A transgender college volleyball player has been accused by her own coach of conspiring with a rival to hurt her teammate and lose a match.
San Jose State University senior Blaire Fleming planned an attack on her team co-captain Brooke Slusser for opposing her inclusion on the women’s team, according to her associate coach Melissa Batie-Smoose.
Batie-Smoose filed a Title IX complaint this week alleging that school officials have shown favoritism toward Fleming “at the expense of Fleming’s 18 female teammates,” as reported by quillette.
The complaint says Fleming met with Malaya Jones, 21, of Colorado State University, before an Oct. 3 game in Fort Collins.
Batie-Smoose alleges that the pair devised a plan to leave the center of the court open so that Jones could attack Slusser with powerful attacks or ‘kills’.
He reportedly did so after Slusser said it was unfair and unsafe to be forced to play alongside a powerfully built transgender teammate.
Batie-Smoose did not learn of the plan until a day later, but explained that he suspected something was wrong during the game, as Fleming continued to allow an unobstructed batting line for Jones to target Slusser.
Blaire Fleming, a senior at San Jose State University, allegedly planned an attack on co-captain Brooke Slusser, who has opposed her inclusion on the women’s team.
Pictured is San Jose State University women’s volleyball. Fleming is in front, far left.
“At one point,” Batie-Smoose says, “Blaire sent a lofted pass, perfectly setting up Malaya to kill the ball back to Brooke Slusser, after which Jones blew Fleming a kiss and mouthed “thank you.” “‘
Coach Melissa Batie-Smoose filed a Title IX complaint this week alleging that school officials have shown favoritism toward Fleming.
Slusser’s roommate had reportedly received a threat on social media earlier that day that read, “stay away from (B)rooke at the game tomorrow, it won’t be good for her.”
Batie-Smoose claimed that when she later asked head coach Todd Kress if anything would be done about it, he said “it’s out of my control.”
She and Slusser have said publicly that while Fleming’s athleticism has provided record victories for the Spartans, his inclusion and the official response has alienated team members who no longer enjoy the sport.
Despite concerns about the fairness of Fleming’s inclusion on the team, head coach Kress reportedly said that assistant director of student welfare Laura Alexander told him that anyone who objected to Fleming’s inclusion on the women’s team should drop out of school and “seek therapy.”
Batie-Smoose says Kress has allowed Fleming to break the dress code and scheduling rules that other teammates must follow.
Slusser has spoken publicly about how Fleming’s inclusion has affected the team.
The complaint says Fleming met with Colorado State University’s Malaya Jones, pictured, before an Oct. 3 game in Fort Collins to devise a plan to leave the center of the court open so Jones could attack Slusser with powerful spikes.
Kress also reportedly regularly tells players that “excluding trans-identified players like Fleming should be considered morally equivalent to homophobia and anti-Black racism.”
In some cases, Kress allegedly suggests that Fleming’s opponents are betraying the rights of trans people and the entire LGBTQ community.
According to the veteran coach, Kress even expelled a promising student who was competing for Fleming’s job by demanding much stricter standards. That student was on a scholarship and had to leave the program and school.
Fleming reportedly did not begin identifying as transgender to his teammates until April 2024.
However, Batie-Smoose said he suspected Fleming was not biologically female due to her immense raw physical power.
Head coach Todd Kress reportedly regularly tells players that “excluding trans-identified players like Fleming should be considered morally equivalent to homophobia and anti-Black racism.”
Assistant Director of Student Welfare Laura Alexander reportedly said that anyone who objects to Fleming’s inclusion on the women’s team should leave the school and “seek therapy.”
Fleming, who stands 6-foot-1, currently ranks third in the Mountain West in kills and second in overall points.
The coach said that “what stood out was spiking (the ball) and blocking in the front row, due to Fleming’s jumping ability and hitting power, which far exceeded that of any player in the (Mountain West) Conference.” “.
When the volleyball community started talking about Fleming, Batie-Smoose says her teammates were repeatedly told that “this was the story Blaire needed to tell” and “Blaire’s story alone.” Fleming’s critics say his supporters have tried to drown out concerns and condemnation with accusations of bigotry.
Batie-Smoose argued that SJSU administrators’ “repeated instructions not to talk about Blaire Fleming caused the team’s student-athletes to fear losing their scholarships or being cut from the team if they spoke outside of a team meeting about Fleming’s sex.” “. .’
The coach says her concern grew when she realized that Fleming’s inclusion on the team could be dangerous for other players. She was particularly concerned after Fleming fired a fatal shot into the head of a University of Delaware opponent.
“It was clear to me that (the University of Delaware player) was very athletic and skilled, but she just didn’t have a chance to protect herself from the attack,” Batie-Smoose said.
Fleming, who stands 6-foot-1, currently ranks third in the Mountain West in kills and second in overall points.
Batie-Smoose added that many of Fleming’s own teammates now walk away during practice games because they fear Fleming’s power. She said this fear response is “virtually unheard of in women’s volleyball.”
SJSU told DailyMail.com on Friday that it “takes all reports and complaints seriously and is reviewing them.”
“Due to federal and state privacy laws, the University cannot comment on active reports or complaints,” the statement added, stating that “the University is also concerned about a number of inaccuracies in (Quillette’s) article, but not can comment further on them in light of those privacy laws.
“In addition, the University has significant concerns about apparent violations of student and employee privacy and will address them, as appropriate.”
Fleming, who is in his third season on the roster, is currently at the center of a class-action lawsuit filed against the NCAA.
The sports body is being accused by more than a dozen athletes, including Slusser, of knowingly violating a law prohibiting discrimination based on sex by allowing them to compete in women’s sports.
Amid controversy over their inclusion, Southern Utah, Boise State, Wyoming, Utah State and Nevada opted to forfeit games against San Jose State.
The case went viral after a video last month showed Fleming throwing a vicious spike at an opponent’s face.