Alex Cooper has spoken out after additional allegations have been made about sexual misconduct within the Boston University women’s soccer program.

Cooper, 30, who played at BU from 2013 to 2015, responded to a story in the Boston Globe on Thursday, June 26, in which current and former BU players accused former BU coach Casey Brown of inappropriate behavior. 

In particular, one former BU player alleged Casey sent her video footage of the athlete competing in a game which included “moaning sounds” from the coach. 

“You have a coach masturbating to a players game tape,” Cooper wrote via her Instagram Story on Thursday. 

2nd Boston University Soccer Player Accuses Coach of ‘Abuse’ Amid Alex Cooper’s Harassment Claims

Cooper accused former BU coach Nancy Feldman of sexual harassment in her recent Hulu docuseries, Call Me Alex. Feldman retired in 2022.

Earlier this month, Boston University responded to Cooper’s allegations against Feldman, saying the school has “a zero-tolerance policy for sexual harassment.”

The “Call Her Daddy” podcast host opened up about her experiences with Casey on Thursday. 

“Casey Brown was my assistant coach at the time,” Cooper wrote via her Instagram Story, sharing a link to the Boston Globe story. “She watched Nancy sexually harass me and abuse her power … and now it’s finally coming out she went on to do it herself when she became the head coach at BU. I’m disgusted but sadly not surprised. This is systemic.”

According to the Globe, at least 18 BU soccer players reported similar allegations of harassment by Casey to ​​the university’s Equal Opportunity Office last year. 

The coach was placed on leave in the middle of last season and resigned in December 2024 after BU commissioned an investigation into complaints from the soccer players.

In a statement to the Globe, Casey “strongly denied” the accusations. 

Boston University said they found “no BU policy violations and no evidence of sexual harassment” during their investigation into the allegations against Casey, which Cooper criticized. 

“After allll these women coming forward…Boston University stands by their statement,” Cooper wrote via her Instagram Story. 

Cooper tagged her alma mater in another slide and wrote, “What exactly do you need to happen to another student athlete in order for you [to] stand up and protect and defend all of these women???”

“I feel sick and angry,” Cooper wrote in another slide. “How do we continue to fail to protect women. This is exhausting honestly. And it’s not just sports it’s everywhere. To anyone who is understandably afraid to come forward but wants to tell their story, my dms are open .”

Alex Cooper Writes Message to Former Soccer Coach After Alleged Sexual Harassment

In reflecting on telling her story, Cooper said “the past few weeks have been a lot.”

“It’s been extremely difficult and emotional to come forward but now I want to say – to all the victims, I am so sorry,” Cooper wrote via her Instagram Story on Thursday. “Seeing this unfold and more and more women come forward with their experience with Nancy Feldman is heartbreaking. But finally our voices are being heard after so many decades of the harassment and abuse being reported to the athletic director and nothing happening.”

She continued, “Hopefully Boston University will look at their organization and make changes to ensure this NEVER HAPPENS TO ANOTHER ATHLETE ON THAT CAMPUS AGAIN.”

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

A second former Boston University women’s soccer player is detailing allegations of “psychological and emotional abuse” by former coach Nancy Feldman.

After “Call Her Daddy” podcast host Alex Cooper accused Feldman of sexual harassment in her recent Hulu docuseries, Call Her Alex, BU alum Sophia Woodland is speaking out about her alleged experiences with the retired soccer coach. (Woodland played for the BU women’s soccer team from 2019 to 2022, per online records.)

The former college soccer player told the Boston Globe in an interview published on Thursday, June 26, that she underwent years of therapy to process Feldman’s “psychological and emotional abuse,” which she said focused largely on her body.

“The biggest issue Nancy had was my body,” Woodland told the outlet. “And that was all I heard for my three years that I played under her. … I would get so anxious all the time.”

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According to the Boston Globe, in 2022, a university psychologist emailed members of the women’s soccer team that she wanted to raise their concerns about Feldman to the university’s higher-ups. Ultimately, she didn’t, and Feldman retired in 2022. (A BU spokesperson told the outlet that a player reached out to the psychologist and objected to her escalating the issue.)

