Sports

In the NHL, boozing is out. Edible cannabis and video games are in

Published

1 year ago

January 25, 2025

In the NHL, boozing is out. Edible cannabis and video games are in

In the ruins of an apocalyptic war zone, Mitch Marner is gunning for you. He’s tracked your movements, followed you with precision alongside his Toronto Maple Leafs teammates. Hours after the arena cleared and his day shift is done, the three-time NHL All-Star is locked on his mission and looking for another kill.

Ryan Reaves, the veteran muscle, might be around one corner. Matthew Knies, the fireball future, around another. You probably won’t notice 6-4 Steven Lorentz closing in. And William Nylander’s famous flow won’t give him away.

Though you’ll likely never know it, you’re about to be another casualty of the Leafs postgame routine.

Years ago, you might have encountered members of an NHL team like the Leafs in a more traditional setting after a game — like a bar across the street from Maple Leaf Gardens, or in a private booth in a ritzy club on Toronto’s trendy King Street West. But today, they’re more likely to be in the privacy of their own homes, sitting in front of a screen planning out missions against random “Call Of Duty” opponents over their headsets.

“Usually, I like to get home to my dog, chill for a little bit and then go downstairs and just kind of black out in my own world,” Marner says.

NHL team bonding has moved away from partying in public settings to the quiet privacy of online gaming. At the same time, the drinking culture that was once pervasive across the league is waning while the use of cannabis products is on the upswing.

When The Athletic asked more than three dozen players on different teams whether they use edible marijuana during the season, 38 percent indicated that they did. Because of the sensitivity of the topic, The Athletic agreed not to identify those players.

When Florida Panthers defenseman Nate Schmidt entered the league a decade ago, he says cannabis use by NHL players was unheard of — but partying and boozing were widely accepted.

“If you can’t play hungover in this league, you don’t belong in it,” Schmidt recalls being told several years ago. Today, particularly among a younger generation of players, that’s changed. Few players are willing to show up to the rink feeling the aftereffects of a late night out.

“You show up and guys are 100 percent all the time,” Schmidt says. “You can’t be at 80 percent.”

Nearly every player The Athletic interviewed for this story agreed that partying in the NHL is on the decline.

One NHL veteran forward, who asked not to be named, lamented the demise of alcohol-fueled bonding with his teammates.

“When I came into the league, we were going out for beers the night before games,” he says. In this dramatically altered off-ice landscape, he believes something has been lost: “I think (the NHL) used to be more fun back in the day.”

That sentiment is echoed by others, who say those nights out helped their teams bond.

When one player boarded a flight after a matinee loss, he says he was irritated when he looked up and down the aisles to see only about a third of the guys having a beer or a glass of wine. A decade ago, when he entered the league, he says players commiserated.

“Two beers in the back of every seat on the plane, and that’s just on the flight. Then there would be a couple more in your bag, a couple more on the bus,” says the player, who asked not to be named. “A nice professional buzz before you got back.”

Alcohol softened the blow of a loss and got players opening up to each other about the game. For generations, those booze-fueled evenings were an integral part of NHL life.

Now?

“It’s a lot less,” he says.

Oilers defenseman Troy Stetcher — who was a member of the Arizona Coyotes when The Athletic spoke to him — said if his team had a day off before a road trip years earlier, players would have gathered to hit the town.

On a day off more recently? “We didn’t even practice, and I know some of our younger guys played Xbox in the room for three or four hours,” Stetcher says.

Another NHL veteran describes his shock a few seasons ago when he turned back from a game of cards on a team flight to see one of his younger teammates locked into a VR headset, deeply entrenched in a video game.

“And I was like, ‘What the hell is going on?’” says the defenseman, who asked not to be named so he could speak freely about his teammates.

Other players, however, see this culture shift as a positive. The pressure of playing in the NHL is as intense as ever, and the need for players to unwind remains.

Amid that reality, many players have turned to a substance that was not nearly as prevalent in the NHL a decade ago: marijuana edibles.

Up until a few years ago, cannabis was largely illegal and considered widely taboo in professional sports.

