Por Renan Filho · 2026-10-22**Lead**
A former assistant coach of the San José State University (SJSU) women's volleyball team has come forward with explosive allegations, claiming that a transgender athlete on the roster failed a testosterone level test during the 2024 season — and that the result was kept “secret” from the rest of the team and coaching staff. The accusation, first reported by independent journalist Anna Slatz and later corroborated by multiple outlets, has reignited the national debate over transgender participation in women’s sports, particularly within the NCAA.
**Context**
The former assistant coach, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to fear of professional retaliation, stated that the test in question was administered as part of routine medical screenings conducted by the university’s athletic department. According to the coach, the results showed testosterone levels exceeding the threshold set by the NCAA for female athletes. The coach alleged that instead of notifying the team or taking disciplinary or eligibility action, university officials “buried” the result and continued to allow the athlete to compete.
“I was told by a senior administrator that the test result was a ‘medical privacy issue’ and that we could not discuss it with the players,” the former coach said in a written statement reviewed by FORTIS NEWS. “But the players had a right to know. They were competing in a sport where physical safety and competitive fairness are at stake.”
The athlete in question, a transgender woman who has been a member of the SJSU women’s volleyball team since 2022, has not been publicly identified. SJSU officials have declined to comment on the specific allegations, citing federal and state privacy laws, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and California’s strict medical confidentiality statutes.
The NCAA currently allows transgender women to compete in women’s sports provided they have undergone at least one year of testosterone suppression treatment and maintain testosterone levels below a specified threshold. However, enforcement of these rules has been inconsistent, and critics argue that the policy lacks rigorous verification mechanisms.
This is not the first controversy involving transgender athletes at SJSU. In 2023, a separate dispute arose when a transgender swimmer on the university’s women’s team sparked protests from opposing teams and parents. That case was resolved internally without public disclosure of medical records.
**Analysis**
The allegations, if proven true, would represent a serious breach of trust between the university administration and its student-athletes. The deliberate withholding of a failed testosterone test could expose SJSU to legal liability under Title IX, which guarantees equal opportunity in education and athletics. Several legal experts consulted by FORTIS NEWS noted that if a university knowingly allows an ineligible athlete to compete, it could be sued by other athletes for denial of equal competitive opportunity.
“Title IX is not just about access — it’s about fair competition,” said Sarah Parshall Perry, a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation who has written extensively on transgender athletes. “If a school suppresses evidence that an athlete does not meet eligibility criteria, that undermines the entire purpose of the law.”
On the other side, transgender rights advocates warn that public disclosure of medical test results could violate privacy rights and create a hostile environment for transgender students. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has argued that singling out transgender athletes for additional testing or public scrutiny amounts to discrimination.
The case also highlights the growing tension between NCAA policies and state laws. Several states, including Florida, Texas, and Oklahoma, have passed laws banning transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports. California, where SJSU is located, has some of the strongest protections for transgender rights, including a law that prohibits schools from discriminating based on gender identity.
**Sources**
- Written statement from former SJSU assistant coach, obtained by FORTIS NEWS - NCAA transgender athlete participation policy (2024 edition) - Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 - California Education Code Section 221.5 (gender identity nondiscrimination) - Interview with Sarah Parshall Perry, senior legal fellow, Heritage Foundation - Independent reporting by Anna Slatz (2025) - SJSU Office of Communications (declined to comment on specific allegations) - ACLU position paper on transgender athletes in school sports (2024)