Former players have accused former women’s basketball coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke of “demeaning, demoralizing and abusive behavior,” according to a report from The Athletic’s Chantel Jennings and Dana O’Neil.

Players from throughout Cooper-Dyke’s coaching career told The Athletic that she made sexual and degrading comments and endangered athletes’ physical and mental well-being.

A four-time WNBA champion with the Houston Comets, Cooper-Dyke was named to “The W25,” a list of the league’s top 25 players of all time in celebration of its 25th season. Following her playing career, she began her college coaching career in 2005 at Prairie View A&M.

The Athletic’s investigation uncovered allegations that spanned three schools during Cooper-Dyke’s coaching career, beginning at UNC Wilmington in 2010. She also spent time at USC and most recently Texas Southern.

She retired from her position as head coach at Texas Southern in March after being investigated by the school’s Title IX office. During her final season, no-contact orders were issued to players, which prohibited them from talking with the coach or assistant coaches.

Cooper-Dyke’s Title IX hearing was scheduled for April 6, but shortly after her retirement, that meeting was canceled. Per Texas Southern’s policy, a Title IX complaint can be dismissed if “the Respondent is no longer enrolled or employed by the University.”

At all three schools, Cooper-Dyke is said to have discussed her and her players’ sex lives. In her first stint at Texas Southern in 2012, she reportedly got on her knees and pretended to perform fellatio on a male assistant with players present.

In addition to the reported sexual comments, Cooper-Dyke also reportedly called players slurs and curse words. She asked an assistant coach at Texas Southern if she could send a player, who is the daughter of Haitian immigrants, “home on a boat” while the team was at a tournament in the Bahamas, the report said.

“She would talk to us like we were murderers in jail, if you know what I mean,” one player told The Athletic. “I’ve never had a coach that’s cussed at me like she did or said some of the things she would say.”

Cooper-Dyke also put players’ physical and mental health at risk, The Athletic reported. At UNC-Wilmington, she allegedly made a player do log rolls across the court for 30 minutes, causing the player to vomit and the skin on her knees to rub off. While at USC in 2013, she reportedly pressured injured players to return to practice before they were cleared to do so.

Thaddesia Southall, who played for Cooper-Dyke at USC in 2013-14, was kicked off the team when she tried to explain that she was unable to bend her knee and practice.

“Every time something comes across my Instagram, someone celebrating her, I want to scream,” she told The Athletic. “She does not stand for what the WNBA represents. She does not stand for what they are trying to promote. This is a woman who demeaned us, who talked to us like we were not human. She made me hate basketball, and no one did anything to stop her.”

Another person in the program described their depleted mental state. “Not a day went by that I didn’t think about taking my life and even had an idea to do it at Cynthia’s house so she could understand what a devastating impact she had on me,” the person said.

Multiple complaints were presented to officials at USC, but it wasn’t until complaints were made to newly appointed athletic director Lynn Swann during the 2016-17 season that any action was taken. After an investigation, Cooper-Dyke was faced with possible termination and resigned. The reason for her departure was not made public.

Cooper-Dyke was hired at Texas Southern in 2019.

“Nobody has said anything or done anything, just passed her off to the next school,” a USC player said. “This woman mentally and emotionally terrorized us.”

In a statement texted to The Athletic, Cooper-Dyke said that her “countless” interactions with a majority of her players have been “positive.”

“My only intention was to maximize players’ potential and help them be their best,” she wrote. “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.”

England defender Jess Carter is stepping back from social media this week, with the Gotham FC star stating she'd received "a lot of racial abuse" online since the start of the Lionesses' title defense at the 2025 Euro.

"Whilst I feel every fan is entitled to their opinion on performance and result, I don't agree, or think, it's ok to target someone's appearance or race," she wrote in Monday's post. "Hopefully, speaking out will make the people writing this abuse think twice so that others won't have to deal with it."

"It's really sad that we have to be occupied by this," said England head coach Sarina Wiegman. "It is ridiculous and disgusting what is happening and that goes beyond football. We had to pay attention to that and support Jess."

In response, UEFA, the NWSL, and the NWSL Players Association all issued statements condemning the abuse and expressing unequivocal support of Carter.

Carter's club also jumped to stand with their defender, with Gotham FC calling her "a role model" and "a leader," before bluntly stating, "There is no place for racism in our sport."

Blatantly labeling the abuse a "hate crime," English FA CEO Mark Bullingham said that the governing body has contacted UK police in order to hold the perpetrators accountable.

England players to stand prior to 2025 Euro semifinal

Carter isn't the only player taking action, as the entire England squad has chosen not to take a knee before their Tuesday semifinal match against Italy.

"It is clear we and football need to find another way to tackle racism," the team said in a Sunday statement. "No one should have to endure such vile abuse, be that in football or any walk of life."

Until now, the Lionesses have knelt just prior to kick-off as a show of anti-racist protest, though Carter's 2025 Euro experience has prompted the team to reconsider the gesture's effectiveness.

