Two weeks ago, the co-captain of San Jose State’s women’s volleyball team joined a federal lawsuit challenging the NCAA’s participation policy for transgender athletes.
Brooke Slusser called for the disqualification of a volleyball teammate who was reportedly born male but now identifies as a transgender woman. Slusser argued in the legal filing that the player hits the ball with such force that it gives San Jose State “an unfair advantage” and poses a safety risk to other players during practices and games.
Those comments from Slusser dumped gasoline on an already smoldering controversy. Activists have attacked San Jose State, conservative politicians have intervened and now three fellow Mountain West schools have forfeited games against the Spartans rather than go to trial against a player they believe is transgender.
On the eve of the September 28 game at San Jose State, Boise State revealed it would not play and accept a forfeit loss. Wyoming and Utah State this week forfeited games against the Spartans later this month. In each case, the schools chose not to explain why they weren’t playing. In both cases, the announcements were followed by a social media post from a governor applauding the decision.
“It is essential that we hold space for women to compete fairly and safely,” Utah Governor Spencer J. Cox said after the state of Utah’s announcement Wednesday evening. “Our female athletes continue to grapple with this difficult issue because the NCAA has failed in its responsibility to protect female athletes and women’s sports. It’s time for the NCAA to take this seriously.”
In response to the forfeit, San Jose State released a statement saying, “It is disappointing that our SJSU student-athletes, who are in full compliance with NCAA and Mountain West rules and regulations, are being denied the opportunity to compete.” The Spartans entered the week with a perfect 9-0 record before suffering their first loss of the season Thursday night at Colorado State with reporters from a half-dozen local and national media outlets.
Before the game, San Jose State coach Todd Kress approached Colorado State’s Emily Kohan and said, “Should I thank you for playing us?” Kress told reporters in Colorado Springs later that night that he was “seriously serious” because the forfeits hurt not only San Jose State players, but also opposing players “who have earned the right to step on the court and play.” to play.’
“We’re in a position where it seems like government and politics have kind of intertwined with college sports,” Kress said, adding that he prefers college sports to be a “safe haven” from government intervention.
Yahoo Sports has chosen not to name San Jose State’s alleged transgender player because she has not publicly discussed her gender identity. San Jose State does not address the gender identity of any student, citing federal privacy laws.
The alleged transgender player’s presence was unreported and was never an issue for San Jose State’s women’s volleyball opponents prior to this season. The 6-foot-1 former Coastal Carolina transfer played in 27 games for the Spartans during the 2022 and 17 seasons while battling injuries last season. She never made an all-conference team before this season, nor was she among the Mountain West leaders in kills or kill rates.
San Jose State finished 13-18 last season and won just four Mountain West games. On November 9, 2023, Utah State defeated San Jose State with the player in question in the Spartans’ starting lineup. Two days later, Boise State did the same.
It wasn’t just opponents who didn’t suspect San Jose State had a transgender player last year. Neither did some of her teammates.
Slusser transferred from Alabama to San Jose State in the fall of 2023 and was assigned a dorm room with the alleged transgender player and other teammates. According to the legal complaint, the two were often roommates on road trips during the 2023-2024 season.
Last April, Reduxx published a story claiming that a San Jose State women’s volleyball player was transgender and had withheld her biological gender from her teammates and opponents. The conservative news outlet said it began reporting the story after receiving a tip from an opponent’s mother.
The day the story broke, the San Jose State player revealed to Slusser over lunch that she was transgender, the lawsuit said. San Jose State officials also held a meeting with the women’s volleyball team and urged players not to speak publicly about a teammate’s gender identity and to let that player tell her own story.
The lawsuit alleges that San Jose State did not inform any of its incoming women’s volleyball recruits that it allegedly had a transgender athlete on the team, even though this was now a known fact to the athletic department and virtually everyone else at SJSU. Slusser also claimed that the transgender player’s spikes in practice were “faster than she had ever seen a woman hit a volleyball.”
“Many of the girls on the team talked to Brooke about their fear of being hit by passed balls [the player]” the lawsuit reads.
Under pressure to appease activists on both sides of the issue, the NCAA has updated its participation policies for transgender athletes over the past three years to align with the Olympic movement. Transgender athletes must undergo testosterone testing and meet sport-specific levels to compete in NCAA women’s sports.
These adjustments come at a time when transgender rhetoric has escalated. In July, Elon Musk railed against the “woke virus” that “killed” his transgender daughter, who he said transitioned during the pandemic. Former President Donald Trump has spoken of “transgender madness” and raised fears that educators are “grooming” or “indoctrinating” children into becoming gay or transgender during the school day.
San Jose State women’s volleyball drew criticism back in early September when it defeated Iowa for a rare victory over a Big Ten foe. The controversy has escalated since Slusser joined the lawsuit against the NCAA and local and national media outlets have emerged.
To date, no other Mountain West opponents have forfeited. Upcoming opponent San Diego State says it plans to meet the Spartans next Thursday in San Jose.
“We are ready to play and are committed to supporting our student-athletes,” San Diego State said in a statement.
When asked if he expects more cancellations, Kress said he won’t speculate. He described this San Jose State team as one of his favorites he has ever coached.
“We have disagreements, right?” he said. “I mean, we have disagreements in our locker room, in our team meetings, things like that, but we still love each other when we go on the field, and we respect each other, we respect our differences. I’m not sure teams I’ve coached in the past would be able to handle the outside pressure we’ve faced, but we’ve done incredibly well.”
