STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Following published reports alleging mistreatment of players by Wagner College men’s basketball coach Donald Copeland, students on the Grymes Hill college campus remained relatively silent.
On Thursday, many students from the private university said they hadn’t heard about the situation.”
“I have no clue about any of this,” said one sophomore leaving Spiro Sports Center on Thursday afternoon with some classmates. “And the school hasn’t told us anything yet.”
However, one student-athlete in her junior year said she had heard about the report, first published in the New York Post. “From what the team said, I can say that is not respectful behavior at all,” she said while walking to class. “That’s all I can really say about it, just really disrespectful.”
On Reddit, commenters were also rattled by the allegations.
“Denying water breaks is very much textbook physical abuse,” mentioned one user, who had read the CBS Sports coverage of the suspension. “If he’s found liable (article says he hasn’t yet) then he should absolutely be fired.”
“That’s what got a Maryland football player killed,” commented another.
Others remained skeptical about the severity of the claims.
“Verbal abuse is a hard thing to prove, and nearly every D1 football and basketball player could probably allege that it happens to them,” stated one Reddit user. “Denying water breaks, however, is dangerous … and is probably what’s going to get him in the most trouble. You just can’t run high-level athletes through that kind of workout without allowing them to take care of themselves.”
According to the New York Post, the head coach who has been suspended pending investigations, is being accused of verbally abusing several players and refusing them water breaks during summer practices.
Multiple claims of these abuses were sent via email to school administrators, the report said.
According to CBS Sports, all but two players transferred out of Wagner after last season, as well as multiple members of Copeland’s staff, including former assistant Kevin Lynch.
Copeland is a former player at Seton Hall University and an assistant at Wagner in 2015 and later at Seton Hall before getting the head coaching job at Wagner four years ago.
In March of 2024, the 41-year old coach led the Seahawks to their first NEC Tournament title in over two decades, and was awarded a five-year contact with the college’s Athletics Department.
Wagner’s Vice President of Athletics Walt Hameline said the school began its investigation immediately and has issued a statement stating there will be no official comments until the allegations are reviewed.
Wagner’s Athletics Office did not return a follow-up call.