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EXCLUSIVE: Former San Jose State volleyball assistant coach Melissa Batie-Smoose weighed in on the recent war of words between former players Brooke Slusser and Blaire Fleming.
Fleming, who is transgender, made controversial claims that Slusser has been anorexic since they met in 2023 and failed her classes at SJSU. Slusser denied Fleming’s claims, previously saying that she developed an eating disorder due to the stress and anxiety of playing and rooming with Fleming after discovering that Fleming was a biological male and the highly publicized scandal that followed.
The conflict between the two players and Slusser’s subsequent lawsuits against the NCAA and the Mountain West Conference over the situation put the players and the entire program under immense national scrutiny in their final season together in 2024.
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SJSU trans player Blaire Fleming and teammate Brooke Slusser went to a magic show and celebrated Thanksgiving together in Las Vegas despite an ongoing lawsuit over the fact that Fleming was transgender. (Thien-An Truong/San Jose State Athletics)
Now, Batie-Smoose has provided his perspective on the disputed claims between the two athletes.
“As far as I know, Brooke’s mental health and academic performance were excellent during her first year and a half as a student-athlete in the program. She was committed, consistent, and doing well both personally and academically. But after sharing her experience, the pressures around her intensified,” Batie-Smoose told Pak Gazette Digital.
“She was berated on campus and on social media, which appeared to cause her well-being and academic performance to decline. From my perspective, that context matters and underscores how far she has been going in a short period of time.”
Batie-Smoose also expressed “disappointment” over Fleming’s controversial comments about Slusser.
“I’m a little surprised and disappointed by Blaire Fleming’s comments. Even if you’re frustrated or hurt by Brooke’s actions, I was hoping there would be a little more empathy, especially from someone who has been the target of personal attacks and understands how difficult these things can be. Personal hardships should give us a deeper understanding and more empathy for what others may be experiencing, not less,” Batie-Smoose added.
“Struggles with food, mental health, or academic pressure are serious issues that deserve compassion, not dismissal. Regardless of personal dynamics, speaking harshly about someone who is clearly going through a difficult period is not something we want to encourage or normalize. Brooke’s issues with food and her grades are not excuses, but signs of someone who has been going through a lot.”
Pak Gazette Digital was unable to reach Fleming for comment, as Fleming’s Instagram account was deactivated in recent days.
THE LAW FIRM THAT WORKED TO KEEP SJSU TRANS PLAYER ELIGIBLE ALSO AUTHORIZED THE ATHLETE TO CONSPIRACY TO HARM A TEAMMATE
Slusser originally told Pak Gazette Digital on Nov. 30, the one-year anniversary of his last game with Fleming, about the impact the situation had on his body and his studies.
“Because of the stress and how anxious I was every day, I just wouldn’t eat anything,” Slusser said. “I went from around 160 to 128 [lbs] in that semester. It’s definitely not healthy for someone my size to be that weight and I ended up missing my menstrual cycle for nine months. So it was definitely serious.”
The 5-foot-11 Slusser added that people at home started to take notice.
“When I got home, some of my friends and family were very worried about me,” he added. “Some of my friends told me, ‘You always looked tired all the time. You always looked dead…’ I was able to go home three days that fall semester my senior year, and later a friend told me that when I saw her, she went home and cried to her mom, because she was so worried about me, just because she realized I looked so sickeningly skinny.”
Her father, Paul Slusser, then insisted that she return to Texas from San Jose after the 2024 season and fall semester ended. The family said he then attempted to finish his final semester and degree online, but then dropped out of classes to focus on physical and mental rehabilitation. Slusser and his family say he has recovered from his anorexia and is working to finish his studies. He aspires to start his own business in dietetics.
The family is still navigating the end of his career.
Fleming responded to Slusser’s situation, bringing the disputed claims to Pak Gazette Digital on December 7.
