There's one player the media wants to talk about more than anyone else at the Mountain West women's volleyball tournament, but that player is off limits.
According to report From OutKick, Blair Fleming, a female-identified male player who plays on the San Jose State University (SJSU) women's volleyball team, will not be giving media interviews at the upcoming tournament.
“We have no plans to facilitate interviews with players or coaches during the Mountain West Tournament,” a school spokesperson wrote in an email to Outkick.
SJSU is the No. 2 seed in the tournament and awaits the winner of Wednesday's games against Boise State and Utah State.
The Mountain West Conference does not require coaches or players to speak to the media during the tournament. Instead, it will be up to you to decide whether to conduct interviews with participating teams.
The school's decision is not surprising considering Fleming has not had a single interview all year.
It is unclear whether Boise State and Utah State will play against SJSU if they win. The winner could follow the lead of states such as Nevada, which opted to forfeit its game against SJSU due to concerns about player safety during the men's matchup.
Felming's teammate Brooke Slusser, who is joining a lawsuit against the NCAA represented by former Kentucky swimmer and women's sports advocate Riley Gaines, has already voiced these concerns and more.
“I don't think that's true in women's sports,” Slusser said recently. said KTVU.com. “It has nothing to do with how someone wants to live their life day to day. It doesn't matter. But when it comes to the fairness and safety of women's play, there are two different divisions for women and men. There's a reason it's there.
“There were so many times I had to dodge balls coming at my face. I had bruises on my thighs for weeks.”
