If you follow Patriot League soccer, you know the name Casey Brown. For a long time, she was the "golden girl" of Boston University (BU) athletics. A local legend from Natick, Massachusetts, who basically won everything you could win as a player before climbing the coaching ladder at light speed.
But then, everything changed.
The story of casey brown soccer coach is no longer just about wins, losses, or tactical formations. It’s a complicated narrative of a homecoming gone wrong, a sudden midseason disappearance, and serious allegations that have rocked one of the most respected programs in the Northeast. Honestly, the fall was just as fast as the rise.
The Player Who Owned the America East
Before the headlines were about investigations, they were about dominance. Brown wasn't just good; she was historically good. She played for BU from 2006 to 2009, and during that four-year stretch, the Terriers were an absolute juggernaut.
She is the only woman in America East history to be named the top player at her position—Defender of the Year—three times. She led the team to four straight NCAA tournament appearances. Think about that. Most players hope to see the Big Dance once. She never missed it.
After college, she was drafted by the Boston Breakers in the 2010 NWSL (then WPS) draft. She had the master’s degree from LIU Brooklyn. She had the pedigree. When she started coaching, people just assumed that "winner" DNA would translate. For a while, it did.
Climbing the Ranks: From Holy Cross to Penn
Brown’s coaching career started with a bang. She took over a struggling Holy Cross program in 2016. Before she got there, the Crusaders were basically the conference doormat, usually finishing near the bottom of the Patriot League.
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By 2019, she was the Patriot League Coach of the Year.
She led them to their first conference tournament in 19 years. It was a massive turnaround. Naturally, bigger schools noticed. She moved to the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) in March 2020. Even with the pandemic wiping out her first season, she managed a 9-5-2 record in 2021, which was one of the program’s best marks in a decade.
Then, the "dream job" opened up.
The Return to Nickerson Field
In June 2022, Nancy Feldman—the legendary coach who built BU soccer over 27 years—retired. There was only one person the administration wanted. They hired Brown as just the second head coach in program history.
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It felt like a movie script. The alum returns to lead her team back to glory. In her first season (2022), the Terriers went 11-8-1. They beat a ranked Harvard team. They made the semifinals. Everything looked like it was on track.
But behind the scenes, things were starting to unravel.
The Shocking Resignation and Allegations
If you were looking at the schedule in late 2024, you might have noticed something weird. Brown was suddenly "away" from the team. On December 13, 2024, BU officially announced she was stepping down.
The press release was dry. It mentioned her 24-23-14 record. It thanked her for her service. But it didn't take long for the real story to break.
According to reports from The Boston Globe and People Magazine in mid-2025, Brown hadn't just decided to move on. She had been placed on administrative leave in September 2024 following a complaint to the university's ethics hotline.
The allegations were serious:
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- Sexual Harassment: A senior midfielder, Shayla Brown (no relation), filed a formal complaint regarding "unsettling invitations" and persistent, inappropriate texting.
- Toxic Culture: Other players corroborated a pattern of behavior that crossed professional boundaries.
- The Alex Cooper Connection: These allegations surfaced around the same time that former player Alex Cooper (of Call Her Daddy fame) spoke out about a culture of abuse under the previous regime, though Brown was the specific target of the 2024 investigation.
Basically, the university commissioned an independent investigation. By the time it was wrapping up in December, Brown resigned.
What This Means for BU Soccer Moving Forward
The casey brown soccer coach era ended in a way no one expected. It has left a shadow over Nickerson Field. For fans and parents, it’s a cautionary tale about how quickly a program's culture can erode, even when a "homegrown" hero is at the helm.
The university is now facing intense scrutiny. They have to prove they can protect student-athletes while maintaining the "standard-setter" status Nancy Feldman worked decades to build.
Key Lessons from the Situation:
- Reporting Works: The use of the confidential ethics hotline was the catalyst for the investigation. If you are a student-athlete, know your school's reporting structure.
- Culture Over Wins: A 24-win record doesn't matter if the environment isn't safe. Institutions in 2026 are much less likely to "quietly" sweep these things under the rug than they were ten years ago.
- Vetting is Constant: Just because someone was a legendary alum doesn't mean they don't need rigorous oversight once they are in power.
If you are following the coaching search or the ongoing legal fallout, the best thing you can do is stay updated via the official Patriot League news wire and investigative sports journalism outlets like The Athletic or the Globe. The fallout from the 2024-2025 season is likely to change how BU handles athletic department oversight for the next decade.
The next step for anyone interested in this case is to monitor the Title IX compliance reports that Boston University is required to release. These documents often provide the most transparent view of how the school is restructuring its player-protection protocols in the wake of such a high-profile resignation.