NEWNow you can listen to Pak Gazette articles!
EXCLUSIVE: The woman who accused current San Jose State University (SJSU) volleyball coach Todd Kress of attacking her in a hotel room has come forward with her first statements since the allegations became public. Kress is widely known for overseeing the controversial 2024 season that was overshadowed by a trans athlete scandal involving Blaire Fleming and teammate Brooke Slusser.
The woman, who previously played for Kress at Fairfield University, informed SJSU officials in October 2024 about her alleged experience with the coach.
“SJSU knew they feared for the safety of the women in the program since October 2024, and yet they allowed Todd to continue training and traveling with the team,” she told Pak Gazette Digital on condition of anonymity.
“I informed both Fairfield and SJSU about my encounter with Todd in 1998 after reading accounts from young women on the SJSU 2024 team who described his intimidating, coercive and manipulative behaviors.
“Why don’t some women come forward after being assaulted by those in positions of power? It’s a fair question. You don’t have to look beyond the situation at SJSU.”
INSIDE THE AFTERMATH OF THE SJSU VOLLEYBALL SCANDAL: ‘THIS IS AN OBVIOUS PROBLEM’
Kress’ alleged victim is speaking out two weeks after the allegations were first reported.
Neither SJSU nor Kress have since addressed the allegations despite multiple inquiries, and the coach has also made multiple social media posts boasting about his new recruiting class at the time.
Pak Gazette Digital reported on July 7 that during the peak of the SJSU volleyball trans athlete scandal in fall 2024, administrators received an email from the woman in October of that year. The email included a letter to Fairfield that included allegations that Kress attacked the player in a hotel room in 1998.
Emails obtained by Pak Gazette Digital through a verified independent source show that SJSU officials acknowledged receipt of the allegations, met with the former Fairfield player and her attorney, thanked her for coming forward and even apologized for her experiences.
Pak Gazette Digital submitted a public records request to SJSU requesting emails related to an investigation into those allegations, but the request was denied, with SJSU citing waivers of privacy and attorney-client privilege.
“Did SJSU investigate my complaint? They were given information that would have allowed them to corroborate my claims. Their refusal to reveal the steps of the investigation and final determination allows for much speculation,” the former player added.
“My singular motivation was the hope that by bringing what Todd did to me to the attention of school administrators, they could act to protect young women. I trusted the system and chose to operate without public attention.”
Pak Gazette Digital has verified his identity and that he played for Kress in Fairfield in 1998.
Slusser, who played with Kress for two seasons in 2023-24, previously told Pak Gazette Digital that she and other teammates in 2024 were not informed of the allegations that fall.
“The school gave us absolutely no information. This was never mentioned even once.” Slüsser said. Slusser is currently suing SJSU for his alleged experience playing with Kress and alongside Fleming.
The alleged incident involving Kress and the former Fairfield player occurred at a hotel after Fairfield’s loss to Clemson in the first round of the 1998 NCAA Tournament in December, according to his letter.
Part of the letter alleges: “He immediately took candy from a plastic container and smeared it all over my face and hair. He then forcibly threw me on the bed and pinned me down. I was in shock. He let go of me and then pulled down his pants and put his butt in my face.
SJSU DID NOT PENALIZE VOLLEYBALL COACH DURING TRANS SCANDAL AMID TITLE IX COMPLAINTS, FEDERAL FINDINGS ALLEGE
“Todd grabbed me again, picked me up and threw me into the bathtub, where he held me down and threatened to turn on the shower while I was lying there to ‘wipe the candy off my face.’ At this point I was struggling to get away from him.
“Todd let me out of the bathtub, laughing, and then stood in front of the door blocking my exit. Todd told me he would only let me out if I took a drink of liquor, which I did only to get him to move away from the door. Once he did, I ran toward her. He chased me. I went into my room and, although he seemed angry, he turned around and calmly left,” the letter alleges.
Pak Gazette Digital has sent multiple inquiries to Kress, SJSU and the California State University (CSU) system for a response to the allegations and the player’s latest statements, but neither party has addressed the issue.
The accusations have been public for 14 days.
