Alex Cooper and Nancy Feldman: What Really Happened at Boston University

The "Daddy Gang" knows Alex Cooper as the unfiltered, sweatpants-wearing mogul who built a $125 million empire on the back of radical honesty. But for years, there was a massive piece of the puzzle missing. A dark spot. It wasn't until her 2025 Hulu docuseries, Call Her Alex, that the world finally understood why the star athlete walked away from a Division I soccer career at Boston University just as she was hitting her stride.

Nancy Feldman was the legendary coach. Cooper was the rising star. On paper, it was a dream pairing. In reality? Alex describes it as a three-year "psychotic game" that eventually broke her.

The Power Dynamic Most People Miss

People often assume college sports are just about the game. They aren't. Especially not in D-I programs where a single person holds the keys to your scholarship, your social standing, and your future. Alex Cooper entered Boston University as a high-profile recruit from Pennsylvania. She was a midfielder with a 2013 Prep-A title under her belt and serious talent.

Nancy Feldman wasn't just any coach; she was a BU institution. She had been there for decades. When you're a twenty-year-old student-athlete, a coach like that isn't just a boss. They're basically a god.

According to Alex’s account in the documentary, the relationship turned sour during her sophomore year. It wasn't about soccer anymore. It became about control. Alex alleges that Feldman began to "fixate" on her in ways that felt deeply predatory and inappropriate.

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What the "Psychotic Game" Actually Looked Like

The details Alex shared are jarring. We're talking about a coach allegedly demanding to know about a player’s sex life as a condition for playing time. "If you want to play, tell me about your sex life," is how Alex summarized the ultimatum.

It wasn't just talk.

Alex recalls Feldman making constant, unsolicited comments about her body. There were late-night drives to classes where Feldman supposedly insisted on being alone with her. In one specific, skin-crawling allegation, Alex described Feldman putting a hand on her thigh and asking if she’d had sex the night before.

Imagine being in that car. You're a kid. You want to play. You've worked your entire life to get to this level, and suddenly, the person who decides your fate is treating your private life like a bargaining chip. It's gross. Honestly, it’s more than gross—it’s a massive abuse of power.

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The Meeting That Changed Everything

In the docuseries, Alex’s parents, Laurie and Bryan Cooper, finally speak out about the day they sat down with the Dean of Athletics. They didn't go in quietly. They brought documentation. They had a paper trail of what was happening.

They told the school, "Our daughter has been getting sexually harassed by Nancy Feldman for the past three years."

The response? According to the Coopers, it was a total shrug.

The administration reportedly dismissed the claims within five minutes. No investigation. No suspension. Just a flat "no" to the request that Feldman be fired. The system that was supposed to protect the student-athlete chose to protect the "legendary" coach instead.

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Alex quit the team immediately after that meeting. She kept her scholarship—a small victory—but the sport she loved was effectively ruined for her. Feldman, meanwhile, stayed on. She continued coaching at BU until her retirement in 2022, long after Alex had moved to New York to start a podcast that would change media forever.

Why This Matters in 2026

This isn't just some "celebrity drama" from the past. The Alex Cooper and Nancy Feldman story is a case study in why "believe women" is still a radical concept in institutional sports. For ten years, Alex carried this. She felt like she had no voice because, back then, she didn't.

Now, she’s one of the most powerful women in media.

By coming forward in Call Her Alex, she isn't just settling a score. She’s exposing a blueprint of institutional failure. When the news broke, Boston University finally had to address it, though their public statements remained predictably corporate and cautious.

Actionable Takeaways for Athletes and Parents

If you’re a student-athlete or a parent navigating the high-pressure world of D-I sports, there are some hard-learned lessons here:

• Document everything immediately. Don't wait for a pattern to emerge before you start writing things down. Dates, times, and exact quotes matter when you're facing a university board.
• The "Closed Door" rule. If a coach or superior constantly demands "alone time" that isn't related to training or film study, it’s a red flag. Try to keep a teammate or third party present for meetings.
• Scholarship protection. Many athletes fear losing their education if they speak up. Research your school’s specific policy on "non-participation" for medical or mental health reasons. Alex was able to keep her tuition covered because the situation was documented as harassment.
• Trust your gut over the "Legend." Just because a coach has a winning record doesn't mean they are a good person. Don't let a "hall of fame" status gaslight you into thinking their behavior is normal.

The power dynamic between a coach and a player is inherently tilted. Alex Cooper’s experience shows that even the most successful people can be silenced by that tilt—but it also shows that the truth usually finds a way out eventually. If you are currently in a situation where a coach is crossing boundaries, seek outside legal counsel or a Title IX coordinator rather than relying solely on the athletic department, which often has a conflict of interest in protecting its own reputation.