Two weeks after podcaster and former Boston University soccer player Alex Cooper accused the team’s former head coach Nancy Feldman of sexual harassment, the reason for another coach’s resignation has come to light.
Casey Brown, Feldman’s successor, was placed on administrative leave midway through the 2024 season and formally resigned in December. Her resignation came after BU commissioned an investigation into complaints from 18 players, the Boston Globe reported in a story published Wednesday, June 25.
The investigation into Casey, 37, began when current team member Shayla Brown (no relation) contacted the university’s confidential ethics hotline saying the coach was behaving inappropriately toward one of her teammates, “focusing excessively on her and trying to manipulate her in ways that were distressing to the player and her teammates,” according to the Globe.
Shayla, a rising senior for the Terriers, also reported the allegations to the team’s sports psychologist, saying the unnamed player was “being groomed.”
Shayla and 17 of her teammates reported the allegations to BU’s Equal Opportunity Office the next day, and the player in question shared their experience as well.
The player allegedly told both the office and the Globe that Casey “fawned over her” over a two-year span, sending her “a stream of awkward texts, unsettling invitations and unwanted attention.”
Casey “strongly” denied the allegations in a statement to the Globe. Us Weekly has reached out to BU for comment.
“At the conclusion of the investigation, there were no BU policy violations and no evidence of sexual harassment,” BU told the Globe in a statement. “Nevertheless, BU and Brown parted ways, and Brown is no longer the head coach.”
The accusations became public just two weeks after Cooper, 30, opened up about the harassment she allegedly faced from Feldman in her Hulu docuseries, Call Her Alex.
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The “Call Her Daddy” host said that beginning in her sophomore year with the Terriers, Feldman began fixating on her in a way that made her “deeply uncomfortable.”
“It was confusing because the focus wasn’t like, ‘You’re doing so well. Let’s get you on the field. You’re going to be a starter,’” she explained. “[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.”
Cooper and her parents say they alerted the BU athletic department about the issue, including providing officials with written documentation of Feldman’s alleged inappropriate comments, but the university failed to take action. Feldman retired in 2022.
“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,” the university said in a statement to People on June 12. “We encourage members of our community to report any concerns, and we remain committed to fostering a safe and secure campus environment for all.”
