Tennis icon Martina Navratilova has publicly urged San Jose State University (SJSU) to fire its women's volleyball coach, Todd Kress, following renewed attention to past allegations of misconduct.
Navratilova amplified an X post by U.S. Olympic gold medalist in swimming, Nancy Hogshead, who sharply criticized both Coach Kress and the university's handling of the situation. In one post, Navratilova stated, "Fire his a--!" She followed up with another comment, expressing her dismay: "This is truly sickening… this coach should have been fired yesterday!"
Hogshead's initial message highlighted a broader issue, noting, "Sex discrimination rarely manifests in just one form," before alluding to Kress's alleged treatment of female and a transgender player during his initial two seasons leading the SJSU team.
University's Response to Allegations
Emails indicate that SJSU officials acknowledged receiving the allegations, extended gratitude to the former player for coming forward, and apologized for her experiences. Despite these acknowledgments, Kress was never suspended and has continued in his role as the head coach of the women's volleyball team.
The initial communication sent to SJSU included a letter detailing the allegations against Kress, which had originally been sent to Fairfield University. The alleged incident reportedly took place in a hotel in December 1998, after Fairfield's loss to Clemson in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The former player recounted that a teammate asked her to bring a shirt to Kress’s room. She initially expressed reluctance, stating:
"I told her I wanted no part of his insanity. I was distraught about the loss and wasn’t interested in his drunken insanity, which was commonplace on trips."
The player further alleged that her teammate "promised Todd would not throw water at me or do something juvenile so I reluctantly agreed to bring her the shirt."
Detailed Account of Alleged Incident
Upon knocking, the player claims Kress answered the door and immediately took caramel from a container, smearing it on her face and hair. She alleged he then "forcibly threw me on the bed and held me down. I was in shock."
After releasing her, Kress reportedly "pulled his pants down and put his back side in my face." The player described her reaction, stating, "Astonished... that is the only word I can think of to describe how I felt in that moment... Todd was drunk. I got up and went for the door."
The letter continues to allege that Kress "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.’ At this point I was fighting back to get away from him."
She claims Kress eventually let her out of the tub, laughing, then blocked her exit from the room. He reportedly told her she could only leave if she took a shot of liquor, which she did "only to get him to move away from the door." She then ran, and he allegedly chased her. She managed to get into her room, and although he appeared enraged, he then "turned and calmly walked out," according to the allegations.
The former player also alleged that her teammates "had been drinking with Todd underage." She stated she did not report the incident at the time because she "was scared of losing my scholarship and being the reason my teammates lost theirs."
Public Records Request Denied
On June 22, 2026, SJSU's public records office formally denied a request for related documents. J. Leah Castella, university legal counsel, stated in a response that while such records existed, they were not disclosable under the California Public Records Act.
The university's response asserted that "The requested communications implicate substantial privacy interests." It further explained: "Disclosure of these records would therefore constitute an invasion of privacy that outweighs the public interest in disclosure. Specifically, these records are being withheld subject to the following exemptions: Personnel Records/Privacy... General Privacy Rights... [and the] Balancing Test. Here, the public interest served by disclosure is minimal and is outweighed by the public interest served against disclosure in protecting substantial and significant privacy rights."
As of this report, Coach Kress and representatives for San Jose State University have not responded to requests for comment.
