Former women's basketball players who played for Cynthia Cooper-Dyke during her stints at Texas Southern, UNC-Wilmington and USC claim the coach subjected them to sexual and degrading comments and jeopardized their physical and mental wellbeing.
According to Sports Illustrated, citing reporting by Chantel Jennings and Dana O'Neil for The Athletic, Cooper-Dyke's career continued seemingly unfettered, despite players having reported her behavior to officials at their respective schools.
āNobody has said anything or done anything, just passed her off to the next school,ā one USC player told The Athletic. āThis woman mentally and emotionally terrorized us.ā
What follows is graphic detail of Cooper-Dyke's alleged abuse.
Cooper-Dyke coached Texas Southernās womenās basketball team in the 2012ā13 season and again from ā19 to ā22. During her most recent stint at Texas Southern, Cooper-Dyke was told that one of her players, who had a mental health diagnosis, was depressed. Cooper-Dyke said, āNo, she will be all right; she just needs some d---, thatās all.ā She then later called that same player a āsorry-a-- virgin,ā according to the report.
Cooper-Dyke also made an inappropriate comment to one player while she was doing squats, telling the player, āOoh, your hips are big, you got a fat a-- and I can tell you like to ride some d---.ā She also reportedly shamed one player for her weight, and the player was so upset that she stopped eating in front of Cooper-Dyke.
The allegations span over at least a decade of Cooper-Dykeās collegiate coaching career. When at UNC-Wilmington, where she coached from 2010 to ā12, she is said to have talked about her and playersā sex lives. In her first stint with the Tigers in ā12, the coach got on her knees and pretended to perform fellatio on a male assistant in front of players.
She also reportedly called players slurs and curse words, even asking a Texas Southern assistant coach whether she could send a player āhome on a boatā while the team was at a tournament in the Bahamas. The player Cooper-Dyke was referring to is the daughter of Haitian immigrants.
āShe would talk to us like we were murderers in jail, if you know what I mean,ā one player told The Athletic. āIāve never had a coach thatās cussed at me like she did or said some of the things she would say.ā
According to the report, Cooper-Dyke also subjected players to grueling drills that put playersā physical and mental health at risk. At USC, she allegedly pressured players who were injured or returning from injury to practice. Cooper-Dyke reportedly kicked a player off the team after forcing her to return to practice even though she was injured. When the player tried to explain she couldnāt bend her knee, Cooper-Dyke told her to get out of practice and that she was off the team.
When coaching at UNC-Wilmington, she reportedly put a player through a punishment drill that caused the player to vomit and the skin on her knees to rub off. That same player told The Athletic Cooper-Dyke turned the team against her, and the player quit the team. The player said that the coachās actions against her made her feel āextremely suicidal.ā
In the second half of Texas Southernās season this year, the school put a limited-contact order on Cooper-Dyke and players. When the Tigers opened a Title IX investigation into the allegations, the school elevated the order to a full no-contact order that included assistant coaches Carlos Wilson and Atallah McKinney.
Cooper-Dyke announced her retirement on March 17. According to Texas Southernās policy, a Title IX complaint can be dismissed if āthe Respondent is no longer enrolled or employed by the University.ā Witnesses were called on March 11 to testify in the former coachās Title IX hearing, scheduled to take place April 6.
Shortly after her retirement, a playerās parent received a text from the Title IX officer informing them that the meeting had been canceled.
The coach called the allegations āuntrueā in a statement to The Athletic.
āThroughout my years as a coach, Iāve had countless interactions with players in my role as their coach, mentor and friend,ā she said in a text. āI had positive relationships with the majority of players and staff, and my only intention was to maximize playersā potential and help them be their best. While these allegations are untrue, everyone deserves to work, play and learn in a respectful environment, and I deeply apologize for and regret any words used during the course of a spirited game or practice that offended or hurt someone.ā