Alex Cooper Quit Soccer After She Was Allegedly Sexually Harassed by Her College Coach

The podcast world is absolutely saturated, but a few juggernauts always stand out. Alex Cooper's Call Her Daddy podcast is one of them. In June 2025, a documentary about the popular podcast host drops on Hulu, giving us more insight into who Cooper is and how she got so wildly successful. Although Cooper's rise to fame is certainly of interest to her legions of fans, Variety said the documentary falls short of capturing what the world finds so intriguing about her.

The two-part docuseries dives into Cooper's childhood, providing context for her love of content creation. As a kid, she loved putting on plays in her parents' basement alongside her best friends. Cooper was also battling body image issues after being bullied by boys at school who said she was too thin. Although she would be lifted up by playing soccer, a mentor in the sport she admired was allegedly responsible for making her quit the sport. What happened with her soccer coach? Here's what we know.

In the documentary, Cooper opens up about her brief time playing Division I soccer for Boston University from 2013 to 2015. It was there that Cooper alleges her coach, Nancy Feldman, sexually harassed her. It allegedly started off rather innocently, with Feldman paying more attention to Cooper than other players. However, Cooper described it as more of an obsession than a coach helping a promising team member.

According to Cooper, Feldman would often ask prying questions about her dating life and would frequently make inappropriate comments about the soccer player's body. Feldman also allegedly tried to get Cooper alone as often as possible. While complimenting Cooper on her legs, Feldman allegedly placed her hand on the young girl's thigh. During a one-on-one meeting, Cooper claims Feldman asked her if she had sex the night before.

Their interactions became transactional, with Cooper alleging that Feldman would trade playing time for stories about her sex life. Cooper claimed that Feldman would offer her rides to a night class while insisting she had to come alone. "I felt so deeply uncomfortable," said the podcast host.

Cooper told her parents about the alleged abuse, who in turn contacted lawyers. The family was warned that if they took legal action against Feldman or the school, this case could "drag out for years," per People. Despite the fact that Cooper and her family provided written documentation of the alleged harassment, Boston University athletics officials did nothing. The young soccer player quit before her senior year. Feldman retired in 2022.

While at the Tribeca Film Festival with the documentary, Cooper spoke about the moment the filmmakers asked her to step back onto the field at Boston University. "The minute I stepped back on that field, I felt so small," said Cooper. "I just felt like I was 18 years old again and I was in a situation with someone who was in a position of power, who abused their power, and felt like I wasn't the Call Her Daddy girl." She realized how much she was still carrying.