“She has been anorexic and has had problems with food for as long as I have known her.[,] aka since 2023. He literally weighed himself 2 or 3 times a day and recorded it on the whiteboard in his room…. So I don’t really care or feel bad for her. And she did not abandon her classes.[,] she failed[,] I hope that helps!” Fleming said.
(Left) Brooke Slusser (10) of the San Jose State Spartans serves the ball during the first set against the Air Force Falcons at Falcon Court at East Gym in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on October 19, 2024. (Right) Blaire Fleming #3 of the San Jose State Spartans looks on during the third set against the Air Force Falcons at Falcon Court at East Gym on October 19, 2024 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. (Andrew Wevers/Getty Images; Andrew Wevers/Getty Images)
Slusser quickly responded, calling Fleming’s statement “simply false.”
“These claims are simply not true. I have always led a very healthy lifestyle. Before these events occurred[,] I was very disciplined when it came to preparing for athletics and [kept] Follow up to make sure I was where I need to be.[,] be the best athlete. It wasn’t until all the craziness started that my healthy lifestyle became very unhealthy and I didn’t eat as much as I should,” Slusser said.
“As for school[,] I decided to stay home after fall 2024 to get better and heal. then no[,] “I did not return to San José and enrolled in more courses at an institution that was not the best for me.”
Slusser has alleged in his lawsuits against the NCAA and the Mountain West Conference that he was never told Fleming’s birth sex and that the two regularly shared hotel rooms on their travels. Slusser has also said in the lawsuits that Fleming confessed to being transgender during a conversation over ice cream in April 2024.
Slusser then joined Riley Gaines’ lawsuit against the NCAA in September 2024. What followed was a series of losses by opposing teams. Each loss compounded the growing attention in an election-season media cycle, putting SJSU volleyball players and their opponents under a massive political spotlight.
President Donald Trump even mentioned the scandal during his election campaign in October of that year, during an all-female Pak Gazette channel event.
The team was assigned regular police protection.
Slusser has alleged in his lawsuit against the Mountain West, which was filed in November, that his teammates allegedly informed him of an alleged conversation Fleming had with an opposing player, discussing a plan to punch Slusser in the face during a game.
Batie-Smoose alleged those same allegations in a Title IX complaint against the school, and was later suspended and had her contract not renewed in January. Batie-Smoose has since filed his own lawsuit against SJSU over his dismissal.
The Mountain West commissioned a third-party investigation into the allegations against Fleming and determined that insufficient evidence could be found to impose discipline.
Pak Gazette Digital has widely reported about the conditions of that investigation and its handling, prompting critical responses from the White House, the U.S. Department of Justice and members of Congress.
FORMER SJSU STAR BROOKE SLUSSER MAKES NEW ALLEGATIONS REGARDING THE INVESTIGATION OF A TRANS MATE’S ALLEGED PLOT TO HARM HER
In the final weeks of the 2024 regular season, Slusser and 10 other plaintiffs in his lawsuit against the Mountain West filed a request for a preliminary injunction to have Fleming declared ineligible to continue playing and the losses to SJSU to be reversed. Federal Judge Kato Crews, appointed by former President Joe Biden, denied the request, keeping Slusser and Fleming on the court together for practices and games.
Slusser and Fleming were eventually named to the Mountain West all-conference team, as SJSU’s only honorees.
They finished the season with a 14-7 record, helped by six conference losses, then advanced to the Mountain West championship game after Boise State lost in the divisional round.
But they lost in the title game to Colorado State, three sets to one. The loss ensured that the Spartans would not take their scandal to the NCAA tournament.
Slusser left campus shortly afterward at the insistence of his parents. According to The New York Times, Fleming also resumed classes remotely the following semester from Virginia.
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Slusser said she came close to playing NCAA beach volleyball again last spring, and even had conversations with coaches at other schools about recruiting. But she ultimately decided against it and moved to North Carolina, where she worked as a youth volleyball coach.
The U.S. Department of Education is currently investigating the university for possible Title IX violations related to its handling of Fleming.