Possession and consumption of cannabis became fully legalized in Canada in October 2018. It is also legal, as a recreational drug or for medical use, in most U.S. cities with NHL teams, but remains illegal in Texas and Tennessee, where the Stars and Predators play. Cannabis is not considered a prohibited substance for NHL players, but if testing reveals concerning levels of any substance, the NHL and NHLPA will refer the player to the joint Players Assistance program.

Because of the continued stigma surrounding the drug, many NHL players expressed hesitation to speak about personal cannabis use. Almost every player who spoke about cannabis use, and many who spoke about the shifting culture in the league, preferred to speak anonymously.

Most players who said they take edible cannabis prefer a mix of THC and CBD, but with a higher dosage of CBD. THC dictates how your brain reacts to cannabis and produces the high commonly associated with cannabis use. CBD does not produce a high but can instead produce relaxing effects and is an anti-inflammatory.

When Schmidt entered the NHL a decade ago, cannabis was frowned upon. Today, he says he’s happy to see that legal barriers and societal pressures have dissipated, though most players still are uncomfortable speaking about it publicly.

“For younger players, the stigma has disappeared,” Schmidt says. “For older players it hasn’t.”

One older NHL player who uses edible cannabis after games says he keeps his use as private as possible by getting the product directly from a friend’s company. He asked to be anonymous out of concern about potential ramifications of cannabis use.

Like many players today, he’s well-versed in the potential dangers of abusing prescription drugs or alcohol to address pain or anxiety.

“I was also heavily addicted to sleeping pills back in the day, addicted to Ambien, too. I was going down a bad path. It was bad for a couple years, I had to get away from it,” the player says. “It wasn’t worth what it was doing to my body and how I was feeling after taking them.”

During Ryan VandenBussche’s career in the late 1990s and 2000s, there was much less awareness. The former enforcer cycled through the use of Perocet to numb pain and Sudafed to get hyped up before a game. He’d wash it all down with a beer. Later, when he couldn’t sleep, he’d take Ambien.

“The culture was numbing,” he says. “You’re playing hard, you’re going balls to the wall. And off the ice, we had to recover. We did what we were told.”

Ryan VandenBussche (left) draws a distinction between the way things were when he played to today’s NHL. (Grant Halverson / Getty Images)

VandenBussche, who now works in the cannabis industry and promotes the use of plant-based medicines to athletes, says players today are much more concerned about what they are putting into their bodies.

“I think a lot of players are just more educated,” he says. “They’re making better decisions overall compared to what, you know, we were doing 15, 20 years ago.”

Riley Cote, a former NHL player and current mindfulness teacher, also has seen a huge shift since his career in the 2000s. During his playing days, there were always players on his teams who used cannabis in some form, he says. But today there is much more focus on the precision and intent for how it is being used.

After he retired in 2010, Cote spent seven seasons as an AHL assistant coach and says he witnessed players go from drinking beers on the bus after a game to infusing their peanut butter and coconut oil with cannabis.

“There’s a lot of mindfulness that goes into this. Players are wise enough and have done their research to know what it’s going to do for their recovery, sleep and performance,” Cote says. “This is a different way of managing the daily grind and the stresses that come with NHL life.”

One young player who uses edible marijuana says he was in the middle of a stretch of six games in 12 days, with half of those games on the road. Coupled with the travel and intense schedule is the physical toll that comes with playing a contact sport.

Depending on where an NHL team plays, it’s not uncommon for teams to return home at 3 a.m. after a game.

One player, who asked not to be named, says edible cannabis allows him to “disconnect.” Several players agreed.

Relaxing after an adrenaline-filled and pressure-packed game can be challenging. “Your mind is racing,” Schmidt says. “You’re replaying everything you’ve done, you’re replaying everything you could have done.”

While Schmidt says he does not use cannabis, he has heard from past teammates about its benefits. They tell him, “it’s a much less invasive way of unwinding.”

For those players who do use cannabis, the rigorous travel schedule is a complication. Every player surveyed says they don’t travel with the substance, so acquiring it can be tricky.

