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EXCLUSIVE: Former Deputy Volleyball Coach of San Jose, Melissa Batie-Smose, knew she wanted to continue as soon as she discovered that she had been suspended last season.
She had just filed a complaint in title IX which contained several allegations against the school and the transgender player Blaire Fleming. The suspension struck her on the first weekend of November 2024, a few days before the presidential election. She discovered a few minutes before heating up for a home game against the state of the New Mexico.
“I come to enter the gymnasium and I was removed by an administrator and I said that I was not allowed to have contacts with my players, nor to start again on the campus. They wanted the keys, and tightened me paper and said that everything you should know was in there,” Batie-Smose in PK Press Club.
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She claims that she had personal articles on the campus that she was not allowed to return to recover, and allegedly alleged that she had never been explicitly informed of her actions for her, but simply that she had raped the Ferpa laws (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act).
Last week, she filed a complaint against the board of directors of the California State University system (CSU), because SJSU is one of the 23 schools based in California which are part of the system. Batie-Smose and her lawyer Vernadette Broyles believe that the suspension was “late” from his title in title IX against Fleming.
“We are convinced that there is one aspect of reprisals for their actions,” said Broyles.
In the complaint of title IX, Batie-Smose alleged that Fleming had plotted with an opposing player for co-captain Brooke Slusser increased in the face during a match of October 3.
The alleged incident occurred while SJSU was under the national media microscope for increasing controversy involving Fleming. Several opponents had lost games to the Spartans after the co-captain Brooke Slusser joined a trial against the NCAA citing his experience with Fleming.
Slusser allegedly alleged that the school had retained the knowledge that Fleming was a man, while coaches with Fleming in hotel rooms for trips outside to the demand for Fleming. Slusser previously told PK Press Club Digital that coaches had consulted Fleming only on favorite roommates, but none of the players, and that Fleming has frequently chosen Slusser.
Batie-SMOOSE corroborated this at PK Press Club Digital.
“Balary wanted to be a room with Brooke Slusser, and it was balant felt comfortable, then it is up to what Blaire wants,” said Batie-Smose.
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Deputy head coach Melissa Batie-Smose at the San Jose St. Spartans as they play Air Force during a NCAA women’s volleyball match at Spartan Gym in San Jose, California, Thursday, October 31, 2024. (Santiago Mejia / San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
The coach also alleged that the SJSU had welcomed Fleming to other special exceptions, which were not granted to female athletes.
“Do not introduce yourself to train without apologies, sit in the stands eating while the practice is going on, this kind of thing,” said Melissa about the special exceptions reserved exclusively in Fleming.
Batie-SMOOSE said that she had not been to know that Fleming was a man until she accepted the position of SJSU. The coach moved all his Connecticut family to take the work while believing that they would only train players.
She claims that she did not officially tell the truth about Fleming until she begins to ask her questions, and head coach Todd Kress finally told her, a few weeks after her mandate. She alleys that she was then told that she could not talk to other players or the parents of the players.
“Todd Kress told me by passing … because I asked …” Oh, in fact, Balaire is a man “”, said Batie-Smose, adding that she was threatened that she would be dismissed if she said to other athletes or parents.
“Todd Kress and the administration, Laura Alexandra, were not allowed to talk about it, allow parents to know, or anyone to know.”
Batie-SMOOSE had no experience in training a transgender athlete and says that she “ never talked to Blaire ”, Batie-SMOOSE says that she preferred to focus on training and protection of female athletes.
“I knew it from the day I saw it going to play, but for me, it was an accent on female athletes, that’s really why I knew that I was here, I had a goal beyond training, which was to protect female athletes for their private life, their security and their well-being, so it was always my goal, but not on Baire,” she said.
The former SJSU star, Brooke Slusser, makes new allegations concerning the probe on the alleged plot of his Trans teammate to harm him
Brooke Slusser and Balaire Fleming of the San Jose State Spartans call a piece during the first set against the Falcons of the Air Force in Falcon Court to East Gym on October 19, 2024, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. (Andrew Wevers / Getty Images)
However, she respected the instructions not to speak to others in Fleming for years after her university arrived. She says it started to affect her physically and mentally.
“”[I was] Not authorized to speak to Brooke Slusser of anything or of any of the other athletes or recruit, “said Batie-Smose.
“The stress of this, that I lie to parents and everyone and it was against everything I think, I had to do a lot of prayer and a lot of meditation to know that I stayed in this space, and as long as I could stay there to protect women, it’s my work right now.”
His time to finally speak to defend the female athletes came last November when the controversy became a topic of high -level discussion of the electoral season. The team had already seen four wiped conference games and police protection had been assigned to the team that national attention is becoming more frequent.
Batie-SMOOSE said the decisive factor to finally file the complaint was the request of several players from the team. Thus, in the last week of October, Batie-Smose submitted the complaint and highlighted the allegations of Fleming by complicating with an opponent to hurt Slusser.
The alleged incident occurred the day before the October 3 match against Colorado State, when Fleming and two other teammates have met the star of Colorado state, Malaya Jones, to discuss the plan to climb the ball at the head of Slusser during the match.
Batie-Smose and other players were later informed of the alleged incident when the other SJSU players who were there with Fleming would have been presented to talk to the teammates, PK Press Club Digital previously reported after examining several court documents.
The complaint prompted the Mountain West Conference to investigate allegations.
The Mountain West announced that the investigation had closed without finding “sufficient evidence” and that no discipline was “necessary” in a letter of November 15 obtained by PK Press Club Digital. This letter and emails coordinating the interviews for the investigation, obtained by PK Press Club Digital, said several times that the game had taken place on October 2.
The letter of November 15 announcing that the investigation had closed without sufficient evidence was also sent only three days after the first email to set up interviews with witnesses were sent.
Digital PK Press Club later reported The fact that the law firm hired to conduct the investigation, Willkie Farr & Gallagher (WFG), is the same cabinet which represents the Mountain West against another trial brought by Slusser which included the same allegations against Fleming of conspiracy so that Slusser was injured, as shown by the public archives obtained by PK Press Club Digital.
Batie-Smose and Broyles say they plan to raise this in the court during the arguments.
“It is a clear conflict of interest and a compromise of their objectivity,” said Broyles. “This is certainly something, that at a appropriate moment, we would draw attention to the training of the facts.”
Broyles added that they are now looking for compensatory damages, reintegration and back remuneration, punitive damages, lawyer fees and an injunctive relief that female athletes will not be forced or competed with or against trans athletes.
“These are things in the trial that we think she is legitimately entitled,” said Broyles.
The Batie-Smose contract with SJSU expired on the last day of last January and it was not renewed. Two weeks after that, the police confirmed that his house had been shot and vandalized with a pellet pistol. She thought that the crime was committed against her by someone who did not agree with her decision to express himself at the SJSU. The police did not determine a reason.
The volleyball coach has since left California and has moved to Texas. She tries to continue her coach career, but has encountered difficulty winning another job. She thinks that the reputation she had to present herself because of the situation in which she was at the SJSU is the reason.
“I have been a very successful coach and I have been a coach for a long time and I don’t even have a look for coaching jobs,” she said.
SJSU and CSU refused to respond to Batie-Smose declarations when affected by PK Press Club Digital.
PK Press Club Digital tried to contact Fleming via social media.
