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The parents of former San Jose State University volleyball co-captain Brooke Slusser made their first public statement since the U.S. Department of Education determined the school violated Title IX while Slusser was enrolled. Slusser emerged as the central figure opposing the university during a 2024 scandal involving trans athlete Blaire Fleming.
Slusser filed a lawsuit against representatives of SJSU and the Mountain West Conference after she was allegedly forced to share a dorm room and switch spaces with Fleming without being informed of Fleming’s biological sex. The Department of Education concluded that the trans athlete conspired with an opposing player to have an SJSU teammate, presumably Slusser, shot in the face during a game.
Slusser’s parents, Paul and Kim Slusser, provided a joint statement to Pak Gazette Digital addressing the crackdown against the university.
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Former SJSU volleyball star Brooke Slusser and her parents Paul and Kim Slusser at a game on September 8, which Kim said is “the last good memory we have of her playing.” (Courtesy of Kim Slusser)
“We are delighted that the Trump administration, Secretary McMahon and the Department of Education are taking action on the issue of men in women’s sports, something the previous administration did not do! San Jose State University completely failed its athletes and it is time for them to be held accountable,” the statement read.
“We are closely watching how they respond and our next step is to fight for justice in the courts. San Jose State and the Mountain West Conference betrayed the volleyball team and will have to answer for it.”
The parents had to watch their daughter endure an eating disorder and an academic setback as a result of the trauma of the scandal.
“I went from around 160 to 128 [pounds] 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 previously told Pak Gazette Digital.
After the 2024 season and fall semester ended, Slusser’s parents saw the physical impact the situation had on her and demanded that she return home to Texas.
“As soon as the season ended, she came home for Christmas and we told her, ‘You’re not coming back,'” Paul Slusser previously told Pak Gazette Digital, adding that he told his daughter, “You can go get your stuff next summer when your lease is up and stay here.”
‘HORRIBLE’ MOMENTS EXPOSED FOR UNR VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS WHEN THEY WERE CHARGED IN SJSU TITLE IX SCANDAL
Once winter break ended and what was supposed to be her last semester began, Brooke attempted to complete her courses online.
Her parents said she started taking online classes, but dropped out soon after. like a Division I Scholarship AthleteDropping out of classes caused him to lose his scholarship and his family had to pay for the entire semester’s tuition and accommodation out of pocket.
“We had to basically pay for his mortgage and his apartment for the rest of the semester. So it was a pretty big financial burden for us when that happened,” Paul Slusser said.
The Department of Education gave SJSU an ultimatum to comply with a series of agreements or risk “imminent enforcement action.” The deadline is February 11, 2026.
Terms include:
- Issue a public statement to the SJSU community that SJSU will adopt biology-based definitions of the words “male” and “female” and recognize that the sex of a human being (male or female) is immutable;
- Specify that SJSU will follow Title IX by separating athletic and intimate facilities based on biological sex;
- State that SJSU will not delegate its obligation to comply with Title IX to any outside association or entity and will not contract with any entity that discriminates on the basis of sex;
- Restore to individual athletes all individual athletic records and titles that were misappropriated by male athletes competing in women’s categories, and issue a personalized letter of apology on behalf of SJSU to each athlete for allowing their participation in athletics to be marred by sexual discrimination; and
- Send a personalized apology to every woman who played in SJSU women’s indoor volleyball (2022-2024), 2023 beach volleyball, and any woman on a team that lost instead of competing against SJSU while a student was on the roster, expressing your sincere regret for putting female athletes in that position.
SJSU responded to the ultimatum in a statement.
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“San Jose State, a member of the California State University system, received notification from the federal Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights regarding its investigation into athletic participation on our former women’s volleyball teams. The Department informed the University of the result of his research and his conclusions. “The University is in the process of reviewing the Department’s findings and the proposed resolution agreement,” a statement from SJSU said.
“We remain committed to providing a safe, respectful and inclusive educational environment for all students while complying with applicable laws and regulations.”
