Who Is Alex Cooper's Former Coach, Nancy Feldman? What to Know About the Woman Cooper Accused of Sexual Harassment
Podcast host Alex Cooper played soccer at Boston University under head coach Nancy Feldman for three seasons
In her Hulu docuseries, which premiered on June 10, Cooper claimed that she was sexually harassed by Feldman
Feldman coached women's soccer at Boston University from 1995 to 2022Alex Cooper has accused her former college soccer coach, Nancy Feldman, of sexual harassment.
The Call Her Daddy podcast host, who played soccer at Boston University from 2013 to 2015, claims that Feldman made her feel "deeply uncomfortable" when the head coach began to fixate on her during her sophomore season.
"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.' [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 claimed in her new Hulu docuseries, Call Her Alex, which had its premiere at the Tribeca Festival on June 8. The docuseries premiered on Hulu on June 10.
Cooper and her parents, Bryan and Laurie Cooper, also alleged that Boston University athletics officials failed to take action after being provided written documentation of Feldman's inappropriate interactions. Feldman continued to coach women's soccer at Boston University until her retirement in 2022.
Boston University, Feldman and the school's athletic department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment on the allegations.
So who is Alex Cooper's former college soccer coach? Here's everything to know about Nancy Feldman and the accusations made by the Call Her Daddy host.
Feldman is from Needham, Mass., a suburb of Boston. She loved baseball growing up, but with the absence of Title IX, she was unable to play Little League with the boys her age.
"My father took me down to town hall at 10 or 11 years old to sign me up for Little League, and I was denied an opportunity to play," she recalled during an interview with ESPN in 2022. "I was sorely disappointed because I love baseball."
She began playing soccer at age 13. 'It just fit me, it fit my personality,' Feldman, who also played softball and basketball and ran track, told BU Today in 2012. 'I just loved how much energy it took, 'cause I loved to expend energy.'
Feldman played forward and midfield at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, according to BU Today. Her record for most goals scored in a single game (four) still stands, per the university.
She graduated with a bachelor's degree in public health from UMass Amherst in 1983. She went on to earn a master's in exercise and sport studies from Smith College in 1988, per LinkedIn.
Feldman was named the first head coach of Boston University's Division I women's soccer program in 1995. Previously, the school had only had a club team, Feldman told ESPN.
Feldman amassed 326 victories during her 27-season tenure at Boston University, according to her Boston University bio. She led the team to 14 NCAA tournament appearances and was named the conference coach of the year 12 times.
Feldman shares two adult children with her longtime partner, Emily. The couple also have two grandchildren, per her Boston University bio.
Feldman announced her retirement as head coach of Boston University's women's soccer team in 2022.
"The program deserves someone that is able to give 100 percent, 100 percent of the time," she told BU Today at the time. "I was starting to feel that I wasn't going to be able to meet my own standard of doing it at the only level I know how to do it, which is all-in. I never wanted to be someone who took shortcuts to success."
In 2025, Cooper came forward with sexual harassment allegations against Feldman in her Hulu docuseries, Call Her Alex.
The podcast host claimed that Feldman acted inappropriately on several occasions, beginning during her sophomore year. She recounted alleged instances of physical contact, such as the head coach placing a hand on her thigh and asking her about her sex life.
"It was this psychotic game of, 'You want to play? Tell me about your sex life,' " Cooper alleged, claiming that Feldman would tell her, "I have to drive you to your night class. Get in the car with me alone."
Cooper said that she initially kept quiet about her alleged interactions with Feldman because she was fearful of losing her full-ride scholarship.
"If I didn't follow this woman's rules, I was gone," she claimed. "Every time I tried to resist her, she would say, 'There could be consequences.' And there were.'
Cooper and her parents eventually brought their concerns to Boston University athletics officials, who allegedly chose not to launch an internal investigation, according to Vanity Fair. Meanwhile, lawyers that the Cooper family had contacted reportedly discouraged them from pressing charges, warning them that the case could last for years.
In 2016, Cooper decided not to play soccer in her senior year, but she was allowed to keep her scholarship.
'I want to finish out what I worked my entire life for, but I can't play for this woman,' Cooper recalled telling university staff, per Vanity Fair. 'They said, 'We're not gonna fire her, but you can keep your entire scholarship and that's that.' No investigation. Within five minutes, they had entirely dismissed everything I had been through.'
While filming Call Her Alex, Cooper visited the Boston University soccer field.
"The minute I stepped back on that field, I felt so small," she recalled during a Q&A at the project's Tribeca Festival premiere.
"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," Cooper continued. "I wasn't someone who had money and influence or whatever. 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."
The Unwell Hydration founder added that she's "not ashamed" that it took her 10 years to speak out about her alleged experiences.
"I think this documentary, as difficult as it was to explore, I actually think this is just the beginning," she added. "It's really opened my eyes to how difficult the system is, and it's so built against us as women."
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