The coach of San Jose State University's women's volleyball team blamed the hatred against the team on forfeiture of games by transgender players, rather than the fact that the women's team has men playing.
Coach Todd Kress, who has never publicly opposed or criticized a male player (Blair Fleming) who plays on the women's team, said after Saturday's loss in the Mountain West tournament finals: insisted.
He began by saying that his school was following all regulations.
“I'm not going to let the reality of the past two months surface,” Kress said. “Our team prepared and was ready to play each game in accordance with established Mountain West and NCAA competition rules. I didn't take away the opportunity to play,” he wrote.
Kress has continually said that withdrawals by other teams (5 other schools in total) deprived his girls of an opportunity, but he has not said why the other schools withdrew in the first place. do not have.
“Sadly, other players who have played with the same team for years without incident have chosen not to play with us this season. To be clear, we are celebrating every win with a forfeited game. Instead, we prepared for defeat,” the coach said. fox news. “Each announcement of a disqualification unleashes a horrifying, hateful message that the individual chooses to send directly to student-athletes, the coaching staff, and many others associated with the program.”
SJSU is off to its best start in program history, qualifying for the MWC Tournament with a first-round bye. After declining to play SJSU a second time, Boise State went straight to the finals, where they lost to Colorado State.
“Our team played hard today, as we have done all season. I want to recognize and thank our seniors — Alessia [Buffagni]Chandler [Manusky]Brooke [Bryant]Brooke and Blair — for their tremendous efforts on the court throughout the season. They all helped us get here,” Kress added.
“We had a meeting and it was hard just checking on Blair.”
Kress called last season “one of the most difficult” he had experienced and said his top priority was to “ensure the overall safety and health” of his players.
But that's not how SJSU player Brooke Slusser described the team's treatment in an exclusive interview with Blaze News in September.
“We've been having meetings, and a lot of times it was just checking in on Blair. … We were like, 'What about us?'” Slusser said. Ta.
Coach Kress consistently fails to address the obvious root of SJSU's problems. He said in October that it was “absolutely ridiculous” that his team's players were receiving “messages of hate,” but added that the revocation “hurt” SJSU players. .
An SJSU assistant coach who has since been suspended said Kress also filed a complaint against his own players for making comments about male players on the team.
Kress allegedly filed at least one Title IX complaint against Slusser for referring to Fleming using male pronouns during media interviews. Kress is said to have described this as a threat to trans women's rights.
Former NCAA swimmers commented on Cress' latest stance, including Riley Gaines, who infamously competed with male swimmer Leah Thomas.
“Ah, yes. Women who want safe and fair sports are to blame. Not narcissistic men. One man's feelings > safety for all women,” Gaines wrote. ×.
Caitlin Wheeler, who was also on the Kentucky swim team, I wrote“SJSU coach defends male players in women's volleyball, then calls female players, who were disqualified to protect safety and fairness, 'hateful,' even though women are 'hateful.' , Are men in their sports 'brave'? This is pure misogyny and gaslighting against women.'' Athletes. ”
SJSU officials and Kress did not respond to multiple requests for comment from Blaze News.
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