Former Minnesota Vikings captain Jack Brewer witnessed a clash of cultures in his state this past weekend.
Ahead of Sunday’s WNBA game between the Minnesota Lynx and Indiana Fever, the third organized rally in support of Sophie Cunningham’s support for protecting women’s sports pitted women’s rights activists against pro-trans counter-protesters outside the Target Center.
Inside the arena, Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve was seen wearing a shirt that read “trans kids belong.”
CHERYL REEVE SENDS CLEAR MESSAGE TO SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM WITH ‘TRANS KIDS BELONG’ SHIRT DURING FEVER-LYNX GAME
Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve reacts to play against the Indiana Fever in the first quarter at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn., on Aug. 2, 2026. (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
Brewer disagreed with Reeve’s shirt.
“The Lynx have a rich history in that state. That team was established the year I got to Minnesota, and I remember watching them. To now see a coach representing that team in this way is sad. It is sad to think that young girls in Minnesota are coming to games and watching teams promote something like that. It is ridiculous to think that a grown woman would go so hard in support of men playing against women and entering women’s locker rooms,” Brewer said in a statement provided to Digital.
“This coach is promoting the idea that children who should be receiving psychiatric treatment… should instead be affirmed. It is disgusting and sad. These people are sick and need help. We should be praying for them and finding treatment for them. Instead, people like this coach in Minnesota are promoting these types of atrocities. It is a terrible thing.”
Brewer added that the visual was personal to him as a father, and someone with ties to Minnesota. Brewer began his career with the Vikings in 2002 after playing football at the University of Minnesota from 1998-2001.
“As a father and someone whose family is deeply connected to Minnesota sports, I have an eight-year-old daughter who plays highly competitive tennis and competitive soccer. She also plays and trains in Minnesota. We go to Minnesota during the summers. Her cousins, grandparents, aunts and uncles are there. My nieces and nephews are there. I went to school in Minnesota, my family lives there, and my cousins coach various sports there. I am involved in sports in that state. It is embarrassing,” Brewer said.
Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve and Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham. (Getty Images)
In addition to Reeve, three other WNBA coaches have come under scrutiny for their responses to questions about women’s sports in the last week alone.
Golden State Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase, Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White and Portland Fire coach Alex Sarama all declined to back protecting women’s sports at pre-game press conference this past weekend.
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Meanwhile, Seattle Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton was suspended and fined after allegedly berating two young Cunningham fans who were sitting courtside for celebrating Cunningham’s stance on women’s sports.
Brewer sent a message to the WNBA’s other leaders with advice on how to proceed.
“My advice to other coaches, owners and teams is to speak the truth. Every coach who loves God, loves this country and wants to protect women needs to speak out against coaches who are that ignorant. You should not be able to promote something like that without being held accountable. You should be held accountable for your actions,” he said.
Brewer also criticized the league for its handling of Caitlin Clark.
“They cannot stand up for the white girl, even though the white girl sells more jerseys than the other players in the league. They cannot admit that the white girl is worth protecting. Caitlin Clark should be the face of the WNBA. She should be to the WNBA what Michael Jordan was to the NBA. Caitlin Clark is the reason people watch the WNBA.”Her image should become the logo of the WNBA because she is the reason the league has become popular. I remember watching the WNBA in its early stages,” Brewer said.
“There was hardly anybody in the crowd, and they had to let people attend for free. Now stadiums are half-full and, in some cases, nearly sold out.”It is sad that the league will not fully support its star player because she does not fit the race-and-gender ideology they want to portray through victimhood. She is not a victim, so she does not fit their victimhood mentality. That is why she gets no love from the teams of the WNBA. It is terrible.”
Brewer is backing Clark and Cunningham, and hopes the rest of the WNBA and its fans can rally behind them.
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“Caitlin Clark’s impact on the WNBA cannot be denied. Caitlin Clark is the Jerry West of the WNBA. They need to make her the logo and emblem of the league, whether they want to agree with it or not. She has defined the game. There will be greater players than Caitlin Clark, just as there have been greater players than Jerry West. But Caitlin Clark, like Jerry West, made the sport popular at this particular time and juncture,” he said.
“They need to give this girl her flowers while she is doing it.”That is also why Sophie Cunningham is so popular. She is standing up for herself and standing up for Caitlin Clark. I love her for that, and I have her back. I do not care what Black girls, Black men or anyone else has to say. I am a Sophie Cunningham fan. I do not agree with everything about her, and I think she can be too provocative and show her body too much, but I still pray for her. I like that she stands up for herself, and I like that she has Caitlin Clark’s back, because so do I.”