“We were like, ‘OK, good luck.’ Multiple teammates had gone to the athletic department. Multiple parents had already gone,” Woodland said, expressing skepticism that the psychologist’s efforts would have any real consequences.

Us Weekly has reached out to Feldman and Boston University for comment.

Woodland also reacted to a recent letter signed by 99 former BU soccer players in support of Feldman. Earlier in June, TMZ reported it had obtained a copy of a letter cosigned by dozens of BU alumni stating that their experiences with Feldman vastly differed from the sexual harassment claims made by Cooper, 30, in her docuseries.

Alex Cooper Claims Abuse Is ‘Still Actively Happening’ at Her College: ‘I Need to Speak Out’

The former players said, in part, that they “categorically never felt unsafe” under Feldman. “We were never at risk of or witness to inappropriate behavior or anything that could be characterized as sexual harassment,” they added, per TMZ.

”There are gonna be people who had a different experience or didn’t think that [Feldman] was all that bad,” Woodland told the Boston Globe. “Abusers can’t abuse everyone, right? So the 99 people that signed that letter, I’m like, ‘You guys are — no offense — extremely inconsiderate.’”

“Just because you had a good experience doesn’t mean that she was incapable of harming other people,” Woodland added.

Cooper played for the BU women’s soccer team between 2013 and 2015. She alleged in Hulu’s Call Her Alex docuseries, released on June 10, that Feldman began to “fixate on me, way more than any other teammate of mine” during her sophomore year.

“[It] was all based in her wanting to know who I was dating, her making comments about my body and her always wanting to be alone with me,” she said, per People.

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“It was this psychotic game of, ‘You want to play? Tell me about your sex life,’” Cooper alleged.

Feldman could not be reached for comment at the time. However, a Boston University spokesperson told Us in a June 13 statement, “Boston University has a zero-tolerance policy for sexual harassment. We have a robust system of resources, support and staff dedicated to student well-being 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.”

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. – Three University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire seniors have been named UW-Eau Claire’s Male Athletes of the Year for 2024-25. Nathan Donovan (Sr. – Hazel Green, Wis./Wahlert Catholic), Yakob Ekoue (Sr. – Hopkins, Minn.) and Jared Stricker (Sr. – High Bridge, Wis./Ashland) all finished their careers as some of the best in Division III history in their respective sports, earning them a three-way tie for this year’s award.

Donovan starred for the men’s soccer team, Ekoue was a national champion for the men’s track and field team, and Stricker won another national crown with the wrestling team.

Donovan became the first player in program history to earn United Soccer Coaches Division III National Player of the Year honors last fall. The two-time All-American led all of NCAA men’s college soccer — regardless of Division — in scoring with 26 goals this fall. He also had a team-high 15 assists for a total of 67 points. His goal and points totals both set new UW-Eau Claire single-season records. He was the United Soccer Coaches National Scholar Player of the Year, Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Kwik Trip Offensive Player of the Year as well as the Max Sparger Scholar-Athlete this season.

Donovan’s success was the Blugolds’ success. With Donovan leading the line, UW-Eau Claire won WIAC regular season and tournament championships and qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season. The Blugolds won 17 games this season and spent the entire year nationally ranked.

The senior forward’s career goes down as one of the best in the history of Division III men’s soccer. He ranks third in DIII history with 229 career points and fourth with 94 career goals.

Ekoue, like Donovan, was also the national athlete of the year in his sport. He was the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association’s NCAA Division III Field Athlete of the Year this spring, earning the honor for the second time in his career.

Ekoue won a second consecutive national championship in discus at the NCAA Division III Outdoor National Championships this season, setting a facility record in the process. He also placed third in both shot put and hammer throw to earn All-America honors in both events. He scored 22 team points for the Blugolds, helping the squad finish as national runner-up.

His efforts at nationals earned him Most Outstanding Field Performer of the Championships honors. It was his second time receiving that distinction.

