BU responds to sexual harassment allegations made by Alex Cooper
Days after the 'Call Her Daddy' podcast host, Alex Cooper, alleged she was sexually harassed by her soccer coach while at Boston University, the school has issued a response.
The University issued the following statement:
Boston University has a zero-tolerance policy for sexual harassment. We have a robust system of resources, support, and staff dedicated to student wellbeing and a thorough reporting process through our Equal Opportunity Office. We encourage members of our community to report any concerns, and we remain committed to fostering a safe and secure campus environment for all.
This comes following the first episode of Cooper's Hulu Documentary, 'Call Her Alex', where she said that ex-coach Nancy Feldman had become fixated on her and engaged in uncomfortable, and sometimes sexual, conversations both in private and in front of teammates.
Cooper said that she went to the school with her claims and was listened to, but was brushed off.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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Dozens of former players show support for ex-Boston University soccer coach accused of sexual harassment by Alex Cooper
A letter signed by 'student athletes and members of the Boston University Women's Soccer team,' obtained by the Globe, includes 74 names, mostly comprising players in Feldman's years at BU (1995-2022), and six assistant coaches. There also are 25 anonymous signatories, all said to be from the graduating classes of 2011-25. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'We want to share our collective perspective in light of the recent allegations against Coach Feldman,' the letter read, 'not to diminish or discredit anyone's individual experience, but to speak as a united group of alumni about how our time in the program was different. Advertisement 'During Coach Feldman's time leading the program, we categorically never felt unsafe. We were never at risk of or witness to inappropriate behavior or anything that could be characterized as sexual harassment. 'As a leader, she approached every day with professionalism, making decisions in service of the success of the team. For many of us, over the years, Coach Feldman has remained an important part of our lives, and we stand by her.' Advertisement Of those who signed the letter with their names and graduation years or stated their time on campus, at least four overlapped with Cooper, who graduated in 2016. They include three players ― goalkeeper Andrea Green, who graduated in 2014; forward Taylor Krebs (2015) and defender Kai (Miller) Wallace (2015) ― and one assistant coach, Ben Knight, who worked under Feldman from 2013-16. Though she signed the letter, Wallace said she was so burned out after playing for Feldman, she didn't touch a soccer ball for five years. 'I certainly can't say Nancy was my favorite coach I've ever had,' said Wallace. She compared Feldman to a hard-line corporate boss who wears out those underneath them. Wallace signed the letter, she said, because 'as a human being, I never felt unsafe.' Wallace, a Santa Barbara, Calif., native who was a year ahead of Cooper, said Feldman was an unnecessarily controlling coach. She said Feldman would pit players against each other for playing time, instituted dress codes that made her feel as if she was back in high school, and used BU financial aid as a cudgel to keep players in line. However, Wallace also said Cooper was an unprofessional teammate who clashed with Feldman regularly. 'One of the rules wasn't even Nancy's rule, it was that you didn't drink in the 48 hours before games,' Wallace said. 'There were multiple times of that not being the case. Things like that start to rub you the wrong way. Advertisement 'She was very loud about her life and what she's doing with it. That's fine. But we're all here trying to get a conference championship and make the NCAA Tournament.' Green, a goalkeeper from Nashua, N.H., is no longer involved with soccer. She said she signed the letter because she 'never saw, heard about, or experienced sexual harassment' under Feldman. 'I can't speak to any experience but my own,' Green said. '[Cooper] has a big megaphone and she's decided to share her experience. Most of us [signatories] are not public figures nor want to be. I don't have any interest in being in the public [eye], but if my opinion is asked I feel comfortable speaking my truth.' On Wednesday, a group from Plymouth State released a similar letter of support including 25 names of former Feldman players and coaches. Feldman, who coached at the school from 1990-95, was inducted into the PSU Hall of Fame last October. She earned the same honor at BU in 2008. Read the letter sent by supporters here: Matt Porter can be reached at
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
