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EXCLUSIVE: The White House provided an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital after former San Jose State volleyball player Brooke Slusser came forward with allegations related to her final college volleyball season in 2024 — a season that involved a transgender teammate being investigated for allegedly conspiring to have Slusser harmed during a game.
“Women deserve to play sports without fear of being violated and harassed by biological men. President Trump is returning integrity to women’s sports by ending the deranged left’s policies that demean and endanger women,” White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers told Fox News Digital.
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Former SJSU volleyball captain Brooke Slusser with her parents Paul and Kim Slusser, with Tim Heaphy and Blaire Fleming. (Getty Images/Courtesy of Kim Slusser)
The statement came after an inquiry into a response to Fox News Digital’s reporting on a Mountain West Conference investigation into allegations that former SJSU trans athlete Blaire Fleming conspired with a Colorado State player to have Slusser spiked in the face during an Oct. 3 match.
President Donald Trump’s Department of Education opened a federal Title IX investigation into San Jose State in February over the situation involving Fleming and the university’s handling of the trans athlete.
Slusser issued a response to the White House statement.
“I love the steps the White House has taken to eliminate men in women’s sports, but as of now, there is so much change that still needs to be made. We have seen baby steps in the right direction, but we still have girls out there having to deal with men on their teams and in their locker rooms,” Slusser said.
“I feel this needs to be a massive priority so we can stop this madness sooner rather than later. Girls are still suffering every day until we can put a complete stop to these people’s false reality and put them where they belong, which is with men’s sports.”
XX-XY Athletics founder Jennifer Sey, center, with women’s activist athletes Riley Gaines, Paula Scanlan, Brooke Slusser, right, and Kaitlynn Wheeler, left. (Courtesy of XX-XY Athletics)
Slusser previously alleged in a lawsuit, signed by 10 other current or former women’s college volleyball players against the Mountain West and representatives of SJSU, that Fleming and other teammates snuck out of the team hotel the night before an Oct. 3 game against Colorado State and met with an opposing player.
The lawsuit alleged a teammate who snuck out with Fleming later told players and coaches of an alleged plan by Fleming, in a conspiracy with the Colorado State player, to have Slusser spiked in the face during a match.
The lawsuit and complaint alleged the players who snuck out told other players and coaches they saw Fleming also hand over an SJSU scouting report with an agreement to throw the match in Colorado State’s favor.
In November, the Mountain West Conference launched an investigation into the allegations but concluded “sufficient evidence” could not be found.
Slusser now claims she had a conversation with a teammate who was interviewed as part of the conference’s investigation into Fleming’s alleged plan. Fox News Digital is not disclosing the identity of the teammate.
“Based on what I was told, exactly what one of my teammates had seen go on that night — about talking about the scouting report and leaving the net open — was told to those lawyers. So, that should have been sufficient evidence [of the alleged plan by Fleming],” Slusser told Fox News Digital, adding she wants to see the investigation reopened.
“People are telling you this happened, and it’s not second-hand information. She sat there and heard the conversation between Blaire and [former Colorado State volleyball player] Malaya [Jones]. So, to me, just from what I know without even having to dig deep into this investigation, there is sufficient evidence, and they were told sufficient evidence.”
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Fox News Digital cannot independently verify that Slusser’s teammate corroborated the allegations against Fleming when speaking to investigators.
Slusser has alleged university officials hid knowledge of Fleming’s birth sex from her while allegedly frequently pairing the two in the same bedroom on overnight trips.
“I’m openly changing in front of this person, thinking that it’s a woman, and … I could have had the chance to take myself out of that situation and at least go to a different room and request to be switched to another room and didn’t,” she said. “So, I got that opportunity of my choice to be taken away from me.”
Slusser said after she joined Riley Gaines’ lawsuit against the NCAA in September, citing her experience with Fleming, interactions with trans athletes quickly turned hostile.
“After I joined the lawsuit, Blaire did not like me whatsoever. There was a time where Blaire said, ‘I never want to speak to you again.’ And I said, ‘OK, that’s fine,'” Slusser said. “I just knew there was hatred toward me from Blaire.”
Fox News Digital interviewed San Jose State athletic director Jeff Konya to inquire about Slusser’s claims and other details of the investigation. However, Konya stood up after just around five minutes of related questions and walked away, saying “I’m done.”
Fox News Digital played a video clip of Slusser reciting these allegations to Konya at Mountain West media days July 15.
“I have no idea if she’s telling the truth or not,” Konya said of Slusser’s claims.
Konya could not confirm or deny whether any of the witnesses interviewed corroborated the allegations against Fleming.
When asked if he was satisfied with how the university handled the controversy involving Fleming in 2024, Konya said, “I think everybody acted in the best possible way they could, given the circumstances.”
Slusser made an attempt to return to play one season of beach volleyball in the NCAA, which she had a year of eligibility for, entering the transfer portal this past spring around the time of her graduation from SJSU.
However, after communicating with several Division I coaches about potential offers, she pulled herself out of the transfer portal and abandoned the idea.
Slusser cited concern about her well-being and potential retaliation for her beliefs and public profile, citing her experience with SJSU, Fleming and the controversial investigation into the trans athlete’s alleged plan to harm her.
“I could have gotten there and could have had a lot of retaliation from just students or staff or the athletes even, and I didn’t know if that was something I could handle going through again,” Slusser said, adding she had no faith “at all” she would be protected in the event of retaliation.
“I was never shown that at an institution I thought I could trust … so I could really trust no one. … There was a lot of fears going through that transfer process.”
Education Secretary Linda McMahon previously told Fox News Digital that the Trump Education Department will continue working to address the SJSU investigation.
“Our investigation will continue,” McMahon said.
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Fox News Digital has reached out to the Mountain West, Willkie Farr & Gallagher, San Jose State University, Kress, Colorado State University and Jones’ current school, Southern Methodist University (SMU), for a response to all reported findings and the allegations by the Slusser family and Batie-Smoose. Jones transferred to SMU after the end of last season.
When asked if Mountain West would disclose any evidence from the investigation, particularly if any of the witnesses interviewed corroborated the allegations against Fleming, the conference declined.
“With litigation ongoing, the Mountain West will have no further comment,” a conference spokesperson said.
San Jose State has declined to respond to Slusser’s claims as well.
“Due to ongoing litigation and federal investigation, we are unable to respond to your inquiry,” a university spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
Fox News Digital has attempted to reach Fleming via social media for comment.
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