CLEVELAND โ When the coaching staff for Saturday's inaugural Women's College All-Star Game was announced a few weeks ago, there were no cries of anger across the basketball world, but there were whispers and raised eyebrows.
Did you hear that? Can you believe it? what were they thinking?
Questions revolved around the inclusion of Cynthia Cooper as a volunteer assistant. While Cooper is undoubtedly a basketball legend, and she and three other coaches were described as such in her announcement, Cooper was also the focus of a damning and disturbing 2022 investigative report. Ta. The Athletic It outlined allegations of inappropriate, vulgar and verbally abusive behavior against players from multiple teams over several decades.
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Former players accuse Cynthia Cooper-Dyke of degrading, demoralizing and abusive behavior
She resigned from Texas Southern two years ago and retreated from the coaching spotlight until a press release featured her photo alongside photos of Nancy Lieberman, Janice Braxton, Cheryl Miller and others. was. Her reaction may have been muted nationally, but the pain of the former players who spoke out in the article was very real.
“She needs to publicly apologize to all the players she hurt and make a statement,” one of them said. The Athletic this week. “She has never publicly apologized to all of her players. We want a loud apology, and we want an apology as loud as the abuse was.”
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The answer to whether Cooper should have been invited to coach is simple. She shouldn't have done that. The wounds remain too raw and the emotional pain of those affected is too deep. But I don't have an answer to the question of the appropriate period of atonement. It depends on the situation, but generally you know it when you see it or feel it.
Final Four weekend is meant to celebrate what's right about the game, not what's tarnished it, and Cooper's accomplishments include violating NCAA rules at Prairie View A&M, UNC-Wilmington, USC, and Southern Texas. It includes allegations of sexual harassment and verbal abuse. I strongly believe that Cooper should have a path back to coaching, but I talked to her this week and she's come to think there's more work to do.
For example, when I asked her what she would say to a victim who spoke out against her, she said: “I apologize for making their experience so negative. I know everyone's perception is their reality, so I have my perception and they have theirs. But I never intended for them to have a negative experience.”
The word didn't sound like someone was admitting responsibility for a particular action. It sounded like I was saying I was sorry for the hurt I had caused without acknowledging the actual actions that caused the pain. This is a subtle but important distinction because it gives the appearance of an apology or a non-apology.
One person did that when a former player said he had suicidal thoughts because of the abuse. The AthleticThis story should not be taken lightly. For example, when she watched a player punch the bleachers until his hands bled and became upset because she believed her actions were wrong, she realized that she had to draw the line from metaphorical imposition to actual abuse. That we could not have known what had been surpassed stretches the boundaries of disbelief. Cooper is punished.
What makes this even more abhorrent is that Cooper holds a special place in women's basketball as someone who won two championships at USC, an Olympic gold medal, and four WNBA titles, all of which were Finals MVPs. It means that he occupies a position. Her name is regularly mentioned when people talk about the all-time greats. The WNBA named her one of the 25 greatest players in league history.
But that iconic status can be both a blessing and a curse, in that it brings not only greater visibility but also greater responsibility as stewards of the game. Her misconduct hurt not only those involved with her, but also the women's competitive world, which leans heavily toward norms of integrity and consciousness.
Her actions led to a Title IX investigation and a no-contact order with players outside of practices and games. She resigned from Texas Southern several weeks before a scheduled Title IX hearing, and she entered treatment a little more than a week later, she said. She said that while ongoing sessions can be painful at times, pain is typical of shotgun riders on the path to progress, so perhaps that's a positive sign.
โI realized I was in trouble,โ she said. “I sent the article to my therapist before I went so she knew what I was dealing with. Then I just went to work. Worked on myself, looked in the mirror, I worked to see what I could have done better or differently. I looked at how people were talking about their experiences and what role I played in it. We had to look at what was going on. We had to play it all back.โ
The invitation to coach at the All-Star Game came from the National Basketball Retired Players Association, and president and CEO Scott Rochell said Cooper wanted to move beyond the spotlight to improve himself, self-awareness and He said he has seen him work hard to improve his coaching. She coaches and coaches her group of amateur basketball players, primarily her fourth and fifth graders, and also participates in the NBA's coaching development program.
“This is not a reward,” Rochelle said of being selected as an All-Star. “This is another step in her growth as she seeks to improve herself both personally and professionally. This article was not new to us, but…we We believe that the people who do this are the ones we want to continue working with. From that perspective, we support her and really want to improve herself. I stand with the former player who wishes to I'm giving back and giving back. I think the question is, what else are you looking for?”
Cooper's participation came the same week that Ole Miss hired Quentin Hillsman as an assistant coach. Hillsman resigned as Syracuse's head coach three years ago amid an independent investigation into allegations of verbal abuse and threats toward players, all of which were outlined in a separate investigation. The Athletic. And while some may try to draw a direct correlation between his situation and Cooper's, it's important to note that Hillsman has a full-time position and works with players throughout the year. they are different. Cooper volunteered as an assistant one weekend. There's some discussion that his participation in the game, which aired on ESPN2, could be used as a stepping stone to becoming a full-time coach, but there's no way to know. Cooper is unsure whether he wants to return to coaching at the college or professional level, he said.
“It's still a question in my mind, it's still in my mind,” she said. โI can tell you this article really hit home for me. โฆRight now I just want to be the best version of myself every day. I want to contribute to women's basketball in a positive way. I've done that throughout my career. However, if I am allowed to do so, I would like to continue to contribute to the growth of this sport.”
For me, the road to recovery must begin with Cooper apologizing to the faces of those he hurt. Itโs not just the first step, itโs a necessary step because itโs where true accountability begins. But even that may not be enough.
“It breaks my heart to think that she still has access to people's children and young women,” one staff member said. “Some people make mistakes on their own, but for others, it's at the core of who they are as a person. I don't think she changes 180 degrees in two years.”
(Top photo: Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)