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Boston University has issued a statement after Alex Cooper alleged that her former soccer coach at the college had sexually harassed her. The 'Call Her Daddy' podcast host, 30, made the startling allegations in a Hulu documentary that aired last week, saying she endured three years of escalating sexual harassment at the hands of former head coach Nancy Feldman. In response, the university told The Post it has a 'zero-tolerance policy for sexual harassment.' 'We have a robust system of resources, support and staff dedicated to student wellbeing and a thorough reporting process through our Equal Opportunity Office,' it said in a statement. 'We encourage members of our community to report any concerns, and we remain committed to fostering a safe and secure campus environment for all.' Cooper's revelation in the new Hulu doc, 'Call Her Alex,' came 10 years after she claimed to have suffered through the ordeal. 'I felt a lot of anger — anger at my coach, anger at my school, and anger at the system that allowed this to happen,' the podcast host said in the documentary. 'I don't think anyone could've prepared me for the lasting effects that came from this experience. She turned something that I loved so much into something extremely painful.' Feldman coached BU's women's soccer team for 22 years before she retired in 2022, but Cooper said the former coach started to 'fixate on me way more than any other teammate of mine' during her sophomore season. Cooper was a member of the Terriers women's soccer program from 2013-'15. During her time at the university, Cooper claims that Feldman took an uncomfortable interest in her personal life and would often make comments about her body. On one occasion, Cooper claims, her former coach had asked if she had sex the previous night. Elsewhere, the media mogul said Feldman would try to get her alone, put a hand on her thigh and stare at her — despite trying to 'resist.' In the documentary, Cooper claimed that university officials told her family that they would not fire Feldman, despite her and her loved ones repeatedly raising concerns about the coach. Copper added that the school did not investigate her claims, instead allowing her to keep her full soccer scholarship. Feldman compiled 418 victories to rank 22nd all-time among NCAA women's soccer coaches and was named conference coach of the year 12 times. She was the program's only coach since 1995, when it became a varsity sport. Cooper's Hulu docuseries premiered at the Tribeca Festival in NYC. During a Q&A at the event, the media star detailed her allegations against Feldman. 'The minute I stepped back on that field, I felt so small,' she said Sunday. 'I just felt like I was 18 years old again, and I was in a situation with someone in a position of power who abused their power, and I felt like I wasn't the 'Call Her Daddy' girl. 'I wasn't someone who had money and influence or whatever,' she went on. 'I was just another woman who experienced harassment on a level that changed my life forever and took away the thing I loved the most.'
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Nearly 100 former Boston U soccer players unite in support of coach against Alex Cooper's sexual harassment claims
Boston University's soccer players are backing the team's former longtime soccer coach, Nancy Feldman, after Alex Cooper made damning allegations against her. Cooper, host of the popular 'Call Her Daddy' podcast, claimed in a Hulu documentary that Feldman sexually harassed her and alleged that school officials ignored her when she brought it to their attention. Ninety-nine former Terriers stars came forward as a 'united group' to share their own experiences with Feldman, who retired after in April 2022. They said as a group that they 'categorically never felt unsafe,' according to a letter obtained by TMZ. 'We were never at risk of or witness to inappropriate behavior or anything that could be characterized as sexual harassment,' the letter read. 'As a leader, she approached every day with professionalism, making decisions in service of the success of the team. [Feldman] has remained an important part of our lives, and we shall stand by her.' Cooper claimed that Feldman asked inappropriate questions about her love life in the mid-2010s, and she alleged that she was benched for not disclosing certain intimate information. Her family then approached school officials over the matter, but nothing came of it. 'I felt a lot of anger — anger at my coach, anger at my school, and anger at the system that allowed this to happen,' Cooper said in the doc. Cooper claims that she considered filing a lawsuit over the alleged harassment but ultimately chose not to. Boston University released a statement last week denying any wrongdoing. 'Boston University has a zero-tolerance policy for sexual harassment,' the statement read. 'We have a robust system of resources, support and staff dedicated to student wellbeing and a thorough reporting process through our Equal Opportunity Office. 'We encourage members of our community to report any concerns, and we remain committed to fostering a safe and secure campus environment for all.' Cooper was a midfielder for Boston University from 2013-15 and has since become one of the most popular podcasters in the country. Her Unwell Network and 'Call Her Daddy' podcast vaulted her into stardom since her departure from Barstool Sports in 2021.
