There’s one player the media wants to talk to more than any other at the Mountain West Women’s Volleyball Tournament, and that player is off-limits.
According to a report from OutKick, Blaire Fleming, the male player who identifies as a female and plays on San Jose State University’s (SJSU) women’s volleyball team, will not be interviewing the media at the upcoming tournament.
“We do not anticipate facilitating any interviews with players or coaches during the Mountain West Tournament,” a school spokesperson wrote to OutKick in an email.
SJSU is the #2 seed in the tournament and awaits the winner of Wednesday’s match between Boise State and Utah State.
The Mountain West Conference does not require media availability for coaches or players during the tournament. Instead, it leaves the decision of whether to do interviews with the participating teams.
The school’s decision shouldn’t surprise, given that Fleming has not done a single interview all year.
Whether Boise State or Utah State will play SJSU if they win is unknown. The winner could follow the lead of Nevada and others, who elected to forfeit their games against SJSU out of concern for the safety of their players when matched against a male opponent.
Felming’s teammate, Brooke Slusser, has already voiced those concerns and more, as she has joined the lawsuit against the NCAA headed up by former Kentucky swimmer and women’s sports advocate Riley Gaines.
“I just don’t think it’s right in women’s sports,’ Slusser recently told KTVU.com. “It has nothing to do with the way someone wants to live their life day to day. That’s not an issue. But when it comes to the fairness and safety of women playing, there’s a reason there’s two different divisions for women and men.
“There’s many times that we’re having to try and dodge the balls that are coming at our faces. I’ve had bruises on my thighs for weeks.”