Payton McNabb, a high school volleyball player from Murphy, North Carolina, faced a traumatic brain injury after a transgender opponent knocked her out during a match in 2022.
It sparked significant debate and highlighted the incident in a documentary, “Kill Shot: How Payton McNabb Turned Tragedy Into Triumph.”
Highlights
- Payton McNabb suffered severe injuries during a Hiwassee Dam high school volleyball match in 2022.
- She was unconscious for 30 seconds, which resulted in partial paralysis, brain bleeding, and loss of peripheral vision on her right side.
- In April 2023, she testified before the North Carolina General Assembly to support the Fairness in Women’s Sports Bill.
Independent Women’s Forum created the documentary “Kill Shot: How Payton McNabb Turned Tragedy Into Triumph.”
It features Payton’s journey from the traumatic incident to her successful campaign for legislative change in North Carolina.
The new documentary features raw footage of the incident alongside interviews with the high school athlete, her family, and her sister.
IWV’s Stand With Women: Equality Is Not A Game event recognized her as an athlete who has been directly affected by and courageously opposed the male takeover of women’s sports.
Payton McNabb Suffers Brain Damage and Paralysis
Payton McNabb suffered severe injuries, including partial paralysis, brain bleeding, and loss of peripheral vision on her right side, during a Hiwassee Dam high school volleyball match in 2022.
It has impacted her studies and athletics aspirations due to continuous severe headaches and anxiety.
🚨MUST WATCH: Speaking about her experience for the first time, Payton McNabb, a North Carolina high school athlete at Hiwassee Dam High School, shared her experience competing against a biological male in volleyball on the opposing team & the injuries she suffered as a result. pic.twitter.com/IsCCrhzne3
— Independent Women's Forum (@IWF) April 20, 2023
Payton’s life was dramatically altered after a transgender opponent knocked her out with a ball. She was unconscious for 30 seconds and rushed off to the court while the match continued without her.
The full extent of her injuries was revealed weeks later. Due to memory loss and retention issues, she requires additional tutoring at Western Carolina University.
19-year-old has opened up about her experience, hoping to raise awareness and prevent similar incidents in her documentary.
Similarly, she also talked about her ongoing health struggles. Her dream of becoming a college athlete was shattered following the match with life-threatening injuries.
If my story can in any way help prevent this from happening to at least just one woman or girl, then it was all worth it.
Payton McNabb
Payton revealed the transgender athlete never apologized for the incident but sent a mocking Instagram message, “Wow I really am living rent-free in your head, aren’t I?”
For security reasons, the identity of a transgender athlete is protected.
Payton McNabb Revealed Her Concerns About Competing Against Transgender Player
Payton McNabb stated it would have been 100% avoidable if her rights as a female athlete had been more important than a man’s feelings.
She and her teammates had doubts about playing against a transgender player before the match but felt unable to voice them.
Men in women’s sports have been causing countless cases of harm to women.
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) August 1, 2024
17-year-old Payton McNabb was paralyzed after a man spiked a volleyball onto her head.
This is a crime and needs to be prosecuted.pic.twitter.com/sJNsPOC2d4
Payton never thought that she would ever be in a position to compete against a transgender athlete, and no one on her team agreed to play. However, they didn’t know what to do at that time.
Moreover, her parents expressed deep regret about the situation, as they couldn’t stop their daughter from playing a dangerous game.
Pamela and Daniel McNabb were not in the crowd; it was the first game they had ever missed their daughter.
I would never, ever let her play today if I knew what I know now.
Payton’s mother, Pamela McNabb, has expressed.
Pull your kid. Don’t play. It is not worth what has happened to her to happen to anybody else’s child.
The high school athlete testified before the North Carolina General Assembly in April 2023 to support the Fairness in Women’s Sports Bill.
She hesitated to speak publicly but was concerned for future athletes, including her younger sister, Avery McNabb.
Later, North Carolina subsequently passed a law prohibiting transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports at the middle school, high school, and collegiate levels.
Sylvia Hatchell, a former head coach of North Carolina women’s basketball, supported the law and expressed that competitive sports are among the few places in our society where sex differences matter.
However, the ban faced opposition, with over 400 athletes signing a letter urging the NCAA not to implement similar restrictions.
Additional Information
- Payton McNabb is a sophomore at Western Carolina University pursuing a marketing degree. She never had learning issues before and was always at the top of her class.
- She isn’t bothered by others because she believes everyone who fights for truth is attacked by others.
- She shared her story with the US Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee as part of investigating the threat to women’s sports.
