Wagner head coach Donald Copeland was suspended by the school as an investigation is underway into alleged verbal abuse of players, the school confirmed CBS Sports on Wednesday after the New York Post broke the news.
The Post reported a slew of accusations against Copeland, including verbal abuse of several players and refusing water breaks during practice, which reportedly landed one player in the hospital. As of Wednesday, Copeland has not been found responsible but the Post reported that multiple
complaints were sent to the school admin at the State Island-based college.
“Wagner College takes student health and well-being seriously,” Wagner athletic director Walt Hameline told CBS Sports. “Upon learning of these allegations, we moved quickly to review them. As we continue to do so, we will not comment further on this matter.”
Copeland would run his players to extreme exhaustion, the Post reported, after he had found a hidden Gatorade bottle that a player was drinking from. The Post reported that Copeland told the players “if you’re thirsty, swallow your spit.” Two players passed out due to dehydration, the Post reported.
“It was every single day,” former Wagner player R.J. Greene told the Post. “Every day was like a war, on and off the court.”
Copeland, who was entering his fourth season with the program, led Wagner to the 2024 NCAA Tournament, earning the Northeast Conference auto bid, and went 10-16 last season against Division-I squads.
