West
Mountain West closes investigation into allegations against San Jose State trans player without discipline
The Mountain West Conference has said it conducted an investigation into allegations of conspiracy by players on San Jose State and Colorado State’s volleyball teams and closed it without assigning any discipline.
In a letter addressed to San Jose State athletic director Jeff Konya and Colorado State athletic director John Weber, obtained by Fox News Digital, Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Nevarez says the conference did not find sufficient evidence to confirm the claims in a recent Title IX complaint. The complaint alleged San Jose State transgender player Blaire Fleming conspired with a player on Colorado State to influence the outcome of the game, and have Fleming’s teammate Brooke Slusser hit in the face with a ball during that game.
The letter did not address allegations in a recent lawsuit that provided further contest on this incident, nor did it address the notion that there was a conspiracy to have Slusser hit in the face. The letter simply refers to all the allegations listed in the complaint as “manipulation of the competition.”
The complaint included allegations that volleyball student-athletes from Colorado State University (CSU) and San José State University (SJSU) conspired to engage in manipulation of the competition during the SJSU vs. CSU volleyball match played October 2, 2024, in Fort Collins, Colorado. Upon receipt of this information, the Mountain West Conference office, in coordination with both member institutions, immediately initiated a thorough investigation into these serious assertions,” the letter read.
Nevarez says the conference’s investigation included interviews with head coaches and student-athletes initiated by both institutions. However, the letter does not specifically state which individuals had been interviewed. Fox News Digital has reached out to the conference for clarity on that list of individuals, but has not received a response.
The conference also claims its investigation included review of the match video by both head coaches, review of the match video and statistical analysis by multiple third-party volleyball subject matter experts engaged by the conference and multiple interviews conducted by a third-party investigator engaged by the Conference in consultation with the Mountain West’s legal counsel.
The conference claims any evidence to back the claims was insufficient. However, the letter does not explicitly state that the allegations are false.
“Upon review and evaluation of the extensive information gathered during the investigation, there is insufficient evidence to corroborate the allegations of misconduct related to the SJSU vs. CSU volleyball competition played October 2, 2024. As a result, the Conference office has determined no disciplinary action is warranted and considers this matter closed,” it read.
The initial Tile IX complaint was filed by suspended San Jose State assistant head coach Melissa Batie-Smoose on October 29. Batie-Smoose was suspended shortly after the complaint was filed, to the dismay of Slusser and many other players on the team.
INSIDE SAN JOSE STATE’S POLICE BATTLE TO PROTECT WOMEN’S ATHLETES THREATENED BY A TRANSGENDER CULTURE WAR
Then, Batie-Smoose, Slusser and other current and former players on the team and across the Mountain West filed a lawsuit against the conference and San Jose State that provided further context on the allegations.
San Jose State volleyball player Chandler Manusky is quoted in the lawsuit recounting an incident in early October, when she and other teammates, including the trans athlete, violated team rules by sneaking out of the team hotel the night before a match against Colorado State. Manusky claimed to have then learned about an alleged plan by player Blaire Fleming to ensure San Jose State would lose the match and set up Colorado State player Malaya Jones to spike Slusser in the face during a match on Oct. 3.
“Manusky said that at Jones’ residence Fleming had shared with Jones the scouting for the CSU-FC game and they had discussed Fleming ‘throw[ing] the game’ and how they would set up Jones to ‘blow up’ Slusser and ‘blast’ her in the face during the game,” the court documents read.
“Manusky also said that Fleming stated, ‘I’m going to leave center court open,’ which would allow Malaya Jones to have a wide-open shot to try to ‘blow up Slusser,’ i.e., to try to hit Brooke Slusser in the face with the ball.”
The documents allege Manusky confronted head coach Todd Kress and currently-suspended assistant coach Melissa Batie-Smoose about the incident. Manusky claims she was crying as she begged them not to tell Fleming that she had come forward with the story. Kress is alleged to have told Batie-Smoose that he believed the story was not true.
“Kress told Batie-Smoose he did not believe Manusky and thought she had made up the entire story so she would not get in trouble for leaving the team hotel,” the documents read.
Slusser previously told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview that she was made aware of Fleming’s alleged plan and believes she has been treated unfairly by the university, arguing the university has not done enough to investigate the matter.
“If this was me, and I was the one threatening to do this to my teammate who’s caused so much commotion, there would have been action taken immediately,” Slusser said. “I was definitely very angry, and I was glad at first to know that it was already made aware to the coaching staff and compliance and everyone, but I don’t know if that made me feel any differently, I was just angry because I didn’t think someone would go to these lengths.”
“Threatening to want to hurt one of your own teammates, I just feel like there’s so many things in that whole conversation that would make a school want to get it dealt with.”
In the first game since the lawsuit was filed, San Jose State beat Colorado State in the rematch of the game on Saturday. Fleming had the game-winning serve and was swarmed by the other Spartan players in celebration, including Slusser and Manusky.
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San Francisco, CA
Pregnant woman shot while in San Francisco Bret Harte area; suspect at-large
San Francisco police said a pregnant woman was shot Tuesday afternoon while she was in the Bret Harte area.
The shooting happened around 2:13 p.m. on the 1100 block of Hollister Avenue.
Police said officers arrived at the scene and learned that the woman was shot in the stomach. San Francisco Fire said she was taken to the hospital but was conscious and able to walk.
Police said they searched the area for the shooter but have not found anyone.
