ESPN broadcaster Sam Ponder expressed support for Paula Scanlan on Thursday night after the former University of Pennsylvania swimmer testified in front of Congress on her experience with Lia Thomas and her 2016 sexual assault.
Ponder was among those who listened to Scanlan’s testimony during a hearing on “gender-affirming care for minors.”
“Paula you are so brave and your voice is so important,” Ponder tweeted.
Ponder’s ESPN colleague Sage Steele co-signed Ponder’s message.
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Scanlan, who now serves as a spokesperson and adviser for the Independent Women’s Forum, suggested that university officials disregarded the concerns of the members on the team and told them that Thomas’ being on it was “non-negotiable.”
Samantha Ponder speaks at Inside the Game Q&A presented by IFA on Feb. 2, 2018 in Minneapolis. (Thaddaeus McAdams/WireImage)
“Once the season began, Thomas was leading the country in multiple events, while only placing in the top 500 in those events on the men’s team. Thomas later became an NCAA champion in the 500-yard freestyle — the first NCAA champion in our women’s team history program. While many of you already know this, what you do not know is the experience of the women on the University of Pennsylvania swim team,” Scanlan said during her opening statement.
“My teammates and I were forced to undress in the presence of Lia, a 6-foot-4 tall biological male, fully intact with male genitalia, 18 times per week. Some girls opted to change in bathroom stalls, and others used the family bathroom to avoid this. When we tried to voice our concerns to the athletic department, we were told that Lia’s swimming and being in our locker room was a non-negotiable, and we were offered psychological services to attempt to re-educate us to become comfortable with the idea of undressing in front of a male.
“To sum up the university’s response, we the women were the problem, not the victims. We were expected…
