Women’s basketball legend and previous Texas Southern head coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke was accused by many players of degrading and abusive conduct, which involved making use of “overt sexual language” that led to a Title IX investigation by the university and her subsequent retirement, in accordance to a bombshell report by The Athletic.
The report, printed Thursday, exposed several accusations leveled by gamers at Texas Southern about inappropriate remarks created by Cooper-Dyke, which includes sexual references and shaming players’ bodily appearances.
According to records of the investigation reviewed by the outlet, Cooper-Dyke stated one particular player who was working with a known psychological health and fitness prognosis would “be all suitable, she just demands some d—, which is all.” She later on referred to that identical player as a “sorry-a– virgin,” according to the report.
She also allegedly manufactured comments about players’ physical appearances, prompting a person to halt eating in front of her mentor following she was shamed about her excess weight in front of the staff.
Pursuing its investigation, the college implemented a restricted-get hold of purchase in between Cooper-Dyke and the team in January, prohibiting a single-on-one particular conferences and get hold of by phones and emails. A lot less than a month later, that coverage experienced transformed to a no-contact order which prohibited any get in touch with outside the house of video games and methods.
The Athletic spoke to 25 people today, like former employees and players all through Cooper-Dyke’s vocation who disclosed firsthand accounts of identical accusations that day back at minimum a 10 years. Some of all those accusations bundled talking of her own and players’ sex lives, cruel name-calling and abnormal punishment that had both equally a bodily and psychological wellbeing toll.
“Nobody has said everything or accomplished something, just handed her off to the next faculty,” one USC participant instructed the outlet. “This woman mentally and emotionally terrorized us.’’
Cooper-Dyke declared her retirement March 17, just weeks in advance of a scheduled hearing linked to the university’s investigation. In accordance to the report, that hearing was afterwards canceled.
In a textual content message to The Athletic, Cooper-Dyke wrote that she has had “positive associations with the majority of gamers and staff” and denied the allegations.
“Throughout my yrs as a coach, I have experienced countless interactions with players in my job as their coach, mentor and good friend,” Cooper-Dyke said. “I experienced optimistic associations with the bulk of players and employees, and my only intention was to optimize players’ possible and help them be their very best. When these allegations are untrue, anyone warrants to operate, perform and find out in a respectful atmosphere, and I deeply apologize for and regret any words and phrases applied during the course of a spirited video game or practice that offended or harm anyone.”
Texas Southern declined to comment on details, citing the Title IX investigation, but included, “Please be assured that the college requires any challenges that influence the basic safety and well being of our pupils, college and staff members severely to make sure a studying setting absolutely free from discrimination, harassment and violence.”
A 4-time WNBA winner and four-time Finals MVP, Cooper-Dyke was the initial WNBA player to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.
Cooper-Dyke ongoing her good results via coaching. At Prairie View A&M, she led the Panthers to a conference title in her 2nd season and earned the university’s 1st NCAA Tournament bid in 2005. In 2010, she took above the coaching job at UNC Wilmington prior to shifting on to Texas Southern just two several years afterwards. She moved on to USC in 2013 prior to earning her return to Texas Southern in 2019.
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