San Jose State’s women’s volleyball coach admits it has been ‘very tough’ to manage the team of late amid controversy surrounding transgender player Blaire Fleming.
Multiple opponents have refused to play against San Jose State in recent months after Fleming, who is in their third season on the team’s roster, was revealed to be 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 female athletes of knowingly violating a law that prohibits sex-based discrimination by allowing a transgender player to compete in women’s sports.
And as the dispute rages on, Fleming – who is yet to publicly come out as trans – sparked further contention on Thursday by sending a ferocious spike off an opponent’s face.
After that game against San Diego State, San Jose State coach Todd Kress expressed his frustration with the ‘outside noise’ regarding Fleming, which has made it difficult to focus on volleyball of late.
The coach of controversial women’s volleyball player Blaire Fleming (pictured) has spoken out
Fleming, who plays for San Jose State, was revealed to be transgender earlier this year
‘Concentrating on what we can do on the court has, quite frankly, been very tough lately,’ Kress said. ‘There have been outside forces who have sought 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 put in years of hard work.’
Kress also opened up on the hate mail he and his team have been receiving amid the outrage over Fleming’s gender.
‘Some of it, to be honest, is disgusting,’ he fumed. ‘I’m more worried about our student-athletes and what they receive and how that’s impacting 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 we’ll eventually be able to put the outside noise aside and be able to play for each other and find love for one another again.’
Fleming’s spike 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.
It was then that the player was set up by teammate Brooke Slusser before rocketing a spike off 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 further controversy this week be sending a spike off an opponent’s face
San Jose State coach Todd Kress admits it has been ‘very tough’ to manage the team of late
‘Keira Herron has some pink in her hair and her face is starting to look like she’s matching that as obviously she took the contact,’ one announcer said in the video, which has since gone viral.
Remarkably, Herron kept the play alive, albeit only momentarily before the point ultimately went to the Spartans. And what’s more, she was even laughing afterwards while appearing to tell a teammate that she was ‘fine.’
‘Gotta feel a little embarrassed as she tries to laugh off that last ball,’ the announcer added.
The Independent Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS) has been central to the controversy surrounding Blaire, who was outed as transgender in a September article by OutKick.com.
Fleming has been cleared by San Jose State to play for the SJSU women’s volleyball team for three seasons, joining in 2022.
The Mountain West Conference has been notified by ICONS about athletes’ safety concerns regarding Fleming, who was named in a federal lawsuit filed by the organization. Slusser, the SJSU player who set Fleming up for the aforementioned spike, has since joined that lawsuit.
Fleming has been cleared by San Jose State to play women’s volleyball for three seasons
One motion obtained by DailyMail.com claims that Slusser voiced concerns about safety to school officials. Furthermore, Slusser says she was told by the school to refrain from speaking about the gender identity of teammates.
San Jose State has thus far declined 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.
