Brooke Slusser is speaking out against SJSU administration after the volleyball coach’s allegations surfaced

In Brooke Slusser’s final college volleyball season at San Jose State in 2024, she says she was told never to be in the room alone with head coach Todd Kress. Slusser said people close to him, including his parents, heard rumors that Kress allegedly assaulted one of his former players in a hotel room years ago.

“I was told to be safe and not to be with him in the room alone when my parents heard about it … I didn’t know all the details, so it was scary when I was worried when everyone told me, ‘We can’t tell you everything that happened, because we don’t want to scare you, but we are telling you from here on, you are not allowed to tell Fox alone, News News. Digital Friday.

Fox News Digital reported Tuesday that in October 2024, SJSU was sent a letter by one of Kress’ former players that included allegations that he assaulted her in the team’s hotel room in 1998.

SJSU WAS CALLED OVER YEAR-OLD ALLEGATIONS RELATING TO VOLLEYBALL COACH DURING 2024 SEASON.

The contents of the letter include allegations that Kress “threw me on the bed by force” and then “pulled down his pants and put his back on my face,” then “knocked me up, threw me into the tub where he held me and threatened to turn on the shower while I was lying there.”

Slusser says the school never informed him or other players about the allegations in the letter.

“The school gave us full information. This was never brought up. I think someone will remember that. And even after the article came out, I had a bunch of former teammates who were texting me asking if this was true, if I knew anything else, those kinds of things. So they never once brought this up to anyone,” said Slusser, adding that since the article came out, his former teammate has not been told by his teammates to join them at school on Tuesday.

Slusser said that during the 2024 season, rumors that Kress had allegedly committed the crime reached his parents. He said he advised him to bring Melissa Batie-Smoose who was the assistant coach of SJSU or his colleagues if he enters the room with Kress.

“So, basically, my parents just told me from then on, like, ‘Take Melissa if she drags you to a meeting,’ like she did every day, or, ‘Take a teammate.

Emails show SJSU officials acknowledged the allegations in October 2024, thanked the former Fairfield player from 1998 for coming forward, and apologized for his information. Kress has continued to coach the women’s volleyball team, and has posted on social media touting her recruiting efforts since the allegations were reported last Tuesday.

The letter containing the allegations was written by a woman who played for Kress at Fairfield University in 1998, and was sent to SJSU on October 24, 2024. Kress remained the head coach, but Batie-Smoose was suspended a few days later after filing a Title IX complaint. His contract was not renewed the following January, and he is now suing for wrongful termination.

Slusser said he was “deeply saddened” by the suspension of Batie-Smoose University, when its leaders were informed of the allegations against Kress.

“I think that’s the part that worries me the most, that they’re going to let go of Melissa, who was always there for us, protecting us, taking care of us, and she’s going to last. [Kress] on payroll,” Slusser said.

Slusser also sued the university and the California State University (CSU) program over his alleged experiences under Kress with a former transgender colleague in 2023 and 2024. Now, he has a warning for the club’s current players, as well as its new recruiting class.

“I would say be careful… look at the man you just committed to playing for for the next four years. He’s not someone I would want to send my daughter to play with or anyone I know. I wouldn’t send my biggest enemy to play for him,” said Slusser.

Fox News Digital has been provided copies of emails exchanged between SJSU and the former Fairfield player, from a confirmed independent source. Fox News Digital has independently confirmed that he played at Fairfield under Kress during the 1998 season, but is not releasing his name.

That first email he sent to SJSU contained a letter with written allegations against Kress, which was originally sent to Fairfield University. The alleged incident occurred at the hotel after Fairfield’s loss to Clemson in the first round of the 1998 NCAA Tournament in December of that year. He wrote that his colleague asked him to bring a shirt to Kress’ room.

“I told him I wanted no part of his craziness. I was devastated by his loss and didn’t care about his craziness and drunkenness, which was common on the tour.”