Some players say they lean on friends or acquaintances who own cannabis production companies to supply them directly. Others prefer the convenience of ordering directly from various online retailers. The ease of delivery services allows cannabis orders to arrive directly to hotel rooms.

“It’s like DoorDash,” one player says of his cannabis ordering experience.

It’s part of the wider trend amongst NHL players toward downtime spent behind closed doors. This cultural shift is real. “The new generation has changed the mentality,” Maple Leafs forward Ryan Reaves says.

Matthew Knies, a 22-year-old forward with the Leafs, says his generation — and the generations to come — are much more accustomed to life online.

“It’s technology, how much it’s advanced and how easy it is to live a virtual life instead of a real one,” Knies says.

Buffalo Sabres 23-year-old forward Peyton Krebs — part of the NHL’s youngest team by average age — says it’s not uncommon for at least five players on the team to bring video game consoles on road trips.

“We’ll all go out for dinner, but then guys will generally go back to their rooms to play video games,” Krebs says.

Peyton Krebs (19) says video gaming can include plenty of interpersonal communication. (Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)

But Krebs says players still communicate within the game or via specific group chats. It’s not, in his view, antisocial, just a different kind of socializing.

“You just have to be more open,” one veteran Eastern Conference defenseman says. “I’ll try to drag guys out of their comfort zone, and then I’ll play video games with them.”

In part, Marner attributes the lack of public partying to the fishbowl reality of the social media age. It’s difficult for players to gather in a public place without being noticed.

“Every time you go somewhere, there is usually a phone or camera coming out snapping photos of you undercover,” Marner says.

Colton Sissons, a 31-year-old forward for the Nashville Predators, has also noticed the trend. “Going out and drinking in the NHL just for the sake of drinking … it’s way less,” he says.

Those players, Sisson and others agree, are focused on their health.

“You’ve got to be more on top of taking care of yourself, recovering your sleep,” Leafs forward Max Domi says. “There’s a large population of pro athletes who are just so invested in their bodies now that if you’re one of those guys that doesn’t, you get left behind.”

One player has a simple reason for cutting back on booze: “It’s not worth it. I don’t enjoy feeling like s—.”

Veteran Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Alec Martinez believes COVID played a big role in changing how players interact socially. As the NHL tried to operate through the pandemic, players were often restricted from going to bars.

“I guess guys just got in the habit of staying in,” Martinez says.

Many veterans believe young players who began in the league from 2020 to 2022 may have gotten comfortable spending time alone in their hotel rooms.

“It’s almost like there hasn’t been enough time for things to really reverse,” Martinez says.

And that likely isn’t going to change anytime soon.

“When I came into the league, the older guys would grab us, force us to come out,” says an NHL veteran who asked not to be named. “There’s less and less of that now. With young guys, there’s more of them saying ‘No, I’m set. I’m just going to stay in and order room service.’”

When younger players do go out with their teammates, the bill looks much different than it might have several years ago.

“I took a few of our younger guys out for dinner the other night,” one veteran Eastern Conference defenseman says, “and I was the only one having any alcohol.”

When he was a young player, VandenBussche remembers bonding with his teammates after morning practices by going for lunch, then sometimes going to a bar to play pool all afternoon.

“Before you know it, you’re three sheets to the wind,” he says. “But it was team building … when you were a young guy, you’d get to know your team by going out with them and doing team things — and a lot of what we did back then was drinking.”

The decrease in those alcohol-fueled outings has some veterans concerned about what the future of NHL team-bonding looks like.

One player on a team that has been on multiple deep playoff runs sees a correlation between large team get-togethers and on-ice success.

“A lot of times, the camaraderie you have on the plane, going out for big dinners, we have a lot of that and a lot of that is undervalued leaguewide,” the player says.

Yet as the league continues to skew younger, what past generations valued could fade further away. If that means unwinding in a more solitary manner, so be it.

As one player put it: “We have bigger goals to accomplish than to just go drinking beers.”

