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EXCLUSIVE: Former San Jose State assistant volleyball coach Melissa Batie-Smoose has weighed in on the latest 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 first met in 2023 and failed her classes at SJSU. Slusser denied Fleming’s statements and previously said she developed an eating disorder from the stress and anxiety of playing and being with Fleming after discovering Fleming was biologically male and the highly publicized scandal that followed.
The conflict between the two players and subsequent lawsuits by Slusser 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 spent Thanksgiving together in Las Vegas despite an ongoing lawsuit alleging Fleming was transgender. (Thien-An Truong/San Jose State Athletics)
Now, Batie-Smoose has given her perspective on the contentious claims between the two athletes.
“To my knowledge, 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 engaged, consistent and did well both personally and academically. But after sharing her experience, the surrounding pressure intensified,” Batie-Smoose told Pakinomist Digital.
“She was chastised on campus and on social media, which seemed to cause her well-being and academic performance to decline. From my perspective, that context is important and underscores how much she has carried in a short period of time.”
Batie-Smoose also expressed “disappointment” at Fleming’s controversial comments about Slusser.
“I am a little surprised and disappointed by Blaire Fleming’s comments. Even if you are frustrated or hurt by Brooke’s actions, I was hoping there might be a little more empathy – especially from someone who has been the subject of personal attacks and understands how hard these things can be. Personal hardship should give us a deeper understanding of what others may be less experienced with, not more empathy for,” Batie-Smoose added.
“Struggles with food, mental health, or academic pressure are serious matters that deserve compassion, not dismissal. Regardless of personal dynamics, speaking harshly about someone who is clearly going through a difficult time is not something we want to encourage or normalize. Brooke’s issues with food and her grades are not excuses, but rather signs of someone who has been through a lot.”
Pakinomist Digital was unable to reach Fleming for comment as Fleming’s Instagram account has been deactivated in recent days.
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Slusser initially told Pakinomist Digital on Nov. 30 — the one-year anniversary of her last game with Fleming — about the impact the situation had on her body and academics.
“From the stress and how anxious I was every single day, I just didn’t eat at all,” Slusser said. “I went from about 160 to 128 [lbs] in one 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 back home started to notice.
“When I got home, some of my friends and family were very worried about me,” she added. “Some of my friends were just like, ‘You always looked tired all the time. You always look dead…’ I was able to come home three days that fall semester of my senior year, and I had a friend tell me that when I saw her, she went home and cried to her mom because she was so worried about me, just because she could tell I looked so unhealthy skinny.”
Her father, Paul Slusser, then insisted she move back home to Texas from San Jose after the 2024 season and fall semester ended. The family said she then tried to finish her last semester and degree online, but later dropped classes to focus on physical and mental rehabilitation. Slusser and her family say she has recovered from her anorexia and is working to finish her degree. She aspires to start her own business in dietetics.
The family is still navigating to finish her graduation.
Responding to Slusser’s situation, Fleming made the disputed claims to Pakinomist Digital on December 7.
“She’s been anorexic and struggled with food since I’ve known her[,] aka since 2023. She would literally weigh herself 2-3 times a day and keep track of it on her board in her room…. So I really don’t care or feel sorry for her. And she didn’t drop her classes[,] she failed[,] hope that helps!” said Fleming.
(Left) Brooke Slusser (10) of the San Jose State Spartans serves the ball during the first set against the Air Force Falcons on Falcon Court at the 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 on October 19, 2024 at the Air Force 10 Gym. in Colorado Springs, Colorado. (Andrew Wevers/Getty Images; Andrew Wevers/Getty Images)
Slusser promptly responded, calling Fleming’s statement “just not true.”
“These statements are just not true. I have always lived a very healthy lifestyle. Before these events took place[,] I was very disciplined in burning myself for athletics and [kept] tracks to make sure I was where I needed to be[,] to be the best athlete. It wasn’t until all the craziness started that my healthy lifestyle became very unhealthy to not eating the amount I should,” Slusser said.
“Regarding the school[,] I decided to stay home after the fall of 2024 to improve and heal. So no[,] I didn’t return to San Jose and enroll in more courses at an institution that didn’t have my best interest at heart.”
Slusser has claimed in her lawsuits against the NCAA and the Mountain West Conference that she was never told Fleming’s birth sex and that the two regularly shared hotel rooms on road trips. 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 forfeitures by opposing teams. Each forfeit compounded the growing attention of an election-season media cycle, putting SJSU’s volleyball players and their opponents in a massive political spotlight.
President Donald Trump even mentioned the scandal on his campaign trail in October of that year during an all-town hall Pakinomist Channel event.
Police protection was assigned to the team at regular intervals.
Slusser has claimed in her lawsuit against the Mountain West, filed in November, that she was allegedly informed by teammates about an alleged conversation Fleming had with an opponent in which she discussed a plan to spike Slusser in the face during a game.
Batie-Smoose reported the same allegations in a Title IX complaint against the school and was later suspended and did not have her contract renewed in January. Batie-Smoose has since filed her own lawsuit against SJSU for her termination.
Mountain West commissioned a third-party investigation into the allegations against Fleming and determined that insufficient evidence could be found to impose discipline.
Pakinomist Digital has reported extensively about the conditions of this investigation and its handling, which led to critical responses from the White House, the US Department of Justice and members of Congress.
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In the waning weeks of the 2024 regular season, Slusser and 10 other plaintiffs in her lawsuit against the Mountain West filed a request for a preliminary injunction to have Fleming ruled unable to continue playing and to have the forfeiture to SJSU overturned. Federal umpire Kato Crews, appointed by former President Joe Biden, denied the request and kept Slusser and Fleming on the field together for practice and games.
Slusser and Fleming were ultimately named to the Mountain West all-conference team, SJSU’s only honor.
They finished the season with a 14-7 record, aided 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 match to Colorado State, three sets to one. The loss ensured the Spartans would not carry their scandal into the NCAA Tournament.
Slusser left campus soon after at the insistence of her parents. According to The New York Times, Fleming also resumed teaching remotely the following semester from Virginia.
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Slusser said she was close to returning to play NCAA beach volleyball this spring, and even had discussions with coaches at other schools about recruiting. But she ultimately decided against it and moved to North Carolina, where she has served as a youth volleyball coach.
The U.S. Department of Education is currently investigating the university for potential Title IX violations related to its handling of Fleming.
