Basketball players with the Columbia Bible College (CBC) Bearcats broke their silence after allegations of "transphobia" surfaced against the team and Taylor Claggett, their head coach.

Only days prior, the Vancouver Island University (VIU) Mariners abruptly boycotted two CBC home games for this weekend "in honor of prioritizing safety and inclusion." They publicly appealed the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) and its Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST) member to not penalize them over the forfeiture.

Harriette Mackenzie, a six-foot-two male who identifies as a transgender woman, made the claims in a viral video posted to social media. "She" plays for the Mariners, having shattered several women's basketball records during "her" tenure.

"In response, and after carefully considering the concerns raised by our student-athletes and coaching staff, the VIU Mariners Women’s Basketball team will not participate in the upcoming regular season games scheduled this weekend against CBC. VIU has formally requested an exemption from these games without penalty, given the ongoing investigation and the sensitive nature of the situation," the University wrote in a statement this Wednesday.

Last year, 6’2 “Mackenzie was the MVP of nationals and was PacWest Player of the Year both for basketball and across all sports. She was a CCAA All-Canadian and a first-team PacWest all-star.”

Harriette MacKenzie has also been coined the “Record Breaker” by Mount Royal Cougar… pic.twitter.com/kwwOjsL7Oh

— Drea Humphrey - Prepping and Politics (@DreaHumphrey) November 1, 2024

CBC broke their silence in a written statement signed by their players this week. "The attack on Coach Claggett’s character, and the character of our team, over the past three months has been based on misinformation and one side of a complicated scenario," a portion of the letter reads.

"Our coach and organization have had to disable comment sections in response to the backlash resulting from the accusations," it said.

The conflict between the two collegiate teams made headlines in late October after Mackenzie claimed "she" was targeted ostracized by Coach Claggett and physically intimidated by a CBC player.

In a video statement, Mackenzie shared a brief clip of an opposing player fouling "her", resulting in Mackenzie falling to the ground. Rebel News uncovered the video failed to show how "her" opponents fell to the ground "in recent plays" during the same game.

Mackenzie further alleged that Coach Claggett encouraged the same player to foul and "went on a tirade" about the trans athlete. Claggett and the College vehemently denied those claims.

BREAKING: The Columbia Bible College Bearcats women's basketball players have spoken out against the “hate” allegations facing their team and coach after raising concerns about playing against VIU’s 6'2" transgender player, Harriette Mackenzie.
Background: https://t.co/ifhcLsWNjl pic.twitter.com/sItKkBTjT6

— Drea Humphrey - Prepping and Politics (@DreaHumphrey) January 11, 2025

A prior release highlighted concerns expressed by the coach, who simply "had a conversation with a representative of the Mariners’ Athletic Department." She sought guidance on the safety of her athletes, especially when competing against a 6’2 transgender athlete.

As it stands, however, the Mariners maintain they are "unsafe" playing against the Bearcats. The outcome of their complaint with PACWEST remains undetermined as of writing, alleging a breach CBC coaching staff contravened the Coaches Code of Ethics.

A statement from the players expressed concerns of supposed violations by VIU team, particularly the weaponization of social media to justify their forfeiture. "Videos and letters posted by members of the VIU women’s basketball team over the past three months have directly violated multiple rules stated in Article 17.2 of the manual," the team stated.

Various posts have included "personal attacks, defamatory comments, [and a] lack of respect towards the PACWEST," they claim. They also suggest the comments "incite[d] violence and/or hatred directed at our coach (Article 17.2)," the letter continued.

"Any and all allegations made by VIU players regarding our team and coach should have been directly communicated to PACWEST officials alone; they should not have been uploaded publicly to social media."

Nothing to see here 👀

In the 2023-24 trans woman identifying Harriette Mackenzie shattered 6 women’s basketball records previously held by females. pic.twitter.com/HzXXHQB746

— Drea Humphrey - Prepping and Politics (@DreaHumphrey) January 11, 2025

The Bearcats also criticized the Mariners for demanding an exemption from forfeiture penalties, calling it another breach of standard procedure.

"In the past, when a team has refused to participate and travel to a scheduled game, they have received 0 points in the classification. By postponing the games this weekend, PACWEST has contradicted the standard operating procedure," reads the letter.

"Up until this point, we have stayed silent," it continues. "We have shown respect to the PACWEST and VIU over the past few months by staying off social media and voicing our concerns through official channels."

CBC accuses their opponents of not demonstrating the same level of respect towards PACWEST or itself through its public communications. "Their behavior has been rewarded in how their refusal to play this weekend has been handled."

"We are writing this letter to ensure that our voices are heard in this conversation and that the respect we have shown throughout this process is not mistaken for passivity."

PACWEST, in a statement, said it is "involved in an ongoing investigation" and refused to comment further at the time of writing. To date, the VIU Mariners, are leading the PACWEST standings, having lost only once in 12 games this season. 

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