Female volleyball players will compete in Las Vegas at the Mountain West Conference Tournament this week. But the question is, will the ladies have to share the court — and the spotlight — with a male.
San Jose State enters the tournament as the No. 2 seed, meaning the team has a first-round bye. That allows for some extra time for a judge to decide whether the “transgender woman” (man) is allowed to play for the team in the women’s tournament.
“Blaire” Fleming’s participation has created controversy all season. Six of San Jose State’s 12 conference wins came via forfeit as some women’s volleyball teams refused to play against a team with a man on the floor.
San Jose State will play the winner of the match between Utah State and Boise State. If you’re curious, Boise State forfeited two matches earlier this season against San Jose State. Utah State forfeited its match against San Jose State as well.
This means if the winner of the match between Boise State and Utah State sticks to its principles, and the judge allows the man to play against the girls, then Boise State or Utah State may decide to end their conference tournament run without losing a match.
Twelve women have sued the Mountain West Conference regarding Fleming’s participation in women’s volleyball. An emergency hearing took place last week, but the Biden-appointed judge did not allow witness testimony.
Interestingly, an assistant coach from San Jose State and a co-captain for the San Jose State are among the plaintiffs.
The judge, S. Kato Crews, reportedly said he did not need to hear from witnesses after reading the brief. The plaintiffs are seeking an injunction to disqualify San Jose State from competing in the conference tournament, disqualify Fleming from competing in the tournament, and/or remove the losses from the records of teams who forfeited matches against San Jose State — which would also remove the wins from San Jose State.
Fleming finished the season fourth in the conference with 3.96 kills per set, which led San Jose State. Fleming also ranked third in the conference with 4.58 points per set.
During his confirmation hearing in the Senate, Crews was unable to answer Sen. John Kennedy when asked if he knew what a Brady motion is.
“It is not coming to mind at the moment what a Brady motion is,” Judge Crews said. “I believe the Brady case involved something regarding the Second Amendment. I have not had occasion to address that. If that issue were to come before me, I would certainly analyze that Supreme Court precedent.”
However, a Brady motion is a tool used to compel evidence from the prosecution.
