She stayed silent through decades of life beyond that hotel room.
Nearly three decades after an alleged assault in a hotel room, a former college volleyball player's written account reached San Jose State University — and was met with acknowledgment, apology, and silence. The coach she named, Todd Kress, continues to lead SJSU's women's volleyball team, while the institution deflects public scrutiny behind the language of privacy. This is a story as old as institutional power itself: the moment a complaint is received is not always the moment accountability begins.
- A former Fairfield University player described being physically restrained, humiliated, and threatened by her coach in a hotel room in 1998 — an account she suppressed for twenty-six years out of fear of losing her scholarship.
- SJSU received her detailed complaint letter in October 2024, issued an acknowledgment and apology, and then took no visible disciplinary action — leaving Kress in place as head coach.
- Tennis icon Martina Navratilova and Olympic swimmer Nancy Hogshead went public with outrage in June 2026, demanding Kress's immediate termination and warning that patterns of misconduct rarely travel alone.
- Fox News Digital's public records request for the university's internal correspondence was denied, with SJSU's legal counsel arguing the public interest in disclosure was 'minimal' — a claim drawing sharp scrutiny given the school's active federal Title IX litigation.
- As of publication, Kress has not responded to requests for comment, the university has not explained what — if anything — its investigation produced, and the former player's account remains on the record, unrefuted and unresolved.
In October 2024, San Jose State University's athletic department received a letter from a former Fairfield University volleyball player describing an assault that had taken place in December 1998. In it, she detailed how her then-coach, Todd Kress, had physically restrained her in a hotel room following an NCAA Tournament loss, humiliated her, and refused to let her leave until she complied with his demands. The account was specific, dated, and harrowing. The university acknowledged it. Officials apologized. Then Kress kept his job.
The former player had stayed silent for twenty-six years, she explained, because she feared losing her scholarship — and feared being the reason her teammates lost theirs. The letter also alleged that Kress had routinely provided alcohol to underage players on team trips. When it arrived at SJSU, the Title IX office became involved and meetings were held. But no suspension, no public discipline, and no visible consequence followed.
The story broke publicly in late June 2026. Martina Navratilova responded with immediate fury on social media, calling for Kress's termination. Olympic swimmer and Title IX advocate Nancy Hogshead added that misconduct rarely appears in isolation — that where one pattern exists, others often follow.
When Fox News Digital sought the university's internal records — the complaint letter, the follow-up emails, the Title IX correspondence — SJSU refused, citing privacy concerns and arguing that the public interest in disclosure was 'minimal.' The refusal drew particular attention given that the university is currently a defendant in federal Title IX litigation involving its volleyball program. Neither Kress, nor the athletic director, nor legal counsel has responded to questions. The former player's identity remains protected, but her account stands — received, acknowledged, and, so far, unanswered.
In early October 2024, San Jose State University's athletic department received a letter that would set off a chain of public reckonings. A former volleyball player from Fairfield University, writing nearly three decades after the fact, detailed an encounter with Todd Kress in a hotel room in December 1998. She described being physically restrained, humiliated, and threatened by the man who was then her coach. The university acknowledged the letter. Officials thanked her for coming forward. They apologized. Then nothing happened. Kress remained the head coach of SJSU's women's volleyball team, a position he still holds.
The allegations themselves are stark and specific. After Fairfield lost to Clemson in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the former player wrote, a teammate convinced her to bring a shirt to Kress's hotel room, promising he would behave. When she knocked on the door, Kress answered and immediately smeared caramel from a plastic container across her face and hair. He threw her onto the bed and held her down. He pulled his pants down and pressed himself against her face. When she tried to leave, he grabbed her again, threw her into the bathtub, and threatened to turn on the shower while she lay there. He blocked the doorway and refused to let her leave until she drank a shot of liquor. Only then did he step aside. She ran to her room. He chased her.
Why did she wait twenty-six years to report it? Fear. She was terrified of losing her scholarship, of being the reason her teammates lost theirs. She stayed silent through graduation, through her career, through decades of life beyond that hotel room. The letter also alleged that Kress had been drinking with underage players on team trips, behavior she described as commonplace.
When the letter arrived at SJSU in October 2024, the university's Title IX office became involved. Emails show the school's acknowledgment and apology. But the investigation—if there was one—produced no suspension, no discipline, no public action. Kress continued coaching. The university continued employing him.
Then, in late June 2026, the story became public. Tennis legend Martina Navratilova, seeing the reporting, demanded the university fire Kress immediately. "Fire his a--!" she wrote on social media. "This is truly sickening… this coach should have been fired yesterday!" Olympic swimmer Nancy Hogshead amplified the message, noting that discrimination rarely manifests in isolation—that patterns of misconduct often reveal themselves across multiple forms and multiple victims.
When Fox News Digital requested the university's internal records—the complaint letter, the follow-up emails, the Title IX office correspondence—SJSU denied the request. The university's legal counsel argued that releasing the documents would invade the privacy of those involved, and that the public interest in disclosure was "minimal." This reasoning drew particular scrutiny given that SJSU is currently defending itself in federal litigation over Title IX compliance within the volleyball program. The university has not responded to detailed questions about what steps, if any, were taken after the November 2024 meetings, or whether current players were interviewed about their safety.
Fairfield University, where the alleged incident occurred, declined to comment on personnel matters. As of publication, Kress himself has not responded to requests for comment. Neither has the university's athletic director or legal counsel. The former player's name remains unpublished, her identity protected, but her account stands in the record—a detailed, dated, specific allegation that a university received, acknowledged, and then set aside.
Citações Notáveis
I was scared of losing my scholarship and being the reason my teammates lost theirs.— Former Fairfield player, in her letter to SJSU
This is truly sickening… this coach should have been fired yesterday!— Martina Navratilova, on social media
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why did she wait so long to come forward?
She was twenty-two, maybe twenty-three, and her scholarship was everything. She saw her teammates drinking with the coach. She knew the power he held over all of them. Reporting him meant risking not just her own future but theirs. That's the calculation that kept her silent for twenty-six years.
And when she finally did write the letter, what happened?
The university received it, said thank you, said we're sorry for what happened to you. Then they did nothing. No suspension. No investigation that led anywhere visible. No change to his employment status.
How is that possible in 2024?
That's the question everyone's asking now. The university is in federal court defending its Title IX practices. They're saying they take compliance seriously. But here's a detailed allegation of physical assault from a credible source, and the coach is still there.
What about the coach himself? Has he said anything?
Not a word. Neither has the athletic director. The university's lawyers are hiding behind privacy law, saying the public doesn't have a right to know. But privacy for whom?
For the coach, presumably.
Yes. And for the university, really. Because if these records came out, people would see exactly what was known and when, and what the institution chose to do about it.
And now a tennis legend is calling for his firing.
Now the story is public, and the pressure is real. But the university still hasn't moved. That's where it sits.