Key facts
- Former SJSU volleyball player Elle Patterson alleges coach Todd Kress promised a full scholarship that was never granted.
- Patterson's family paid for her first year of tuition out-of-pocket, believing the scholarship would cover subsequent years.
- The scholarship was reportedly denied after her freshman year, with the excuse of an injury.
- Patterson competed for playing time with a transgender athlete, Blaire Fleming, who retained her scholarship despite missing more games due to injury.
- The US Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights is investigating SJSU under Title IX regarding these matters.
- SJSU and the California State University system are suing the federal government to challenge the Title IX investigation.
Elle Patterson, a former volleyball player at San Jose State University (SJSU), has come forward alleging that coach Todd Kress deceived her regarding a full scholarship. Patterson claims Kress promised her a full scholarship when she transferred from Fairfield to SJSU, but she never received it, forcing her family to pay for her first year of tuition. She states Kress told her the scholarship would cover her final three years, but this also did not materialize. Patterson also alleges that she was relegated to a backup role during her freshman season in 2023, competing for playing time with a transgender athlete, Blaire Fleming. Patterson claims Fleming, who also missed games due to injury, was allowed to retain her scholarship while hers was revoked, despite Fleming missing more games. This situation is now part of a federal Title IX investigation by the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights into SJSU. SJSU and the California State University system have filed a lawsuit against the federal government to challenge the findings of the investigation. The investigation's findings reportedly state that SJSU has not provided all requested information. Patterson also shared that she learned of Fleming's biological sex early in the season from an upperclassman, and that another teammate, Brooke Slusser, also lived with Fleming without knowing Fleming was male, leading to Slusser filing a separate lawsuit against SJSU and CSU, in which Patterson is also a plaintiff.