A former Minnesota Vikings safety has launched a scathing attack on his home state’s refusal to comply with federal demands to ban transgender athletes from girls’ scholastic sports, describing the policies as “demonic” and claiming they hold his family “hostage.”
Jack Brewer, who played five NFL seasons and once served as the Vikings’ special teams captain, told Fox News that Minnesota’s stance on transgender participation in girls’ sports represents “dark and demonic laws” rooted in what he called “leftist, satanic ideals.”
The controversy stems from Minnesota’s decision not to meet President Donald Trump’s October deadline requiring states to ban transgender athletes from competing in girls’ sports. Trump’s executive order, issued in February, threatens to withhold federal funding from entities that “deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities” by permitting transgender participation.
“I still have plenty of family in Minnesota — nieces, nephews, cousins — and family members who coach high school sports there,” Brewer explained. “My family is being held hostage to these dark and demonic laws. 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.”
Brewer’s passionate remarks come as Minnesota finds itself at the center of a national debate. The state gained attention earlier this year when a transgender softball pitcher led her team to a state championship. The Trump administration subsequently accused the Minnesota Department of Education and the Minnesota State High School League of violating Title IX by allowing transgender athletes to compete with girls and use girls’ locker rooms.
Federal agencies claim transgender athletes are participating in various Minnesota girls’ sports, including Alpine and Nordic skiing, lacrosse, track and field, volleyball, and fastpitch softball.
“President Trump is absolutely right to demand that men stay out of women’s sports,” Brewer declared. “When Congress is back in session, he should cut all federal funding to states that continue this insanity. Minnesota has become the laughingstock of America — the embarrassment of our nation.”
The former defensive back, who starred at the University of Minnesota before his professional career, framed the issue in religious terms, arguing that the nation’s founding principles are being violated.
“You have hundreds of school board members who have stood against this, yet a governor and an attorney general with that much control are forcing their leftist, satanic ideals on people who want nothing to do with it,” Brewer said, referencing Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison. “The world is watching as Minnesota has become the epicenter of this darkness — the devil’s den. Something needs to change, and the people of Minnesota need to wake up.”
Minnesota officials, however, have remained steadfast in their position. Attorney General Keith Ellison defended the state’s policies, arguing that excluding transgender students causes more harm than their inclusion.
“Letting the very small number of transgender students in Minnesota play on their school sports teams doesn’t harm anyone, but segregating them does,” Ellison stated. He also accused the Trump administration of overstepping its constitutional authority and violating both Minnesota law and Title IX itself.
Ellison emphasized concerns about potential federal funding cuts while rejecting what he characterized as bullying tactics. “I’m fighting to prevent these harmful cuts, stop the Administration’s bullying of transgender kids who just want to live their lives in peace, and protect the rights and freedoms of all our students in Minnesota,” he said.
Minnesota lawmakers have also cited the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause, which prohibits the government from establishing a state religion, in response to religiously-framed arguments from Trump supporters.
Brewer’s political evolution has been notable. After once supporting Democratic President Barack Obama, he has become a prominent conservative voice, speaking at the 2020 Republican National Convention. Following his NFL career, he transitioned into finance and politics, and is credited with helping rappers Lil Wayne and Kodak Black secure pardons from Trump.