The former player added that his teammate “promised Todd that he wouldn’t throw water on me or do anything small so I reluctantly agreed to bring him a shirt.”

“I knocked on the door and Todd answered, he just took caramel from the plastic and smeared it on my face and hair. Then he threw me on the bed by force and held me down. I was scared. He let me go and then he lowered his pants and put his back on my face.

“Surprised… that’s the only word I can think of to describe how I felt at that moment… Todd was drunk. I got up and went to the door.

“Todd grabbed me again, unwrapped me, threw me in the tub where he held me and threatened to turn on the shower while I was asleep so he could ‘wash the caramel off my face.’ At this time I was trying to get away from him.

“Todd let me get out of the bath, laughing, then he stood in front of the door and stopped me from going out. Todd told me that he would only let me go if I took a shot of alcohol, which I did just to get away from the door. One day, I ran through it. He chased me. I went into my room and although he seemed angry and came out, “he came out.

The former player continues to accuse his teammates of “drinking with Todd underage.” He also said that he did not report the incident at the time because “he was afraid of losing his scholarship and the reason why my colleagues lost theirs.”

On Nov. 4, 2024, former SJSU Title IX and Gender Equality Officer Peter Lim reached out to set up a meeting with the former Fairfield player who sent the letter and his attorney.

Amid FALLOUT OF SJSU VOLLEYBALL SCANDAL: ‘THIS IS A VISIBLE PROBLEM’

“Thank you for sharing your concerns about Coach Todd Kress. I am sorry to hear about your experience. I have reviewed your letter and would like to meet with you to better understand your experience with Coach Kress. The purpose of the meeting will be to help me assess possible next steps, which may or may not include an investigation into the reported conduct,” Lim wrote.

Three days later, on November 7, Lim sent another email to the former Fairfield player, thanking him and his lawyer for meeting with them.

“I am deeply sorry for your past experiences with Todd Kress at Fairfield University. I appreciate the time you took to explain that experience, the impact that incident continues to have on you, and the security threat you believe you pose to the SJSU volleyball team,” Lim wrote.

“We’re evaluating the information you’ve provided and determining the appropriate next steps. If it’s okay with both of you, I’d be happy to stay in touch.”

There was no further communication between the two parties after that exchange, Fox News Digital has learned.

Kress went on to lead Slusser, Fleming and the rest of that year’s team until they lost in the conference tournament. He stayed in his position for a year and beyond 2025, as the team missed the conference championship altogether with a losing record, and he’s taken to Instagram in recent days to brag about his recruiting class.

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In her Instagram Stories post Wednesday, Kress shared a post about SJSU being a top university, captioning it, “That’s why we’re bringing in so many amazing Spartans of tomorrow through our recruiting efforts!”

In a post on Thursday, Kress shared a photo of herself with a group of girls playing volleyball, with the caption “Nike All-Skills Camp at SJSU is a wrap. Thanks to everyone who attended and we hope you had a blast!”

Slusser previously told Fox News Digital that Kress, when he hired her in early 2023, encouraged her to live in a house with co-worker Blaire Fleming, without disclosing to Slusser that Fleming is gay. He was made aware of these allegations during the season when he was already at odds with Kress throughout the season.

“It will show that their ultimate goal was to cover up as much as they could,” Slusser said.

“They wanted their way, and if you didn’t agree with them, then they would make your life a living hell, basically. And I mean, that’s what they did to me. So this is more than just a man in our safe spaces or in our group. It’s about the people who let it happen … you can see we’re not going after Blaire. I’m not going to condone personal attacks. I’m not going to let this happen Blaire.

Fox News Digital submitted a public records request seeking copies of conditional documents related to emails exchanged between SJSU and the former Kress player, but the university officially denied the request, saying “the requested communications affect substantial privacy interests.”

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Fox News Digital reached out to Kress, SJSU officials and the university’s legal counsel for the 2024 exchange with a series of questions, but did not receive a response from either party.

Fox News Digital reached out to those groups to respond to Slusser’s statements.