(Illustration: Eamonn Dalton / The Athletic. Photos: iStock; Ethan Cairns and Robin Alam / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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Sports

Italy win over Mexico sends Team USA to WBC quarterfinals

Published

4 hours ago

March 12, 2026

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Italy win over Mexico sends Team USA to WBC quarterfinals

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Team USA can breathe a sigh of relief, and they can thank Team Italy, the squad that put their World Baseball Classic hopes in limbo, after their win over Team Mexico on Tuesday night.

With Italy’s 9-1 victory at Daikin Park, they have won Pool B with a perfect 4-0 record and earned a spot in the WBC quarterfinals.

But Italy also ensured that Team USA’s run in the tournament continues despite handing the star-studded group a shocking 8-6 defeat on Monday night.

Vinnie Pasquantino of Italy hits a solo home run in the 6th inning against Mexico during the 2026 World Baseball Classic – Pool B at Daikin Park on March 11, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Houston Astros/Getty Images)

Team USA knew going into this game they would be big fans of Italy, one of the more surprising teams of the tournament thus far, but a thrill to watch. They have the fun espresso home run celebration, which has been used a ton including Tuesday night’s game, and a mixture of veterans and top prospects who have been giving their pool fits on the field.

However, Vinnie Pasquantino, the team’s captain who stars for the Kansas City Royals, came into this contest without a single hit through three games. Luckily for Italy – and indirectly the U.S. – his first three hits of the tournament were difference makers.

Pasquantino belted three solo home runs in the win, marking the first time in WBC history that a player went yard three times in a single game.

TEAM USA’S WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC HOPES TAKE MASSIVE HIT WITH ITALY UPSET

He got Team Italy on the board first in the top of the second, hitting a 342-foot blast to right field. Then, in the top of the sixth inning, he hit a towering shot that stayed fair down the right field line to take a free trip around the bases again.

As he stepped to the plate in the top of the eighth inning, Pasquantino, already two espresso shots deep after his first two longballs, got just enough to get it over the right-field fence one last time.

Jon Berti of the Italy reacts after hitting a solo home run in the fourth inning against Mexico during the 2026 World Baseball Classic – Pool B at Daikin Park on March 11, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Houston Astros/Getty Images)

But, just like the other three games, there wasn’t only one Italy hitter showcasing his power. Jon Berti, who has had a great tournament thus far, made use of the Crawford boxes in left field, hitting one just far enough in the top of the fourth inning to extend Italy’s lead to 2-0.

Meanwhile, Mexico couldn’t get the bats going against veteran hurler Aaron Nola, the reliable Philadelphia Phillies starter who had his patented knuckle-curve working in Houston. He tossed five innings, allowing just four hits while striking out five over 69 pitches.

The game started to get away from Mexico, too, in the top of the fifth inning, when nine-hitter Dante Nori dropped a perfect sacrifice bunt that scored Pasquantino’s Royals teammate, Jac Caglianone, to make it a 3-0 game. Then, Miami Marlins outfielder Jakob Marsee came in clutch with a two-out, bases-loaded single that scored two runners before he was picked off at first base to end the inning.

With a 7-0 lead, Mexico, facing desperation, saw some offensive life in the bottom of the seventh with bases loaded and no outs. But after Alek Thomas’ groundout to first, and Rowdy Tellez hitting a liner right at Pasquantino for the second out, Jarren Duran struck out as they were only able to get one run out of a potentially game-changing situation.

Vinnie Pasquantino of Italy runs the bases after hitting a home run in the sixth inning against Mexico during the 2026 World Baseball Classic between Italy and Mexico at Daikin Park on March 11, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images)

Pasquantino’s third home run flipped momentum right back to Team Italy, and they rode it into the final frame where they sealed victory.

As Italy soars into the quarterfinals, Mexico is eliminated as their players will head back to their respective big league camps to finish out spring training.

Team USA’s quarterfinal matchup will be against Team Canada, the winners of Pool A, at 8 p.m. ET in Daikin Park on March 13.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.

