NEWYou can now listen to PK Press Club articles!
EXCLUSIVE: Former San Jose State assistant volleyball coach Melissa Batie-Smoose has weighed in on the recent war of words between former players Brooke Slusser and Blaire Fleming.
Fleming, who is transgender, controversially claimed that Slusser was anorexic since they first met in 2023 and that she had failed her classes at SJSU. Slusser has denied Fleming’s statements, previously saying she developed an eating disorder due to the stress and anxiety related to gambling and rooming with Fleming after discovering Fleming was a biological male, and the high-profile scandal that followed.
The conflict between the two players and subsequent lawsuits filed by Slusser against the NCAA and the Mountain West Conference over the situation placed the players and the entire program under immense national scrutiny in their final season together in 2024.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PK Press Club
Trans SJSU player Blaire Fleming and teammate Brooke Slusser went to a magic show and celebrated Thanksgiving together in Las Vegas despite a pending lawsuit over Fleming’s transgender status. (Thien-An Truong/San Jose State Athletics)
Now, Batie-Smoose has given his take on the controversial claims between the two athletes.
“To my knowledge, Brooke’s mental health and academic performance were excellent during her first year and a half as a student-athlete in the program. She was engaged, consistent and doing well both personally and academically. But after sharing her experience, the surrounding pressures intensified,” Batie-Smoose told PK Press Club Digital.
“She was reprimanded on campus and on social media, which seemed to lead to a decline in her well-being and academic performance. From my perspective, this context is important and highlights how much she has carried in a short time.”
Batie-Smoose also expressed “disappointment” over Fleming’s controversial comments about Slusser.
“I’m a little surprised and disappointed by Blaire Fleming’s comments. Even if you’re frustrated or hurt by Brooke’s actions, I was hoping there would be a little more empathy, especially from someone who has been the subject of personal attacks and understands how difficult these things can be. Personal struggles should give us a deeper understanding and more empathy for what others may be going through, not less,” Batie-Smoose added.
“Struggles with food, mental health, or academic pressure are serious issues that deserve compassion, not dismissal. Regardless of the personal dynamic, speaking harshly about someone who is clearly going through a difficult time is not something we want to encourage or normalize. Brooke’s issues with food and her grades are not excuses, but rather a sign of someone who has been through a lot.”
PK Press Club Digital was unable to reach Fleming for comment because Fleming’s Instagram account has been deactivated in recent days.
LAW FIRM THAT WORKED TO KEEP SJSU’S TRANS PLAYER ELIGIBLE ALSO CLEARED ATHLETE OF CONSPIRACY TO HARM A TEAMMATE
Slusser initially told PK Press Club Digital on Nov. 30 — the one-year anniversary of his last match with Fleming — about the impact the situation had on his body and academics.
“Because of the stress and anxiety I had every day, I just wasn’t eating at all,” Slusser said. “I went from about 160 to 128 [lbs] during this semester. It’s definitely not healthy for someone my size to be that weight, and I ended up losing my menstrual cycle for nine months. So it was definitely serious.”
The 5-foot-11 Slusser added that people at home started to notice him.
“When I came home, some of my friends and family were very worried about me,” she added. “Some of my friends were like, ‘You always looked tired all the time. You still look dead…” I was able to go home for three days that fall semester of my senior year, and a friend told me later that when I saw her, she went home and cried to her mother, because she was so worried about me, just because she could see that I looked so skinny.
Her father, Paul Slusser, then insisted that she return from San Jose to Texas after the 2024 season and fall semester ended. The family said she then attempted to complete her final semester and degree online, but then dropped out of classes to focus on physical and mental rehabilitation. Slusser and her family say she has recovered from her anorexia and is working to finish her education. She aspires to start her own dietetics business.
The family is still finishing their studies.
Fleming responded to Slusser’s situation, making his disputed statements to PK Press Club Digital on December 7.
