The Mountain West Conference announced that it has concluded its investigation into allegations of collusion between players on the San Jose State University and Colorado State University volleyball teams, with no disciplinary action taken.
In a letter to San Jose State Athletic Director Jeff Conya and Colorado State Athletic Director John Weber obtained by Fox News Digital, Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Nevarez said the conference has states that it did not find sufficient evidence of the allegations in the complaint.
The complaint alleges that San Jose State transgender player Blair Fleming conspired with a Colorado State player to influence the outcome of a game and that during the game he hit Fleming's teammate Brooke Slusser in the face with a ball. There is.
The letter does not address the allegations in the recent lawsuit, nor does it address the idea that there was a conspiracy to punch Mr. Slusser in the face. The letter refers to all of the allegations raised in the complaint as “competitive manipulation.”
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Colorado State University police monitor Moby Arena behind the San Jose State University Spartans bench during the NCAA Mountain West women's volleyball game between the Spartans and Colorado State Rams on October 3, 2024 in Fort Collins, Colorado. . (Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
“The complaint alleges that Colorado State University (CSU) and San Jose State University (SJSU) volleyball players colluded during the SJSU vs. CSU volleyball game on October 2, 2024 in Fort Collins, Colorado. “These included allegations of competition manipulation. Upon receipt of this information, the Mountain West Conference Secretariat, in coordination with both member institutions, immediately began a thorough investigation into these serious allegations.” It is stated in the letter.
Nevarez said the conference's investigation included interviews with head coaches and student-athletes initiated by both universities. However, the letter does not specify who was interviewed. Fox News Digital reached out to the conference for clarification on the list of individuals but has not received a response.
The conference also said its investigation included a review of game video by both head coaches, a review and statistical analysis of game video by multiple third-party volleyball experts involved with the conference, and a third-party investigator involved with the conference. It claims to have included multiple interviews conducted by. The meeting will be held in consultation with Mountain West legal counsel.
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The conference claims there was insufficient evidence to support its claims. However, the letter does not explicitly state that the allegations are false.
“After reviewing and evaluating the extensive information collected during our investigation, there was insufficient evidence to support any allegations of misconduct related to the SJSU vs. CSU volleyball tournament that took place on October 2, 2024. As a result, the tournament secretariat has decided that no disciplinary action will be taken. “The actions were justified and the matter is considered closed.''
The first Tile IX complaint was filed Oct. 29 by San Jose State assistant head coach Melissa Batty Smooth. Batty Smooth was suspended shortly after the charges were filed, much to the dismay of Slusser and other players on the team.
Brooke Slusser is a senior volleyball player at San Jose State University who is participating in the lawsuit against the NCAA. (San Jose State Track and Field)
Batty Smooth, Slusser, and other current and former players on the team and in the Mountain West have filed a lawsuit against the conference and San Jose State, providing further context for the allegations.
San Jose State University volleyball player Chandler Manuski is accused of an early October incident in which he and other teammates, including a transgender player, broke team rules by sneaking out of the team hotel the night before a game against Colorado State University. The details are detailed in the lawsuit. Manuski then went on to discuss Blair Fleming's plan to ensure San Jose State would lose the game and cause Colorado State's Malaya Jones to spike Slasher in the face during the Oct. 3 game. He claimed to have learned about the alleged incident.
“Mr. Manuski said that at the Jones residence, Mr. Fleming shared with Mr. Jones the scouting information for the CSU vs. FC game and discussed Mr. Fleming's pitching.”[ing] “The match” and how Jones “blasts” Slasher during the match, giving her a “blast” in the face, court documents say.
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“Mr. Manuski also said that Mr. Fleming said he would “keep center court open,'' so that Malaya Jones could “blow the slasher'' with a wide-open shot, i.e., hit Brook Thrasser. You'll be able to do it.'' Face with the ball. ”
Manusky confronted head coaches Todd Cress and Batty Smooth about the incident, according to the documents. Manuski claims she tearfully begged Fleming not to tell her story.
“Mr. Cress told Batty Smooth that he did not believe Manuskie and that he believed she made up the whole story to keep her out of the team hotel and out of trouble. ”, the document states.
Slusser previously said in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital that he believed he was treated unfairly by the university after he was informed of Fleming's alleged scheme and that the university did not adequately investigate the matter. he claimed.
Colorado State University police monitor Moby Arena behind the San Jose State University Spartans bench during the NCAA Mountain West women's volleyball game between the Spartans and Colorado State Rams on October 3, 2024 in Fort Collins, Colorado. . (Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
“If this had been me, and if it had been me threatening to do this to a teammate who caused such a fuss, action would have been taken immediately,” Slusser said. “I was definitely very angry, and I was happy at first to know that it was already known to the coaching staff and compliance and everyone, but I don't know if it changed my mind. Hmm. I was just angry and didn't think someone would do something like this.
“I feel like there's a lot of content in that whole conversation that the school would want to address, like threatening to hurt your teammates.”
On Saturday, San Jose State defeated Colorado State in the first game since the lawsuit was filed. Fleming made the match-winning serve, and other Spartan players, including Slusser and Manuski, flocked to celebrate.
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