A US Department of Education (ED) Title IX investigation into SJSU over the transgender scandal determined that the university allegedly made the decision not to suspend or relieve its head volleyball coach during the team’s 2024 transgender scandal, despite Title IX-related complaints against the coach. The investigation’s findings did not mention the former Fairfield player or her letter.
The findings do not mention the coach by name, but Pak Gazette Digital reasonably believes the figure titled “Coach 2” in the findings is Kress.
“Additional notes indicate that the decision not to suspend Coach 2 also included the inappropriate consideration: ‘If we relieve him… [w]It could also generate more media attention…. “University records indicate that university officials, including the university president, agreed not to suspend Coach 2 because they felt his suspension would unduly disrupt the team,” the findings state.
However, the investigation did not reveal what those complaints were, and SJSU and CSU are suing the department to challenge those findings.
Meanwhile, former associate head coach Melissa Batie-Smoose was suspended and then had her contract not renewed, after filing a Title IX complaint over Fleming’s alleged handling of the team and the team’s women in 2024. Batie-Smoose is waging a wrongful termination lawsuit against SJSU.
SJSU has withheld relevant records and has not responded to questions.
Pak Gazette Digital recently submitted a public records request to SJSU seeking emails related to SJSU’s investigation into the allegations against Kress, but the request was denied.
“SJSU has conducted a reasonable search of these records pursuant to California Government Code §7922.535 and has determined that the requested records are not discloseable under the Public Records Act,” SJSU’s public records office responded.
“First, the request seeks documents exempt from attorney-client privilege. Additionally, the requested communications involve substantial privacy interests. Therefore, disclosure of these records would constitute an invasion of privacy that outweighs the public interest in disclosure.”
Before that, Pak Gazette Digital submitted a formal public records request to San Jose State University requesting copies of the Oct. 24, 2024, complaint letter that was sent to the school by the former Kress player, a Nov. 1 follow-up email and a Nov. 7 response to the woman in the university’s Title IX office.
But that record was also denied.
“The requested communications involve important privacy interests,” the university’s response stated.
“Disclosure of these records would therefore constitute an invasion of privacy that outweighs the public interest in disclosure. Specifically, these records are retained subject to the following exemptions: Personal Records/Privacy… General Privacy Rights… [and the] Balance test. “Here, the public interest served by disclosure is minimal and is outweighed by the public interest served against disclosure in the protection of substantial and significant privacy rights.”
Pak Gazette Digital received copies of emails exchanged between SJSU and the former Fairfield player, from an independently verified source. The letter with the allegations was sent to the SJSU administration on October 24, 2024 and a response was sent later that day acknowledging receipt of the letter.
Then, on November 4, 2024, former SJSU Acting Title IX and Gender Equity Officer Peter Lim reached out to arrange a meeting with the former player and her attorney.
“Thank you for sharing your concerns about Coach Todd Kress. I am sorry to hear about your experiences. I have reviewed your letter and would like to meet with you to better understand your experiences with Coach Kress. The purpose of the meeting would be to help me evaluate possible next steps, which may or may not include an investigation into the reported conduct,” Lim wrote.
Three days later, on Nov. 7, Lim sent another email to the former Fairfield player, thanking her and her attorney for meeting with them.
“I am very sorry for your previous experiences with Todd Kress at Fairfield University. I appreciate the time you took to describe those experiences, the impact those experiences continue to have on you, and the safety threat you believe he poses to the SJSU volleyball team,” Lim wrote.
“We are evaluating the information you provided to us and determining appropriate next steps. If you two agree, I would appreciate you staying in touch.”
There was no further correspondence between the two parties after that exchange, Pak Gazette Digital has learned.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pak Gazette APP
Pak Gazette Digital has posed multiple questions to Kress, Lim, SJSU administrators and public records office employees, and CSU spokespersons regarding their responses to the allegations, the woman’s recent statements, Slusser’s statements, what investigation, if any, was conducted into the allegations, and why they believe release of the requested records is not sufficient in the public interest to warrant release. But neither party has answered those questions.
Pak Gazette Digital reached out to Fairfield for a response to the former player’s allegations and recent statement, but a spokesperson told it, “The university does not comment on past or current personnel matters.”