Sports

High school baseball and softball: Wednesday’s scores

Published

5 hours ago

March 12, 2026

Press Room

HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL, SOFTBALL SCORES
Wednesday’s Results

BASEBALL

CITY SECTION
Bell 4, San Pedro 0
Carson 7, Granada Hills 5
Chatsworth 1, Sylmar 0
East Valley 15, Panorama 4
Hollywood 12, RFK Community 4
LA Wilson 26, Contreras 0
Locke 22, Animo Venice 2
Monroe 3, Eagle Rock 1
Rancho Cucamonga 5, Huntington Park 0
San Fernando 9, Cleveland 5
SOCES 12, Northridge Academy 2
South Gate 22, Marquez 0

SOUTHERN SECTION
Alemany 6, Crespi 0
Arlington 5, Liberty 0
Arroyo 4, Rio Hondo Prep 0
Beckman 8, Tustin 0
Bellflower 12, Paramount 1
Beverly Hills 6, Shalhevet 0
Bonita 8, Santa Fe 0
Burbank Providence 14, Santa Monica Pacifica Christian 1
Campbell Hall 21, Grant 1
Cantwell-Sacred Heart 8, Bishop Montgomery 6
Carpinteria 5, Nordhoff 4
Castaic 10, Saugus 9
Century 4, Laguna Hills 3
Chino Hills 16, Riverside Prep 7
Claremont 7, Charter Oak 4
Coachella Valley 6, Banning 5
Dana Hills 8, Great Oak 6
Desert Hot Springs 7, Desert Christian Academy 3
Eastvale Roosevelt 14, Patriot 0
El Rancho 4, Whittier 0
El Segundo 3, Wiseburn-Da Vinci 1
Elsinore 3, Maranatha Christian 2
Etiwanda 4, Rancho Cucamonga 1
Fullerton 19, Segerstrom 2
Glendora 4, Downey 1
Grace 10, Oak Park 0
Hart 15, Canyon Country Canyon 2
Harvard-Westlake 6, Sierra Canyon 0
Hemet 3, Canyon Springs 2
Highland 7, Palmdale 1
Hueneme 8, Fillmore 0
Huntington Beach 13, Edison 3
Irvine University 13, St. Margaret’s 0
Knight 10, Eastside 7
Lakeside 3, Orange Vista 2
Lakewood 14, Westminster 1
Lancaster 13, Antelope Valley 0
La Serna 12, California 2
La Sierra 11, San Gorgonio 0
Linfield Christian 5, Murrieta Valley 2
Long Beach Cabrillo 6, Bosco Tech 4
Long Beach Poly 7, Cerritos 6
Los Alamitos 9, Fountain Valley 5
Loyola 8, Chaminade 0
Miller 13, Norte Vista 4
Mira Costa 6, Torrance 4
Moreno Valley 14, Heritage 2
Murrieta Mesa 8, Fallbrook 4
Newport Beach 11, Marina 2
Nogales 5, Baldwin Park 4
Norco 3, Gahr 0
North Torrance 12, New Roads 3
Northwood 5, Irvine 3
Paloma Valley 7, Riverside Poly 6
Pioneer 14, El Monte 1
Quart Hill 17, Littlerock 0
Rancho Alamitos 20, Garden Grove Santiago 15
Rancho Christian 13, Hillcrest 0
Rancho Mirage 2, Beaumont 1
Rancho Verde 7, Riverside Notre Dame 2
Redlands Adventist 13, Desert Chapel 3
Riverside King 10, Riverside North 3
San Clemente 7, Vista Murrieta 3
Santa Monica 3, Newbury Park 1
Santa Paula 12, Malibu 1
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 6, St. Francis 2
South Torrance 5, Peninsula 4
St. John Bosco 11, Damien 0
Sunny Hills 5, Orange 1
Thousand Oaks 11, Camarillo 1
Upland 5, Santa Ana Calvary Chapel 1
Valley View 7, Citrus Hill 1
Vista del Lago 13, Perris 9
West Covina 15, Rosemead 5
West Ranch 15, Golden Valley 1
Woodbridge 3, Laguna Beach 2
Woodcrest Christian 11, Rialto 2

INTERSECTIONAL
Campbell Hall 21, Grant 1
United Christian Academy 14, Public Safety Academy
West Torrance 7, Venice 1