Earlier in the season, Ekoue won a WIAC title in discus. He holds school records in both discus and hammer throw. He finished his Blugold career with 13 All-America honors and four national championships. He joined an elite group of athletes in Division III history to earn 10-plus All-America honors.

This marks the second consecutive year Stricker earned UW-Eau Claire Male Athlete of the Year honors. He became the first two-time national champion in the history of Blugold wrestling this winter. He went unbeaten at 43-0, posting the most victories by a Division III wrestler this season, as he clinched another 174-pound crown.

Stricker was named WIAC Wrestler of the Year for the second consecutive season and was named Most Outstanding Wrestler of the NCAA Championships. He finished his career with 169 victories, which is believed to rank in or near the top five in the history of Division III. There is no official leaderboard for career victories in Division III.

This season, Stricker became the WIAC’s all-time leader in career wins and also broke UW-Eau Claire’s career pins record with 75. He ended his career on a 71-match win streak, the longest in program history. He was a three-time All-American and four-time WIAC champion.

Off the mat, Stricker was named a National Wrestling Coaches Association Scholar All-American this season.

Prodigy, it typically describes a young person with exceptional skills. Being driven is someone with internal motivation, put those two together and you get Rylee McLanahan.

She started playing soccer around three years old, and from day one she has loved it.

“I just love the game. I feel like I fell in love with the process of getting better and just grinding,” said Edmond North Soccer standout Rylee McLanahan.

And grind is truly what she does.

“I play for a club team in Dallas called Solar, and so I commute to practice there twice a week, I leave school and I get there around 6 pm, we get done around 9 or 9:30, we come home, I wake I go train with my trainer Alex around 6 am,” said McLanahan.

That all happens during the school year, while maintaining her 4.2 GPA.

“I’m like ranked in the top one or two percent,” said McLanahan.

Her hard work and dedication are paying off in the classroom and on the field.

“This year I scored 43 goals and fifteen assist. I broke the 6A state single season record, and then over three seasons, I think it was forty-five games I had one hundred seven total goals,” said McLanahan.

Earning the Edmond North senior to be some pretty high honors.

“Gatorade player of the year twice, Jim thorp award, I’ve been named that twice, High school sports award for the Oklahoma City metro, and like, All-city, all district, and then conference player of the year, twice,” said McLanahan.

“She’s technically sound, very tactically aware,” said Randall Robinson director of player personal with the Oklahoma City FC.

This summer Rylee is playing with the Oklahoma City FC team, the Oklahoma City team in the Women’s premier soccer league

“It is literally, the premier league in the summer for women’s soccer. It is the biggest women’s soccer league in the world,” said Robinson.

The summer league is primarily made up of elite division one college soccer players and only the best of the best high school players, and of course Rylee isa standout on the team.

“She’s just a great team player, even with all of her talent, she’s very selfless,” said Robinson.

McLanahan has already committed to playing her college soccer at the University of Florida, she will graduate in December and enroll for the Spring semester. You can see her in the WPSL league. The team has already qualified for post-season play; all those games will be played in Stillwater. Game schedules can be seen at www.wpslsoccer.com/schedule

Becoming a professional athlete is a dream many kids around the world and in the United States have, but most don’t achieve it. Fewer than 2 percent of college athletes in the U.S. turn pro after graduating, according to the NCAA.

After graduating last fall from American University, soccer players Olivia Simmons and Sam Hershey are living lifelong dreams. Simmons is playing for Keflavík FC in Iceland, and Hershey is with Uni Hill Eagles FC in Melbourne, Australia. 

Though their dreams have taken Simmons and Hershey 10,500 miles apart on opposite sides of the world, their paths to get there mirror each other.

“Ever since I was a kid, becoming a professional and playing for the national team was always my goal,” Simmons said. 

Hershey has also loved the beautiful game his whole life, and it was his parents who truly ignited that fire. 

“My mom and dad both coached and played throughout their lives so it kind of just got passed down,” Hershey said. “I remember going to my mom’s club tournaments and from there the love of the game grew.” 