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 415-575-4444.
Denver, CO
Denver International Airport Unveils Secret Holiday Pop-Up Bar for 2024
If you enjoy Christmas with the same enthusiasm as Buddy the Elf, you’re probably no stranger to the twinkly, tinsel-draped holiday pop-up bars serving eggnog in kitschy Santa mugs while Mariah Carey tunes play on repeat. But now sidling up to a Santa-themed bar can be a part of your holiday travel plans if you happen to be flying through the Mile High City this year: Denver International Airport claims to be the first ever airport to create a holiday pop-up bar.
Ahead of the busy holiday travel season—and decked to the nines with super-sized holiday inflatables, red and green lights, and Christmas trees—Santa’s Layover Lounge just opened. But you’ve got to know where to look for this somewhat hidden holiday bar: It’s hovering above Concourse B on the airport’s mezzanine level where there are no gates, but a collection of restaurants and shops. (If you’re headed to your gate, you might spot the candy cane and ornament inflatables hung from the rafters and the “Sleigh the Layover” sign.
The holiday lounge, a partnership between DEN and Skyport Hospitality, will be open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m daily until Jan. 5, 2025.
“We’re always looking for ways to create surprises for passengers—things that are unexpected in an airport,” Stacey Stegman, head of communications at Denver International Airport, said in an interview at the pop-up bar. “We want people to walk through and go ‘Wow’ I didn’t know I could see that an airport.”
Santa’s Layover Lounge is temporarily taking over the Lounge 5280 Wine Bar. The pop-up serves flatbread pizzas named after Santa’s reindeer as well as a holiday turkey sandwich with cranberry jam and gravy and a butternut squash soup with chopped bacon and croutons.
As for the drinks, you bet there’s punny cocktails like the Pa Rum Pa Rum Punch and the Polar Expresso Martini. Some of the cocktails headlining the holiday menu are spiked with local liquors, like a gingerbread old fashioned made with Family Jones rye whiskey and a Mule-tide Carol with Breckenridge Distillery’s Bourbon, cranberry juice, orange bitters and ginger ale.
For kids (and those with a sweet tooth), the Ghirardelli hot chocolate bar comes stocked with sweet additions like peppermint, gingerbread, or caramel syrup as well as toppings like candy cane pieces, mini marshmallows, Butterfinger candy pieces, and red-and-green sprinkles.
With 77.8 million passengers passing through Denver International Airport annually, the airport ranks as the No. 6 on the list of the busiest airports in the world. While holiday travel can no doubt be stressful, Stegman says she hopes the airport’s fun-spirited bar creates joy for passengers.
“We’ve seen a lot of Christmas bars in downtown areas, but you’ve never before seen one at an airport and what better way to ease the stress and anxiety of travel than to create this space where people can take a breather and enjoy the holiday spirit,” Stegman says.
In past years, Denver International Airport has become creative with its holiday programming by operating an ice skating rink. The rink isn’t open this year, but holiday decor, piano players playing holiday music in the Great Hall, and wandering carolers dressed in old fashioned outfits and appearances by Santa.
Skyport Hospitality is partnering with the Make-A-Wish Foundation and is matching every guest contribution dollar-for-dollar, up to $5,000.
Traveling this holiday season? Here’s 10 tips for travel experts to make your holiday travels go smoothly.
Seattle, WA
Seattle Mariners have a new TV situation, according to The Athletic
There will be changes coming to Seattle Mariners television broadcasts, though what that means for viewers is yet to be known.
According to The Athletic’s Evan Drellich, the Mariners are set to become the eighth team under MLB’s “in-house broadcasting group.”
M’s legends Ichiro, Félix among new names on Baseball HOF ballot
Does this mean TV broadcasts of Mariners games will be available beyond subscribing to a cable provider that includes ROOT Sports? That answer isn’t clear. But it does make the possibility of tuning in Mariners games in a different format more likely than before.
The Mariners have an arrangement “unique to the rest” of the teams under MLB’s broadcasting arm, according to an article by Drellich published Tuesday.
“It’s just complicated because they have distribution agreements that ran longer,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said of the Mariners, per Drellich’s article. “We’ll do the production for them, not clear how much more.”
This bit of news was just a small part of a much larger report by Drellich on MLB’s long-term TV broadcasting plans.
Seven other MLB teams will have MLB Media serve as their 2025 television broadcaster, most having come to MLB Media after Diamond Sports Media declared bankruptcy. The league is angling towards new national TV packages in 2028, according to Drellich’s report, and the MLB’s effort to pull that off will only be helped by having as many teams under its own broadcasting umbrella as possible.
ROOT Sports Northwest has been the longtime home of Mariners TV broadcasts. The Mariners initially owned a 71% stake in the regional sports television network beginning in 2013, but has owned 100% of the channel since Jan. 1, 2024.
One change that is known for the Mariners on TV in 2025 is that play-by-play broadcaster Dave Sims will no longer be a part of the announce team after he became the new radio voice of the New York Yankees last week.
Seattle Mariners offseason coverage
• Drayer’s Rebuttal: Why Mariners shouldn’t trade a starting pitcher
• Mariners Odds & Ends: Could Seattle reunite with former prospect?
• What would a Roki Sasaki signing mean for Mariners?
• Drayer: The legacy Dave Sims leaves in Seattle
• Why All-Star Alec Bohm makes sense as a Seattle Mariners target
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