SOFTBALL

CITY SECTION
Birmingham 25, SOCES 0
Eagle Rock 9, Cleveland 5
Fairfax 22, Contreras 21
Franklin 8, Orthopaedic 4
LA Wilson 18, Narbonne 10
Marquez 5, Port of LA 4
Middle College 33, Discovery 15
Newbury Park 17, Van Nuys 0
Sun Valley Poly 9, Taft 3
West Adams 17, RFK Community 2

SOUTHERN SECTION
Agoura 3, Oak Park 0
Arroyo 15, Rowland 12
Azusa 14, Garey 3
Baldwin Park 20, Nogales 8
Buena 30, Hueneme 1
Buena Park 14, Loara 4
Chaparral 19, Woodrest Christian 6
Claremont 7, Chino 3
Colony 23, Fontana 0
Colton 12, University Prep 0
Corona Santiago 17, San Dimas 16
CSDR 18, Indian Springs 17
Desert Hot Springs 18, Desert Christian Academy 8
Eastvale Roosevelt 8, Arlington 1
Flintridge Sacred Heart 7, Flintridge Prep 5
Glendora 10, Muir 2
Huntington Park 7, Gahr 3
Lakeside 29, California Military Institute 2
Lakewood 6, Hemet 3
Lawndale 33, Hoover 10
Los Osos 8, Northview 1
Lynwood 17, Animo Leadership 5
Maranatha 8, Culver City 6
Monrovia 15, West Covina 5
Ocean View 12, Westminster La Quinta 2
Orange 22, Godinez Fundamental 5
Pacific 14, Norte Vista 10
Paloma Valley 8, San Jacinto 0
Patriot 8, Canyon Springs 1
Peninsula 27, Beverly Hills 2
Rancho Cucamonga 30, Miller 1
Redondo Union 25, Long Beach Jordan 0
Riverside Poly 13, Orange Vista 3
RSCSM 28, Noli Indian 3
San Bernardino 12, Visa del Lago 2
San Juan Hills 3, Capistrano Valley 2
Sierra Vista 12, Duarte 6
Southlands Christian 9, El Monte 7
Temescal Canyon 10, Murrieta Valley 9
Tesoro 5, Northwood 4
Vasquez 15, Westridge 4
Western Christian 16, Summit 5
Yucaipa 14, Liberty 9

INTERSECTIONAL
Animo Watts 13, Locke 3
El Camino Real 7, La Canada 3
Newbury Park 17, Van Nuys 0
Palos Verdes 8, San Pedro 0
Pasadena Marshall 18, Fulton 1
Santa Monica 2, Carson 1
South Torrance 8, Venice 2
United Christian Academy 22, Public Safety Academy 0
West Torrance 9, Wilmington Banning 2
Wilmington Banning 10, Wiseburn-Da Vinci 0

Sports

Brooke Slusser sparks liberal social media meltdown by speaking about SJSU transgender volleyball scandal

Published

16 hours ago

March 11, 2026

Press Room

Brooke Slusser sparks liberal social media meltdown by speaking about SJSU transgender volleyball scandal

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Left-wing social media users launched a volley of insults at 23-year-old Brooke Slusser in recent days.

In response, dozens of high-profile women’s rights activists have come to the former San Jose State University volleyball player’s defense.

Slusser has addressed the critics herself in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“I would just say people that don’t know my life or my trauma don’t have room to say how good or bad my time at SJSU was. I hope they never have to understand going through something as awful as that,” she said.

She has also acknowledged the responses in a series of TikTok posts, as she has become more active on the platform this week to speak about her alleged experience at SJSU.

The online hate campaign started after Slusser shared details about living arrangements in the same apartment with transgender volleyball teammate Blaire Fleming while at San Jose State university, in an interview with Fox News Digital.

During the interview, she said, “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,” and alleged SJSU volleyball coach Todd Kress encouraged her to live in the same apartment as the trans teammate when another group of players were also looking for a final tenant.

The fallout of the interview has prompted high-profile activists, lawmakers and even an actor to speak out, taking a side behind or against Slusser.

