A third women’s college volleyball team lost a match against San Jose State amid a controversy over transgender player Blaire Fleming.
Fleming, a redshirt junior in his third season on San Jose State’s roster, is at the center of a class-action lawsuit filed against the NCAA after it was revealed that he is a biological male.
More than a dozen athletes, including one of the player’s current teammates, accuse the NCAA of knowingly violating a law prohibiting discrimination based on sex by allowing a transgender player to compete in women’s sports.
Amid the uproar over Fleming, Southern Utah and Boise State declined to play San Jose State last month, although without giving a specific reason why.
And now the University of Wyoming has followed suit and abandoned its proposed game with the school on Saturday, again without providing a reason for doing so.
San Jose State has reportedly been fielding a transgender player in Blaire Fleming (pictured)
A third women’s varsity volleyball team lost a match against Fleming’s San Jose State
Fleming, who plays outside hitter and right, has enjoyed two seasons with San Jose State after previously playing at Coastal Carolina. The 6-foot-1 volleyball star has helped the team to a 10-0 record so far this year.
San Jose State responded to the controversy over its player in a statement to OutKick on Tuesday, saying: “It is disappointing that our SJSU student-athletes, who are in full compliance with NCAA and Mountain West rules and regulations, were deny opportunities to compete. .
“We are committed to supporting our student-athletes through these challenges and in their ability to compete in an inclusive, fair, safe and respectful environment.”
The Mountain West Conference has been notified by the Independent Council for Women’s Sports (ICONS) of athlete safety concerns regarding Fleming.
Outkick has released portions of ICONS’ letter to the Mountain West Conference.
“Over the past few weeks, we have spoken with distraught student-athletes and their parents, coaches and administrators throughout the Mountain West Conference (MWC) about a crisis in MWC women’s volleyball,” the letter to the conference said.
Three schools, including Boise State, have lost women’s volleyball matches against them.
One of Fleming’s teammates and former roommates, Brooke Slusser, has said that the player previously admitted to being biologically male, according to pass.
Slusser, who joined the lawsuit filed against the NCAA, says she became concerned for her safety after discovering one of her teammates was transgender, something she says she didn’t know despite sharing rooms on trips. of the team.
The San Jose State co-captain also expressed concern about Fleming competing against female players on the court.
“Brooke estimates that Fleming’s spikes were traveling at more than 80 miles per hour, which was faster than he had ever seen a woman hit a volleyball,” Slusser’s complaint said.
“The girls were doing their best to dodge Fleming’s spikes, but they still couldn’t fully protect themselves.”
Riley Gaines, a critic of trans athletes in women’s sports who has connections to both ICONS and Outkick, issued her own statement to the Fox-owned website after Boise State declined to play San Jose State last month.
One of Fleming’s teammates, Brooke Slusser, says they admitted to being biologically male.
“I congratulate the Boise State athletic department and everyone involved in the decision to forfeit their game against undefeated San Jose State,” Gaines wrote.
‘Some principles transcend victory on the court, and the safety and well-being of athletes is one of them.
‘It is encouraging to see how a growing number of institutions prioritize fairness and athlete safety over forced inclusion.
“I hope to see more universities follow the lead of Boise State and Southern Utah, standing up for what is right and protecting the integrity of women’s sports.”