During a sit-down interview with Donald Trump, host Harris Faulker allowed a Georgia voter to ask a question to the former President. Her question: How do you plan on addressing the transgender issue in women’s sports?
Trump’s response to banning trans-athletes from women’s sports was not the headline for news outlets, but rather the claim he made regarding the volleyball match between San Diego State and San Jose State.
“It was a slam,” Trump said on the Faulker Focus. “I never saw a ball hit so hard, it hit the girl in the head.”
While Trump did not directly state he was referring to the Oct. 10 matchup, it was implied after a video from the San Francisco Chronicle found the play in question. SDSU officials dismissed the claim by the former president in a statement to the San Diego Tribune.
“It has been incorrectly reported that a San Diego State University student-athlete was hit in the face with a volleyball during match play with San Jose State University,” SDSU said in the statement to the Tribune. “The ball bounced off the shoulder of the student-athlete, and the athlete was uninjured and did not miss a play. We have called for corrections with multiple media outlets.”
SDSU Director of Athletic Communications, Jamie Mcconeghy, also shut down the claim in a statement to the Chronic simply stating, “this did not happen,” while relaying the same message provided by the Tribune.
Trump is currently making his case for President in battleground states before the November elections. Trump has criticized the Biden administration for its expansion to Title IX, and he claimed to undo the policy created by the current president.
The Biden administration first set the expansion in April; however, temporary blocks from multiple states push the full effect until August. NBC reported in May that 22 states were suing the administration to block the policy.
The expansion of Title IX added protections to LGBTQ+ students and expanded on the definition of sexual harassment at schools, according to an article from the Associated Press.
Before the Spartans’ matchup with the Aztecs, three conference teams forfeited their matchup with San Jose after a lawsuit claimed a transgender athlete was on the roster. The suit challenges the NCAA for conflicting with Title IX and the Fourteenth Amendment.
Title IX will also be the topic of discussion on campus in an event led by Turning Point USA next month. Former Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines, who is part of the suit, will be present at the Aztec Student Union Theatre on Nov. 19.
No other Mountain West team has confirmed they will forfeit against the Spartans this season. Nevada, in a statement to OutKick, says the Wolf Pack will continue its match against the Spartans after an article from the online source reported players voted to forfeit their Oct. 26 match.
The Spartans are expected to face New Mexico and Air Force in its next two matchups before missing its game against Utah State on Oct. 23.
