A former player who accused San Jose State University (SJSU) head volleyball coach Todd Kress of assaulting her in a hotel room in 1998 has spoken publicly for the first time, criticizing the university for allowing Kress to remain with the team despite her warnings. The woman, who played for Kress at Fairfield University, said she contacted SJSU officials in October 2024 to report the alleged incident, but the university took no apparent disciplinary action.
«SJSU has known I feared for the safety of the women in the program since October of 2024 and yet they have allowed Todd to continue to coach and travel with the team,» she told Fox News Digital on condition of anonymity. «I informed both Fairfield and SJSU of my 1998 encounter with Todd after reading accounts of young women on the 2024 SJSU team describing his intimidation, coercive, and manipulative behaviors.»
The allegations come amid a broader scandal surrounding the SJSU volleyball program, which was overshadowed in 2024 by a controversy involving transgender athlete Blaire Fleming and teammate Brooke Slusser. Kress has been the head coach at SJSU since 2022, overseeing a team that faced intense media scrutiny and legal battles. The former player said her decision to come forward was motivated by a desire to protect current athletes.
«Why don’t some women come forward after being assaulted by those in positions of power? It’s a fair question. One needs to look no further than the situation at SJSU,» she added.
According to a letter she sent to Fairfield University, which was obtained by Fox News Digital, the alleged assault occurred in December 1998 after Fairfield’s loss to Clemson in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The player said Kress entered her hotel room, smeared caramel on her face and hair, forcibly threw her onto a bed, held her down, and later dragged her into a bathtub where he threatened to turn on the shower. She said he blocked the door and demanded she take a shot of liquor before allowing her to leave, then chased her down the hallway.
«He immediately took caramel from a plastic container and smeared it all over my face and hair. He then forcibly threw me on the bed and held me down. I was in shock,» the letter states. «Todd again grabbed me, picked me up, and threw me into the bathtub where he held me down and threatened to turn on the shower with me laying there to ‘clean the caramel off of my face.’»
Fox News Digital reported on July 7 that SJSU administrators received the woman’s email in October 2024, which included the letter to Fairfield. Emails obtained by Fox News Digital show that SJSU officials acknowledged receipt of the allegations, met with the former player and her lawyer, thanked her for coming forward, and apologized for her experiences. However, a public records request for emails related to any investigation was denied, with SJSU citing privacy exemptions and attorney-client privilege.
«Did SJSU investigate my complaint? They were given information that would have allowed them to corroborate my claims. Their refusal to release their investigative steps and final determination allows for much speculation,» the former player said.
Neither Kress nor SJSU has publicly addressed the allegations since they were first reported two weeks ago. Kress has posted on social media about his new recruiting class during that time. Fox News Digital has sent multiple inquiries to Kress, SJSU, and the California State University system, but none has responded.
Brooke Slusser, who played under Kress for two seasons in 2023 and 2024, told Fox News Digital that she and her teammates were never informed of the allegations last fall. «The school gave us absolutely zero information. This was never brought up once,» Slusser said. Slusser is currently suing SJSU over her own experience playing under Kress and alongside Fleming.
The allegations against Kress have emerged alongside a U.S. Department of Education Title IX investigation into SJSU over the transgender athlete controversy. The investigation found that the university allegedly decided not to suspend or relieve its head volleyball coach during the 2024 season despite Title IX-related complaints against the coach. The findings, which do not name Kress but refer to him as «Coach 2,» note that university officials, including the president, agreed not to suspend him because they felt it would «unduly disrupt the team» and could «spark more media attention.» The investigation did not disclose the nature of those complaints, and it made no mention of the former Fairfield player’s allegations.
The former player said she trusted the system when she reported the incident but now feels let down. «My singular motivation was a hope that in bringing to the attention of school administrators what Todd did to me, they might act to protect young women. I trusted the system and chose to operate without public attention,» she said.