Many critics echoed the sentiment that “nothing bad” happened to Slusser, despite the fact that the anxiety from the situation ultimately led to her developing an eating disorder and not being able to complete her college degree.

Former “Glee” actor Kevin McHale even appeared to mock Slusser’s appearance.

A coalition of “save women’s sports” activists rushed to Slusser’s defense, with OutKick host Riley Gaines, XX-XY Athletics founder Jennifer Sey, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., women’s tennis legend Martina Navratilova and former ESPN star Sage Steele leading the charge to defend Slusser from the pro-trans detractors.

“Brooke has every right to feel violated. This is a violation of her personal space and boundaries. She was lied to. She would not have agreed to room with or play with a man,” Sey wrote in response to one critic.

Navratilova wrote in response to that same critic, “Brooke has every right to be mad. Try again with the punishment wish…”

Slusser finds herself at the center of a sports culture war flashpoint at a time when the conflict over her school’s handling of her transgender former teammate has reached a political impasse.

‘HORRIBLE’ MOMENTS EXPOSED FOR UNR VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS WHEN THEY WERE ROPED INTO THE SJSU TITLE IX SCANDAL

After the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) announced at the end of January that an investigation into the university for its handling of a trans athlete and other players concluded that the school violated Title IX, SJSU and the California State University system declined to resolve the violation.

Instead, SJSU President Cynthia Teniente-Matson announced Friday that the school and the California State University (CSU) system are suing the federal government to challenge the investigation.

“Because we believe OCR’s findings aren’t grounded in the facts or the law, SJSU and the CSU filed a lawsuit today against the federal government to challenge those findings and prevent the federal government from taking punitive action against the university, including the potential withholding of critical federal funding,” Teniente-Matson said Friday.

“This is not a step we take lightly. However, we have a responsibility to defend the integrity of our institution and the rule of law, while ensuring that every member of our community is treated fairly and in accordance with the law. Our position is simple: We have followed the law and cannot be punished for doing so.”

The school is also requesting that OCR rescind its findings and close its investigation.

Teniente-Matson affirmed the university’s commitment to defending the LGBTQ community in the announcement.

“Our support for the LGBTQ members of our community, who have experienced threats and harms over the last several years, remains unwavering. We know the attention the university has received around this issue and the investigative process that followed have been unsettling for many in our community,” the university president said.

Among ED’s findings, it determined that a female athlete discovered that the trans student allegedly conspired to have a member of an opposing team spike her in the face during a match. The department claims “SJSU did not investigate the conspiracy, but later subjected the female athlete to a Title IX complaint for ‘misgendering’ the male athlete in online videos and interviews.”

Slusser alleged in a November 2024 lawsuit against the Mountain West that she and former assistant coach Melissa Batie-Smoose were made aware of a meeting between Fleming and Colorado State women’s volleyball player Malaya Jones on Oct. 2, 2024, during which Fleming discussed a plan with Jones to have Slusser spiked in the face during a match the following night.

Slusser’s own lawsuit partially survived motions to dismiss last week as well.

Colorado District Judge Kato Crews dismissed all the plaintiffs’ charges against the Mountain West Conference but did not dismiss charges of Title IX violations against the CSU system.

Crews deferred his ruling on whether to dismiss those charges until after a decision in the ongoing B.P.J. v. West Virginia Supreme Court case, which is expected in June.

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Brooke Slusser #10 and Blaire Fleming #3 of the San Jose State Spartans call a play during the first set against the Air Force Falcons at Falcon Court at East Gym on October 19, 2024 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. (Andrew Wevers/Getty Images)

The CSU provided a statement to Fox News Digital in response to Crews’ ruling.

“CSU is pleased with the court’s ruling. SJSU has complied with Title IX and all applicable law, and it will continue to do so,” the statement said.

The outcomes of the lawsuits by and against SJSU on this issue could ultimately set a consequential precedent for the future of women’s sports in America.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Jackson Thompson is a sports reporter for Fox News Digital covering critical political and cultural issues in sports, with an investigative lens. Jackson’s reporting has been cited in federal government actions related to the enforcement of Title IX, and in legacy media outlets including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Associated Press and ESPN.com.