Alex Cooper Breaks Silence on Harassment by College Coach — What It Signals About Early Power Abuse

Alex Cooper — host of Call Her Daddy and one of podcasting’s most powerful voices — just shared a story she’s kept private for years: as a student-athlete at Boston University, she says she was sexually harassed by her soccer coach, Nancy Feldman. She reported it. Nothing happened. According to a recent Instagram post by Cooper:

“Nancy Feldman was someone I trusted… But instead she made my life a living hell and abused her power over me.”

In her Hulu docuseries Call Her Alex, Cooper described how the coach allegedly fixated on her: pressing for personal details, making inappropriate comments about her body, and pushing for one-on-one time under the guise of mentorship. According to People magazine, Cooper describes her coach’s comments this way: 

“It was this psychotic game of, ‘You want to play? Tell me about your sex life.’ I felt so deeply uncomfortable.”

Cooper signed a $125 million SiriusXM deal in 2024 and now draws 10 million listeners per episode — second only to Joe Rogan, according to Inc. magazine. 

She says the harassment escalated, blending manipulation with retaliation. Her parents documented three years of alleged misconduct and brought it to the athletic director — who, according to Cooper, refused to even read it. People magazine further quoted her as saying:

“They won’t even touch it,” she said. “Why don’t you want to read the book?”

No lawsuit has been filed — Cooper has said attorneys advised the process would drag on for years. The school has confirmed it received a report but took no action.

Why It Matters

Cooper’s story didn’t unfold at the height of her fame. It happened before she had a career or a voice. And that’s the point: harassment and abuse of power often begin early — in college, during internships, in roles where there’s no HR department or clear system of support. According to The Cut, Cooper says:

“The minute I stepped back on the field, I felt so small… I was just another woman who experienced harassment on a level that changed my life forever.”

Too many schools and workplaces still rely on outdated, reactive systems. By the time someone files a complaint — if they do at all — it’s often too late. That’s why Cooper breaking her silence on harassment by her college coach — and what it signals about early power abuse — deserves more than headlines. It’s a warning sign about all the places where language and power go unchecked.

Where HarmCheck Comes In

At Alphy, our HarmCheck AI is built to catch the warning signs before harm escalates: manipulative language, inappropriate boundaries, harassment, retaliation. We help organizations act before someone’s only option is silence — or quitting something they love. Because if someone like Alex Cooper could be silenced for years, who might still be suffering in your school or company?

Let’s not wait for another viral story. Let’s build safer cultures now — from the classroom to the boardroom.

Book a quick demo of HarmCheck: http://harmcheck.ai/demo. Or contact sales directly at mia@alphyco.com 

Mia DeLuca is the vice president of sales and marketing at Alphy

HarmCheck by Alphy is an AI communication compliance solution that detects and flags language that is harmful, unlawful, and unethical in digital communication. Alphy was founded to reduce the risk of litigation from harmful and discriminatory communication while helping employees communicate more effectively. For more information: www.harmcheck.ai.