Hershey’s dad, Trevor, played soccer at James Madison University and his mom, Linda Lee, played at Gettysburg College.

Simmons’ parents didn’t impart the same soccer influence on her. Her mom envisioned her as a horseback rider.

“My mom was going to buy me a horse and that’s when I told her my true passion was for soccer,” Simmons said.

Simmons attended the Highland School in Northern Virginia before being recruited to play for  Purdue University in the Big Ten. A “toxic” atmosphere led her to transfer out of the program and come to American after her freshman year. At American, Simmons helped lead a chapter of Morgan’s Message, a student-athlete mental health advocacy group.

“What I love most about my time at AU was the familial environment and the support I had during my time there,” Simmons said.  

Hershey was also a transfer, but from Division II Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania. 

“The program is run really well in terms of recruiting and in terms of developing players and challenging you to reach the next level,” Hershey said. 

For Hershey, that “next level” first meant transferring to Division I American after his sophomore year and now, playing semi-professionally in Australia. Both Hershey and Simmons graduated after the 2024 fall semester and began the process of turning professional after graduation.

“My advice would be to be careful because there are a lot of agents who are only looking out for themselves or looking to scam,” Simmons said. “Luckily, I found Paolo [her agent] and he was able to help get my highlights out to teams.” 

She then signed a two-year contract with the women’s first team of Keflavík FC in the Icelandic first division, based in Reykjanesbær, Iceland.

On the other hand, Hershey joined the Australian club Uni Hill Eagles FC based in Melbourne, Australia, which runs as a semi-professional club. Hershey has already tallied 4 goals so far in their season. 

Thousands of miles from their homes in the Mid-Atlantic, both athletes are facing some adjustments to life outside the U.S. 

“Australia in general is as far away as you can get from the Northeast United States,” Hershey said. “I was always super used to having my family close by and coming to games and with the time difference, it is difficult to reach out. You just have to get used to those little things that maybe you don’t get from back home.” 

Meanwhile, Simmons has to learn an entirely new language — one certainly not taught at American — to understand her coach.

“Our coach always does the training sessions in Icelandic and I have struggled with that and I have tried to pick up on cues from my teammates,” Simmons said. 

Simmons has also been living with a host family before she plans to move into an apartment with three other Americans, set to join the team. 

While adjusting to a new country and environment can be difficult, both players praised their clubs for providing a warm and welcoming environment, which has made the adjustment process a little bit easier.

In terms of their day-to-day lives off the field, Hershey helps the club by coaching their U13 team and is also looking into work outside soccer to help make some extra money, which most of his teammates already do. 

“I think coaches play a huge role, so I try to make it interesting even if the kids are giving me a hard time. I’m just trying to bring the enjoyment and the development of the game to them as well,” Hershey said. 

Both players emphasized working hard as the key to being able to play abroad or professionally at any level. 

The Uni Hill Eagles are sitting at (5-3-3), meanwhile Keflavík have gone (1-3-2).

This article was edited by Jack Stashower, Penelope Jennings and Walker Whalen. Copy editing done by Sabine Kanter-Huchting, Ariana Kavoossi and Emma Brown.

sports@theeagleonline.com 

MORGANTOWN — It was a vacation well earned by Wren Baker, the West Virginia athletic director whose last year has been spent in courtrooms and meeting rooms, to say nothing of locker rooms, as he was doing his part to reshape the widely changed world of college athletics.

It wasn’t at all what he signed up for, but it was what was on the table and the last couple of years had been unexpected havoc from dawn to dusk as coaches came and went, players came and went and lawsuits were filed and settled. Now, he was looking for a break, so he and his wife, Heather, headed for Nantucket and a vacation unlike any they had ever had.

“We’d never been on a northern vacation or to an eastern seaboard beach, so we had a great time. The girls were in camp, so it was just Heather and I. Best food I’ve ever had over the course of a trip like that. Every meal was incredible,” he said.

“Lobster, blue crab, scallops, anything you can dream of.”

