The San Jose State women’s volleyball coach admits it’s been “very difficult” lately to lead the team amid the controversy surrounding transgender player Blaire Fleming.
Multiple opponents have refused to play San Jose State in recent months after it was revealed that Fleming, who is in his third season on the team’s roster, was a biological male.
The redshirt senior is at the center of a class-action lawsuit filed against the NCAA, which is being accused by more than a dozen athletes of knowingly violating a law prohibiting discrimination based on sex by allowing a transgender player to compete in women’s sports. .
And as the feud continues, Fleming, who has yet to publicly come out as trans, sparked more controversy on Thursday by launching a vicious spike into an opponent’s face.
After that game against San Diego State, San Jose State coach Todd Kress expressed frustration with the “outside noise” regarding Fleming, which has made it difficult for him to focus on volleyball lately.
The coach of controversial volleyball player Blaire Fleming (pictured) spoke out
Fleming, who plays for San Jose State, was revealed to be transgender earlier this year.
“Frankly, it’s been very difficult lately to focus on what we can do on the court,” Kress said. ‘There have been outside forces that have tried to divide our team, our university, our conference and our sport.
“I know it’s been weighing on the players in our locker room who have worked hard for years.”
Kress also spoke about the hate mail he and his team have been receiving amid the outrage over Fleming’s gender.
“Some of this, to be honest, is disgusting,” he fumed. “I’m more concerned about our student-athletes and what they receive and how that affects their mental health.”
“We have an incredible group of young women who are trying to put the controversy aside,” Kress added. “I just have faith that eventually we will be able to let go of the outside noise and we will be able to play for each other and find love for each other again.”
Fleming’s attack on an opponent took place on the SJSU campus with the San Diego State Aztecs leading the San Jose State Spartans 22-12 in the second set.
That’s when the player was set up by teammate Brooke Slusser before launching a shot into the face of San Diego State’s Keira Herron.
The redshirt senior is currently at the center of a class-action lawsuit filed against the NCAA.
Fleming sparked more controversy this week by sending a spike into an opponent’s face.
San Jose State coach Todd Kress admits it’s been “very difficult” to manage the team lately
“Keira Herron has some pink in her hair and her face is starting to look like it matches that since she obviously made the contact,” an announcer said in the video, which has since gone viral.
Surprisingly, Herron kept the play alive, though only momentarily before the point finally went to the Spartans. What’s more, he even laughed afterwards as he appeared to tell a teammate he was “fine.”
“I have to feel a little embarrassed while he’s trying to laugh at that last dance,” the announcer added.
The Independent Council for Women’s Sports (ICONS) has been instrumental in the controversy surrounding Blaire, who was outed as transgender in a September OutKick.com article.
Fleming was cleared by San Jose State to play on the SJSU women’s volleyball team for three seasons and will join in 2022.
ICONS has notified the Mountain West Conference of athlete safety concerns regarding Fleming, who was named in a federal lawsuit filed by the organization. Slusser, the SJSU player who prepared Fleming for the aforementioned peak, has since joined that lawsuit.
Fleming has been cleared by San Jose State to play women’s volleyball for three seasons
A motion obtained by DailyMail.com states that Slusser expressed concerns about safety to school officials. Additionally, Slusser says the school told him to refrain from talking about his teammates’ gender identity.
Until now, San Jose State has refused to address the gender identity of any of its players.
“We are operating our program under the regulations of both the NCAA and the Mountain West Conference,” read a statement provided to DailyMail.com last month. ‘Our student-athletes are in full compliance with NCAA rules and regulations.
