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.
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'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.
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'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.'
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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.
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'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
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