According to England's Lucy Bronze, the team collectively discussed whether kneeling is still having its intended impact.

"It feels like it's not if these things are still happening to our players in the biggest tournaments of their lives," Bronze told reporters on Saturday. "More needs to be done in football and society."

As for England's 2025 Euro semifinal on Tuesday, there's no deterring the the Lionesses — or Carter herself.

"Although it is a hard situation, Jess is a very strong person," said Wiegman. "She's ready to perform and compete, and that says a lot about her and the team."

Unrivaled Basketball returned to the headlines on Monday, releasing a series of stats linking participation in the offseason 3×3 league to boosted performances in the WNBA.

Per the league, 91% of all Unrivaled players have posted a career-high in at least one statistical category during the 2025 WNBA season thus far.

When it comes to scoring, over one-third of Unrivaled vets are currently seeing career-high points per game, including Minnesota Lynx star and Unrivaled co-founder Napheesa Collier, who leads the WNBA with a 23.2 average rate.

Pro sophomore Kate Martin saw the biggest bump, with the Golden State guard increasing her scoring rate by over four points per game.

Scoring efficiency also rose among Unrivaled athletes, with players like LA Sparks guard Rae Burrell and Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese putting up career-high field goal percentages, while Indiana Fever forward Aliyah Boston's growth has her leading the WNBA in that category.

The biggest boost from playing in the 3×3 league has been in assist rates, with 38% of Unrivaled alums — including WNBA-leader and Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas — dropping career-high dimes per game.

Over one-quarter of Unrivaled players are also enjoying personal-best rebound rates, with LA Sparks forward Azurá Stevens seeing the biggest gains off the glass.

Perhaps most impressively, both Stevens and Atlanta Dream guard Allisha Gray have each logged increases in their scoring, assists, and rebounding rates, showing the most comprehensive gains across WNBA stats out of all Unrivaled players.

Amidst booming popularity, Unrivaled's off-court impact has been similarly substantial, with the upstart league signing 14 of college basketball's biggest stars to NIL deals over the weekend.

Unrivaled’s salary structure has also made a splash, with standouts like Dallas Wings rookie Paige Bueckers scoring contracts that far outweigh their regular-season WNBA pay.

The UEFA Women's Euro 2025 semifinals kick off on Tuesday afternoon, as the four remaining nations — England, Italy, Germany, and Spain — battle it out for one of two tickets to Sunday's tournament final.

Notably, a repeat of the 2023 World Cup final is still on the table, with both England and Spain advancing on opposite ends of the bracket.

Three of the four semifinal squads showcase a wealth of international experience and history, while surprise underdog Italy is surging in an attempt to shock the world.

• No. 5 England vs. No. 13 Italy, Tuesday at 3 PM ET (FOX): While Italy eyes their first major tournament final appearance since 1993, the 2022 Euro champion Lionesses will look to bounce back from their tightly contested quarterfinal clash.

• No. 3 Germany vs. No. 2 Spain, Wednesday at 3 PM ET (FOX): Expect the reigning World Cup champions to have an edge over a tested German side, but don't discount Germany's mental resolve after their own dramatic quarterfinal win.

A significant factor in the 2025 Euro semifinals will be athlete availability, as multiple teams continue to rotate their lineups deep into the tournament.

England will hope for captain Leah Williamson's return after the center back exited their quarterfinal with an ankle injury, while Germany and Spain navigate absences due to mounting yellow- and red-card violations.

The New York Liberty wasted no time returning to work after a successful All-Star Weekend, with multiple reports stating that 2019 WNBA Finals MVP Emma Meesseman will join the reigning champs for the second half of the 2025 season.

A 2019 WNBA champion with the Washington Mystics, Meesseman hasn't played in the US league since the end of 2022, opting instead to prioritize European play following a stint with the Chicago Sky.

Averaging 12.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game in 2022, Meesseman was reportedly also scouted by the Minnesota Lynx and the Phoenix Mercury before landing with the New York Liberty.

Fresh off leading Belgium to victory at the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2025, Meesseman's arrival is now dependent on her visa application's timeline.

Currently sitting at No. 2 in the WNBA standings, the Liberty have remained strong despite dealing with key absences from their starting lineup.

The Liberty expect Jonquel Jones's return to the court this week after the center missed extended time with an ankle injury, while star guard Leonie Fiebich has already logged New York minutes following her EuroBasket run with Germany.

Along with the reported addition of Meesseman, the Liberty also picked up Stephanie Talbot on Monday, snagging the Australian forward just days after the Golden State Valkyries waived the 32-year-old free agent.

How to watch the New York Liberty on Tuesday

The budding superteam will stack up against the No. 6 Indiana Fever in their Tuesday return from the 2025 WNBA All-Star festivities.

The action tips off at 8 PM ET, with live coverage on ESPN.