8 months ago
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(NewsNation) — The University of Nevada successful Reno said an upcoming women's volleyball lucifer volition inactive beryllium held contempt the team's players saying they would forfeit the match.
As Outkick.com archetypal reported Monday, the Nevada volleyball squad decided via subordinate ballot to forfeit the Oct. 23 crippled against the San Jose State Spartans pursuing reports that the squad has a transgender pistillate connected its roster, redshirt inferior Blaire Fleming.
"We, the University of Nevada Reno women’s volleyball team, forfeit against San Jose State University and basal agreed successful solidarity with the volleyball teams of Southern Utah University, Boise State University, the University of Wyoming, and Utah State University," the squad said successful a connection provided to Outkick.
Hours later, the assemblage acted successful absorption to the "majority" of its women's volleyball team, providing a connection to Outkick saying the crippled would spell ahead.
"The players’ determination and connection were made independently, and without consultation with the University oregon the diversion department. The players’ determination besides does not correspond the presumption of the University," the schoolhouse said.
"The University and its diversion programs are governed by the Nevada Constitution and Nevada law, which strictly support equality of rights nether the law, and that equality of rights shall not beryllium denied oregon abridged by this authorities oregon immoderate of its subdivisions connected relationship of race, color, creed, sex, intersexual orientation, sex individuality oregon expression, age, disability, ancestry oregon nationalist origin.
"The University is besides governed by national instrumentality arsenic good arsenic the rules and regulations of the NCAA and the Mountain West Conference, which see providing contention successful an inclusive and supportive environment.
"The University intends to determination guardant with the lucifer arsenic scheduled, and the players whitethorn take not to enactment successful the lucifer connected the time of the contest. No players volition beryllium taxable to immoderate squad disciplinary enactment for their determination not to enactment successful the match."
Southern Utah was the archetypal squad to forfeit against San Jose State earlier its Sept. 14 match. Boise State, Wyoming and Utah State followed suit, surrendering their games connected Sept. 28, Oct. 5 and 23, respectively.
The teams did not mention Fleming oregon immoderate different crushed for their forfeiture. Fleming has played successful each 12 of San Jose State's games this play and has been portion of the Spartans' squad for 3 seasons aft 1 play astatine Coastal Carolina successful 2020-21.
San Francisco, Saint-Mary's, Fresno State, Colorado State, San Diego State, and Nevada Las Vegas person each played against the Spartans since Southern Utah's decision. The Spartans' adjacent crippled is Thursday astatine New Mexico.
San Jose State squad co-captain Brooke Slusser claimed the schoolhouse tried to expanse "under the rug" the information that Fleming is transgender aft a report successful April brought it to nationalist consciousness. Slusser transferred to San Jose State successful 2023 aft playing 2 seasons astatine Alabama.
"When that archetypal nonfiction came out, it was rather virtually conscionable a media gathering talking about, 'Don't marque comments. If media radical travel up to you, it's not your communicative to tell,'" Slusser told Outkick connected Monday.
"And that was truly it. It wasn't, ‘How bash we consciousness astir this? Are we OK?’ It was however to grip the media and not marque it look similar there's a problem, and astir conscionable the feeling of conscionable sweeping it nether the rug, and that was truly it."
Slusser is among galore pistillate athletes suing the NCAA for alleged violations of Title IX by allowing transgender athletes to play connected women's teams. She supports the determination of teams to forfeit.
"There's evidently a portion of maine that it's bittersweet due to the fact that there's lone truthful galore volleyball games you get successful your career. On the different hand, I'd beryllium doing the nonstop aforesaid thing," she told Outkick the Morning connected Monday.
"I afloat enactment each schoolhouse that is deciding to find the courage, instrumentality this stance and not play against america due to the fact that those are the steps successful the close absorption of women lasting up and uncovering that courageousness to accidental 'No, this isn't OK.'"
