SJSU president responds to federal investigation into university's transgender volleyball player scandal

San José State University President Cynthia Teniente-Matson has addressed an investigation into the assemblage by the U.S. Department of Education implicit its handling of a transgender volleyball player. 

SJSU volition beryllium investigated for imaginable Title IX violations implicit its handling of transgender jock Blaire Fleming, the DOE told Fox News Digital earlier Thursday.

Teniente-Matson provided a connection to Fox News Digital saying the assemblage is prepared to cooperate successful the investigation. 

"San José State University is committed to ensuring that each of our students, including our student-athletes, are treated fairly, escaped from discrimination, and afforded the rights and protections granted nether national and authorities law, including privateness rights. 

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"We travel policies and regulations acceptable distant by the California State University strategy and applicable law, and we admit that, astatine times, these laws and policies whitethorn intersect successful analyzable ways. In navigating these frameworks, our absorption remains connected upholding our responsibilities portion supporting our students.

"Recently, we were notified that the U.S. Department of Education has initiated a directed probe related to Title IX successful airy of President Trump’s enforcement bid with respect to athletics participation. As with immoderate national inquiry, we volition afloat prosecute with the process, travel established procedures and stay transparent successful our compliance with each applicable laws.

"While we adhere to ineligible and regulatory requirements, San José State volition proceed to enactment wrong our authorization to uphold the values that specify america arsenic an institution. Our absorption remains connected our values, including fostering an situation that cultivates compassion, wherever each pupil has the accidental to thrive. We stay steadfast successful our relation arsenic a spot of learning, respect and accidental for all."

WHO IS BLAIRE FLEMING? SJSU VOLLEYBALL PLAYER DOMINATING FEMALE RIVALS AND ENRAGING WOMEN'S RIGHTS GROUPS

Fleming played 3 seasons connected the women's team, from 2022-24, arsenic 1 of the Mountain West's apical hitters, starring the squad successful kills. However, SJSU administrators allegedly withheld the information astir Fleming's commencement enactment from different pistillate players connected the team, according to a lawsuit filed by 11 Mountain West volleyball players and a erstwhile SJSU adjunct coach. 

Former Spartans co-captain Brooke Slusser leads that suit and alleges San José State administrators and volleyball manager Todd Kress actively prevented her from knowing Fleming's commencement enactment portion assigning her to stock bedrooms with the transgender jock connected astir roadworthy trips during their archetypal play unneurotic successful 2023. 

The contention involving Fleming prompted 5 of SJSU's opponents successful 2024 to forfeit a full of 8 matches. The last forfeit was a Mountain West Tournament semifinal against Boise State, which had already forfeited doubly to the Spartans successful the regular season. 

That forfeit sent Fleming, Slusser and SJSU to the league final, wherever they mislaid to Colorado State. The plaintiffs successful Slusser's suit filed for an exigency injunction successful November anterior to the tourney successful an effort to person Fleming removed from contention and each losses by forfeit wiped from their opponents' records. However, national Judge Kato Crews, who was appointed by President Joe Biden successful January 2024, ruled Fleming could play. 

The concern became truthful volatile the squad needed regular police protection for its location and distant matches. Slusser antecedently told Fox News Digital the acquisition was "traumatizing."

"This play has been truthful traumatizing that I don't adjacent person a proudest moment," Slusser said. 

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Former San José State University adjunct volleyball manager Melissa Batie-Smoose, who was fto spell from the program, was suspended from the programme Nov. 2 aft she filed a Title IX ailment against the assemblage regarding its alleged handling of the concern involving Fleming. The ailment included allegations that Fleming had conspired with an hostile to person erstwhile SJSU co-captain Brooke Slusser deed successful the look during a lucifer successful October. 

Batie-Smoose's ailment alleges Fleming provided a scouting study to an hostile to guarantee a Colorado State competitory vantage and allegedly established a program to acceptable up an hostile with a wide lane to spike Slusser successful the look during a match.

Slusser was ne'er spiked successful the look during that match, but Colorado State did triumph successful consecutive sets. 

A Mountain West probe into Batie-Smoose's allegations did not find capable grounds to subject immoderate subordinate named successful the allegations.

Slusser's attorney, Bill Bock, aboriginal provided a connection to Fox News Digital insisting that the probe had been "infected with bias." 

SJSU transgender subordinate Blaire Fleming, left, and teammate Brooke Slusser went to a magic amusement and had Thanksgiving unneurotic successful Las Vegas contempt an ongoing suit implicit Fleming being transgender. (Thien-An Truong/San Jose State Athletics)

"Because the MWC’s probe was inadequate, and thing but thorough, and due to the fact that the MWC’s close-out missive is riddled with errors, the undersigned is issuing this rebuttal and demands that the MWC instantly and publically release: (1) the investigative study prepared by its investigator(s), and (2) each documents connected to the MWC’s claimed ‘thorough investigation’ and upon which the MWC’s determination not to proceed further was based," Bock's connection said.

Nearly each 1 of the players connected SJSU's 2024 squad that has remaining NCAA eligibility has entered the NCAA transportation portal, Fox News Digital previously reported. 

President Donald Trump signed an enforcement bid Wednesday to forestall transgender athletes from competing successful women's and girls sports. The NCAA announced Thursday it is amending its sex eligibility argumentation to autumn successful enactment with Trump's enforcement order. 

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