“She is anorexic and has had difficulty eating for as long as I have known her.[,] that is, since 2023. She literally weighed herself 2-3 times a day and tracked it on her whiteboard in her room…. So I really don’t care and I feel bad for her. And she didn’t drop out of class[,] she failed[,] I hope this helps!” Fleming said.
(Left) Brooke Slusser (10) of the San Jose State Spartans serves the ball during the first set against the Air Force Falcons at Falcon Court at East Gym in Colorado Springs, Colorado on October 19, 2024. (Right) Blaire Fleming #3 of the San Jose State Spartans looks on during the third set against the Air Force Falcons at Falcon Court at East Gym on October 19, 2024 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. (Andrew Wevers/Getty Images; Andrew Wevers/Getty Images)
Slusser immediately responded, calling Fleming’s statement “simply false.”
“These statements are simply false. I have always led a very healthy lifestyle. Before these events took place[,] I was very disciplined about fueling myself for athletics and [kept] follow to make sure I was where I needed to be[,] be the best athlete. It wasn’t until all this craziness started that my healthy lifestyle became very unhealthy and I wasn’t eating the amount I should,” Slusser said.
“As for school[,] I have decided to stay home after fall 2024 to improve and heal. So no[,] I did not return to San Jose to enroll in more courses at an institution that did not meet my interests.”
Slusser alleged in his lawsuits against the NCAA and the Mountain West Conference that he was never told Fleming’s birth sex and that the two regularly shared hotel rooms during trips. Slusser also said in the lawsuits that Fleming admitted to being transgender during a conversation over ice cream in April 2024.
Slusser then joined Riley Gaines’ lawsuit against the NCAA in September 2024. What followed was a series of forfeits from opposing teams. Each package attracted increasing attention during an election season media cycle, placing SJSU volleyball players and their opponents in the political spotlight.
President Donald Trump even addressed the scandal during his election campaign in October of that year, during an all-female town hall event on PK Press Club Channel.
Police protection was regularly provided to the team.
Slusser alleged in her Mountain West lawsuit, filed in November, that she was informed by teammates of an alleged conversation Fleming had with an opposing player, discussing a plan to have Slusser get poked in the face during a game.
Batie-Smoose reported these same allegations in a Title IX complaint against the school, and was subsequently suspended and her contract was not renewed in January. Batie-Smoose has since filed his own lawsuit against SJSU over his termination.
Mountain West commissioned an independent investigation into the allegations against Fleming and determined that sufficient evidence could not be found to impose disciplinary action.
PK Press Club Digital has widely reported on the conditions of this investigation and its progress, sparking critical responses from the White House, the US Department of Justice and members of Congress.
EX-SJSU STAR BROOKE SLUSSER MAKES NEW ALLEGATIONS ABOUT INVESTIGATION INTO TRANS TEAMMATE’S ALLEGED PLOT TO MOTHER HIM
In the final weeks of the 2024 regular season, Slusser and 10 other plaintiffs in his lawsuit against Mountain West filed a request for a preliminary injunction to have Fleming declared ineligible to continue playing and for the forfeits to SJSU to be vacated. Federal Judge Kato Crews, appointed by former President Joe Biden, denied the request, keeping Slusser and Fleming together on the field for practices and games.
Slusser and Fleming were ultimately named to the Mountain West all-conference team, as SJSU’s only honorees.
They finished the season with a 14-7 record, aided by six conference forfeits, then advanced to the Mountain West championship game after Boise State forfeited in the divisional round.
But they lost in the title match to Colorado State, three sets to one. This defeat allowed the Spartans to avoid bringing their scandal into the NCAA tournament.
Slusser left campus shortly afterward at his parents’ insistence. According to the New York Times, Fleming also resumed classes remotely the following semester from Virginia.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PK Press Club APP
Slusser said she was close to returning to play NCAA beach volleyball last spring and even had discussions with coaches from other schools about recruiting. But she ultimately decided against it and moved to North Carolina, where she coached youth volleyball.
The U.S. Department of Education is currently investigating the university for potential Title IX violations related to its handling of Fleming.
