Volleyball players enter transfer portal after trans teammate controversy: 'Title IX is in danger right now'
Independent Women's Forum ambassador Sia Li'ili'i discusses San Jose State University volleyball players entering the transfer portal amid a transgender athlete controversy and the need for protections for biological women.
San Jose State University has acknowledged a recent mass exodus of volleyball players who entered the transfer portal after a controversy-riddled season involving a trans athlete on the team.
The university provided a statement to Fox News Digital in which it expressed "respect" for the recent wave of players who have opted to transfer. "Student athletes have the ability to make decisions about their college athletic careers, and we have the utmost respect for that," the statement read.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported that seven of the team's players have entered the transfer portal.
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In an article detailing the San Jose State University Spartans' transgender athlete scandal, the New York Times referred to the biological female athletes on the team as "non-transgender women." (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
The seven players who are transferring will be leaving the team after a season that included eight forfeited matches, regular police protection, national scrutiny and internal turmoil between players and coaches. One player even received threats of physical harm amid the controversy.
Head coach Todd Kress even spoke about how the 2024 season was one of the "most difficult" of his life after the team's loss in the conference final to Colorado State, in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.
"This has been one of the most difficult seasons I’ve ever experienced, and I know this is true as well for many of our players and the staff who have been supporting us all along. Maintaining our focus on the court and ensuring the overall safety and well-being of my players amid the external noise have been my priorities," Kress said.
The transgender player, Blaire Fleming, is out of eligibility after completing a fourth collegiate season in 2024. The team's season ended in the Mountain West Conference championship game after it advanced to the title game by virtue of a forfeit from Boise State in the semifinal round. Boise State previously forfeited two regular season games to San Jose State amid the controversy involving Fleming, accounting for three of its seven conference wins via forfeit this year.
A loss to Colorado State in the conference final ended the season and prevented the controversy from slipping into the NCAA tournament. The loss effectively ended Fleming's collegiate career.
In September, co-captain Brooke Slusser joined a lawsuit against the NCAA alleging the program withheld knowledge about Fleming's birth gender from her and other players on the team. Slusser alleged she was made to share changing and sleeping spaces with Fleming without knowing that Fleming was a biological male.
Slusser, along with several other players in the Mountain West, filed a separate lawsuit against the conference and San Jose State in November over Fleming's presence. That lawsuit included testimony from former San Jose State volleyball players Alyssa Sugai and Elle Patterson alleging they were passed over for scholarships in favor of Fleming.
That lawsuit also alleges that San Jose State players spoke up about an alleged scheme by Fleming to have Slusser spiked in the face with a volleyball in a game against Colorado State on Oct. 3. Slusser was not spiked in the face in that game, and an investigation by the Mountain West concluded without finding sufficient evidence of the alleged plot.
Assistant coach Melissa Batie-Smoose was suspended by the program in early November after she filed a Title IX complaint against the university for showing favoritism toward Fleming over the other players, especially Slusser. Batie-Smoose's complaint also included allegations of Fleming's plot to have Slusser spiked in the face.
Slusser previously told Fox News Digital that Batie-Smoose's dismissal severely impacted the morale of the team.
"After we found out that she was released, a lot of the team just kind of broke down and was kind of freaking out, and even one of my teammates was like, ‘I don’t feel safe anymore,' because there's no one now that we feel like we can go and talk to about our concerns or our actual feelings and can actually speak freely in front of," Slusser said.
Slusser added that she and other players lost trust in the coaches, including head coach Kress.
"You can't truly voice how you're feeling without them just trying to cover it up or act like it's all OK. With Melissa, you could voice how you felt, and she could comfort you and validate your feelings and at least make you feel heard compared to the other coaches," Slusser said.
Kress also blamed the team that forfeited for igniting backlash against his team, as each forfeit brought about more controversy and media attention.
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San Jose State Spartans players look on prior to the game against the Air Force Falcons at Falcon Court at East Gym on Oct. 19, 2024 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. (Andrew Wevers/Getty Images)
"Sadly, others who for years have played this same team without incident chose not to play us this season. To be clear, we did not celebrate a single win by forfeiture. Instead, we braced for the fallout. Each forfeiture announcement unleashed appalling, hateful messages individuals chose to send directly to our student-athletes, our coaching staff and many associated with our program."
However, these issues did not stop the players from at least having some fun on what was their final road trip as San Jose State Spartans for most of them.
Slusser previously told Fox News Digital that the team went out to a magic show together when they traveled to Las Vegas for the Mountain West tournament, and even had a team Thanksgiving meal together at the team hotel with takeout from a local diner with many of their families.
However, that was not enough to keep the seven players who have entered the transfer portal attached to the program, as the team will be facing a major roster turnover as it looks to rebound on the court and in its reputation in 2025.
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