Brooke Slusser opens up about living with transgender teammate Blaire Fleming without knowing truth as San Jose State volleyball dispute grows

Brooke Slusser is now speaking openly about a situation that shocked her and later turned into a legal fight. The former San Jose State University volleyball player says she spent almost two years living with a teammate, Blaire Fleming, without knowing Fleming was transgender. Slusser says the two shared an apartment in Santa Clara, California, starting in 2023 while playing for the San Jose State Spartans volleyball team. Now, the story has turned into a bigger controversy involving the NCAA, the Mountain West Conference, and the university program itself. Brooke Slusser says the discovery deeply affected her personal life and mental health. She claims the stress later led to an eating disorder and other health worries. At the same time, Fleming has pushed back strongly against those accusations. Their dispute has created a wider debate around transparency, athlete safety, and policies involving transgender athletes in college sports. Slusser shared her latest comments in an interview with Fox News, explaining how the situation unfolded and why she decided to speak publicly.Brooke Slusser explained that she and Blaire Fleming lived together in a four bedroom apartment in Santa Clara while playing for San Jose State. According to Slusser, she only learned in spring 2024 that Fleming was transgender after seeing a media report.Speaking to Fox News, Slusser described how close their living arrangement was and why the discovery surprised her.“You find out you’re just chilling in a bed with a man that you have no idea about… I was unknowingly sharing a bed at that time with a man,” Slusser said.She explained that they often spent time together in ways many teammates do while living in the same apartment.“Watching movies snuggled up in bed, like all the normal things you’d think girls do in an apartment… my bathroom is across the hall from my bedroom and I’m going back and forth and everyone’s out doing their thing,” she said.Slusser added that she would have acted differently if she had known earlier.“I would have changed everything about what I was doing in that apartment if I would have known that it was a man. It’s hard to fully grasp all of that when it was almost two years of me living with this situation.”The situation later turned into a lawsuit. Slusser has filed legal action against the NCAA and the Mountain West Conference, claiming the stress and pressure affected her health.She says the experience led to serious struggles with eating and anxiety.“It wasn’t until all the craziness started that my healthy lifestyle turned very unhealthy into not eating the amount I should,” Slusser said in the same interview.Slusser also shared that the health issues affected her menstrual cycle for nine months and made her worry about future plans.“I want to have the dream future that I envision for myself of having kids in the future. I want as many as possible, and I think if that weren’t able to happen, that would break my heart,” she said.Blaire Fleming has strongly rejected Slusser’s claims. In a previous interview with Fox News in December, Fleming said she does not feel sympathy for her former teammate.“I really don’t care or feel bad for her,” Fleming said.Fleming also challenged Slusser’s comments about the eating disorder.“She literally would weigh herself two to three times a day and keep track of it on her whiteboard in her room. And she didn’t drop her classes, she failed out,” Fleming said.The controversy also pulled in San Jose State volleyball coach Todd Kress. Slusser says she blames the coach for encouraging the shared living arrangement without informing her about Fleming’s background.The situation became even more tense during the 2024 season. Several opposing teams refused to play San Jose State, leading to forfeits and protests during the year.Another major development came when former San Jose State assistant coach Melissa Batie Smoose filed a Title IX complaint in October 2024.Batie Smoose claimed she was later suspended after raising concerns about Fleming and the team environment.In the complaint, she accused Fleming of working with an opposing player to target Slusser during a match on October 3.She also claimed Fleming received special treatment from the program.“Not showing up to practice with no excuses, sitting in the stands eating while practice was going on,” Batie Smoose said in the complaint.Fleming denied those accusations as well.“The only times I showed up to practice with ‘no excuse’ and sat in the stands was when I was injured and couldn’t play,” Fleming told Fox News.She added, “Brooke Slusser and Melissa need to get a life.”As of now, both Fleming and San Jose State have been contacted for further comment regarding Brooke Slusser’s newest interview.