Alex Cooper Breaks Down in Tears as She Accuses Her College Soccer Coach of Sexual Harassment

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Alex Cooper has come forward with allegations of sexual harassment against her former college soccer coach
The Call Her Daddy podcaster made the claims in her new docuseries Call Her Alex, which premiered at the Tribeca Festival in New York City on June 8
Cooper attended and played soccer for Boston University from 2013 to 2015, when she alleges she was sexually harassed by Nancy FeldmanAlex Cooper has come forward with allegations of sexual harassment against her former college soccer coach.
In her new Hulu docuseries Call Her Alex, which premiered at the Tribeca Festival in New York City on Sunday, June 8, the Call Her Daddy podcaster, 30, claimed she was sexually harassed by Nancy Feldman while attending Boston University (BU).
Cooper said in the documentary that she noticed Feldman "really starting to fixate on me, way more than any other teammate of mine, and it was confusing," during her sophomore year of college.
"[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 the documentary.
Feldman, Boston University and the school's athletic department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment on Sunday, June 8.
Cooper, who played for BU from 2013 to 2015, also alleged that Feldman would comment on her legs and would put her hand on her thigh. One time, she claimed Feldman asked her during a private meeting if she had had sex the night before.
"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."
"I felt so deeply uncomfortable," added the podcaster.
Speaking about why she felt she couldn't speak out about the alleged abuse, Cooper said, "I was attending BU on a full-tuition scholarship. If I didn't follow this woman's rules, I was gone."
According to Cooper, she spoke about the alleged sexual harassment with her parents, who contacted lawyers. However, the lawyers warned Cooper that the university would drag out a case for years.
Boston University athletics officials also allegedly did not take action after Cooper and her parents provided written documentation of Feldman's inappropriate interactions.
The college did not fire Feldman, though the coach later retired in 2022. Cooper did not play soccer her senior year, but she kept her scholarship.
In the documentary, the project's director, Ry Russo-Young, asked Cooper to walk onto the university's soccer field and reflect on the alleged sexual harassment.
During a Q&A held after the documentary's premiere on June 8, Cooper said that it took her 10 years to speak out — and her decision to do so was partly because of the project.
"At this point in the filming process, I was not sure I wanted to talk about this experience," she said during the Q&A, referring to the moment she returned to the university campus.
Cooper continued, "I was nervous and scared, and so [Russo-Young] was incredibly supportive and just said, 'Let's just go and let's see what comes up.' "
"The minute I stepped back on that field, I felt so small," Cooper recalled. "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, and I felt like I wasn't the 'Call Her Daddy' girl. 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."
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Cooper also said during the Q&A that the whole saga was "frustrating" for her, "because I want to tell women to come forward and say it, but I did, and I wasn't believed, and then it took me a decade."
"I'm not ashamed that it took me 10 years," she added. "But it makes me question a lot, and I think this documentary, as difficult as it was to explore, I actually think this is just the beginning."
"It's really opened my eyes to how difficult the system is, and it's so built against us as women," Cooper continued.
Call Her Alex premieres on Hulu on June 10, with both episodes dropping at once.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
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