he stepped away for rounds 4-7 to seek counseling.
“As I said the other day, I promised my family, this organization and this team that I was going to give them the best version of me that I can possibly give them,” Vrabel said in a statement, per ESPN.
“In order to do so, I have committed to seeking counseling, starting this weekend. This is something that I have given a lot of thought to and is something I would advise a player to do if I was counseling them.”
Vrabel also told reporters he’s had “some difficult conversations with people that I care about” regarding him and Russini being photographed together at a Sedona, Arizona, private resort in his first public comments about the controversial relationship.
Dianna Russini, left, and Mike Vrabel, right, are shown in a split composite image featuring Russini with an ESPN microphone and Vrabel on the Titans sideline wearing a headset. (Imagn Images)
Since then, photos have surfaced from 2020 showing Vrabel and Russini kissing at a bar in New York City. The pictures exclusively obtained by the New York Post were taken in the early hours of March 11, 2020.
“They were kissing, and they were all over each other,” an eyewitness told the outlet. “He had a ring on.”
Russini reportedly married Kevin Goldschmidt, her husband and a Shake Shack executive, six months after the photos were snapped. Goldschmidt and Russini also share two children.
Vrabel has been married to his wife, Jen, since 1999, and they share two sons together. In the pictures, Vrabel’s wedding band is visible on his left hand while conversing with Russini. At the time, Russini was with ESPN, while Vrabel was coaching the Tennessee Titans.
This past month, Vrabel and the former The Athletic reporter were seen holding hands and hugging at the luxury resort in Arizona. Photos of their intimate interaction were first released in April.
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel speaks during the 2026 NFL Annual League Meeting at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix, Ariz., on March 31, 2026. (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)
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The photos showed the two sunbathing by a pool, in a hot tub and on the roof of a bungalow holding hands and embracing, which caused a league-wide uproar. Russini, the subject of an investigation by her employer, The Athletic, resigned as a result.
Vrabel has since returned to the Patriots as they continue their offseason workout program. The team’s rookie minicamp is also slated for May 8-10.
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KARACHI: In a major achievement, Peshawar Zalmi skipper Babar Azam on Tuesday matched three major Pakistan Super League (PSL) records with a blistering century against Islamabad United in the Qualifier of the ongoing 11th edition at the National Bank Stadium.
Babar top-scored in the high-stakes fixture with a swashbuckling 103 off just 59 deliveries, studded with 12 fours and four sixes, and helped the table-toppers pile up a massive total of 221/7 in their 20 overs.
His 57-ball century in the ongoing match marked his second in the ongoing edition, meaning he became only the second batter in the history of the marquee league to score two centuries in a single season, joining Usman Khan, who registered the feat in PSL 9 with Multan Sultans.
Overall, it was Babar’s fourth century in the PSL, and it helped him draw level with Hyderabad Kingsmen’s Usman, who also has four hundreds, with his most recent coming in the league stage of the ongoing eight-team tournament against Multan Sultans.
Most centuries in PSL
- Usman Khan – four in 35 innings
- Babar Azam – four in 110 innings
- Kamran Akmal – three in 74 innings
- Rilee Rossouw – three in 98 innings
- Fakhar Zaman – three in 105 innings
Furthermore, Babar’s 103-run knock also helped him equal Lahore Qalandars’ Fakhar Zaman’s long-standing record of scoring the most runs in a single edition of the PSL.
Notably, the left-handed opener piled up 588 runs in 13 innings for the Qalandars in the seventh edition of the PSL with the help of one century and seven half-centuries.
Babar Azam, however, conceded 10 innings to accumulate as many runs in the ongoing season, scoring at an astounding average of 98.00 and a strike rate of 146.63, having smashed two centuries and three fifties.
Most Runs in a PSL Season
- Fakhar Zaman (Lahore Qalandars) – 588 runs in 2022
- Babar Azam (Peshawar Zalmi) – 588 runs* in 2024
- Babar Azam (Peshawar Zalmi) – 569 runs in 2024
- Babar Azam (Karachi Kings) – 554 runs in 2021
- Mohammad Rizwan (Multan Sultans) – 550 runs in 2023
- Mohammad Rizwan (Multan Sultans) – 546 runs in 2022
- Kusal Mendis (Peshawar Zalmi) – 541 runs* in 2026
- Babar Azam (Peshawar Zalmi) – 522 runs in 2023
- Mohammad Rizwan (Multan Sultans) – 500 runs in 2021
Zalmi post 221 on the back of Babar ton, bowl out Islamabad United for 151 to win by 70 runs
Peshawar Zalmi captain Babar Azam plays a shot during his 103-run knock against Islamabad United in the PSL 10 qualifier on Tuesday. Photo: PSL/ X
Captain Babar Azam struck a fluent 57-ball hundred as Peshawar Zalmi outclassed Islamabad United by 70 runs in the first qualifier of the 10th edition of the HBL Pakistan Super League at the National Stadium, Karachi, sealing a place in the final for a record fifth time.
Put into bat after Islamabad United won the toss and opted to field, Zalmi made a strong start as Babar Azam and Mohammad Haris laid a solid foundation, taking the score to 68 inside the powerplay.
United struck their first breakthrough in the seventh over when Haris, who made 35 off 16 balls, failed to find the gap and was caught at long-off by Mark Chapman.
Babar then anchored the innings alongside Kusal Mendis, with whom he has formed several productive partnerships this season. The pair added 84 runs for the second wicket, blending control with acceleration to keep Zalmi on course for a big total.
Mendis contributed a brisk 41 off 26 balls, hitting five fours and a six, before falling as Babar continued to dominate.
The right-hander reached his half-century off 38 balls before shifting gears, bringing up his next fifty in just 19 deliveries to complete his second century of the season.
Babar made 103 off 59 balls, striking 12 fours and four sixes, and also moved to the top of the tournament’s run-scoring charts, overtaking Mendis.
Although Zalmi lost a cluster of wickets in the final overs, the foundation had already been laid for a commanding finish as they posted 221 for 7 in their 20 overs.
For Islamabad United, captain Shadab Khan was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets for 42 runs, while Richard Gleeson chipped in with two wickets.
Chasing 222, Islamabad United openers Devon Conway and Sameer Minhas provided a positive start, putting on 58 runs in the first five overs. Conway, who made 20 off 14 balls, was dismissed by Michael Bracewell.
Minhas continued to look promising, scoring 44 off 23 balls, but was sent back when Aaron Hardie induced a straightforward catch to Babar Azam.
From that point onwards, Islamabad’s innings unravelled under sustained pressure. Wickets fell at regular intervals as they lost any semblance of momentum, eventually being bowled out for 151.
The chase never recovered after the top-order dismissals, with seven batters failing to reach double figures in a stark reflection of their collapse.
With the win, Zalmi closed out a comprehensive win to book their place in the final for a record fifth time in PSL history.
Babar Azam was named Player of the Match for his outstanding century
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