But now he was back and starting to settle back in, doing a media check to talk about the House settlement and revenue sharing and the future of college athletics. Whether he, or you or I, liked the new worlds of college athletics doesn’t matter, for that’s the way it is and the changes, he believes, were necessary.

“The last couple of years it has felt like when I get in my car to head out somewhere and I’m leaving the driveway and my wife is driving and she says ‘Which way do I go?’ and I don’t know what to tell her because I don’t know where we’re going. That’s what the last two or three years of college athletics has felt like,” Baker said.

The only thing certain about running athletics was the uncertainty as conferences realigned, the transfer portal dominated, lawsuits remained unsettled and there was no roadmap to follow.

“With the House settlement, having some semblance of a system is going to be very helpful,” Baker said. “It’s not going to solve all of our problems, but what we’ve had the last two or three years where we’ve had unregulated and unrestrictive free agency at all times was not sustainable.

“There’s dozens of Big Ten and SEC schools where the budgets are two times what ours are, and have $30 million deficits,” Baker went on. “People say, ‘We’ll let the market decide.’ But there’s not a market because there’s no ownership. It’s this large bureaucratic organization that gets very heavily — and sometimes unduly — influenced by outside forces.”

That’s such as donors or courts or agents.

“That’s why Ohio State can win a national championship in football with a $230 million budget and have a nearly $40 million dollar deficit,” Baker said. “That’s missed by a lot of people but my hope is we can establish some kind of system that works.”

It was taking a toll on West Virginia. Baker has had four men’s basketball coaches the last four years. He had to hire a football coach in Rich Rodriguez who had left on bad terms previously and maybe a third of his fans felt it was wrong to bring back.

The basketball roster was in a state of total turmoil and the football roster with Rodriguez may have more than 70 new players this year.

It was a large burden on some of college sports’ greatest and longest suffering fans, who have had many great moments but who have no national championships in football or basketball and, with the new rules, who knew what their place in the new pecking order was?

Do the new rules give West Virginia more or less of a chance to win a title, Baker was asked.

“I talk to my kids about this all the time,” he began. “You can’t let the things you don’t have keep you from seeing the things you do have. We have had tremendous successes across a lot of sports, even this year where we were national runner-up in cross country, won a national championship in rifle, last year in the College Cup of men’s soccer and a few years ago we were national runners-up in women’s soccer.

“In our program, there’s a lot of success that’s being had, there’s exciting things that are going on with our programs, but I recognize that winning a national championship in football or men’s basketball is kind of the dream for all sports,” Baker went on.

“That’s something we talk about. You start trying to compete for conference championships, that gets you on your way.”

But the big money schools in the SEC and Big Ten conferences have been on top, and to many it appears that the new collegiate structure exaggerates that.

Or does it?

“I do think we can compete and excel and thrive in this new world,” Baker said. “Is it going to be easy? No. Are we going to have to be better aligned in pulling the rope in the same direction more so than our other peers who have more residents in their states, more revenue, more corporate presence? Yeah, we are going to have to do that.

“But what we do have is the vast majority of people who are from this state or live in this state or went to school at WVU are passionate about the Mountaineers and we have to take advantage of that.”

The fans are going to have to adjust along with the programs.

“One thing I would tell our fans is that’s something everybody is doing now,” Baker said. “That’s not unique to WVU. Everyone is dealing with high roster turnover and more transient rosters. We actually were very unique at WVU in having some coaches with very lengthy tenures.

“That’s unusual in this day and age to have coaches for 10 or 15 or 20 years,” he said, speaking of the Don Nehlens, Gale Catletts, Bob Huggins. “I think it’s incumbent on us at the institution to recruit people who will embrace West Virginia and the values that our people hold in high esteem.

“I think it’s incumbent on us to tell our people that story because we don’t have three or four years to connect with a player like we used to, so we probably have to do a better job of connecting people quicker, so they get a chance to learn about the individuals who are on our teams.”

The vacation’s over. Come football season and beyond, it’s a whole new menu.