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Georgetown suspends Ed Cooley for throwing water bottle into stands that hit child

Grant Grubbs Profile Pictureby: Grant Grubbs12/21/25grant_grubbs_

Georgetown has suspended head coach Ed Cooley from its game against Coppin State on Monday. The suspension is a result of Cooley throwing his water bottle and inadvertently hitting a child in the stands during Georgetown’s 80-77 loss to Xavier on Saturday.

Jeff Battle will serve as Georgetown’s interim coach while Cooley is suspended. On Sunday, Cooley released a statement regarding his actions.

“I am deeply sorry for my actions during last night’s game, and sincerely apologize to the Nyahkoon family, whom I have known for years and regard as my own family,” Cooley said. “My conduct was unacceptable and does not represent who I am or the leader I strive to be.

“I want to also apologize to the Georgetown community, team, fans, the league and my family. I take full responsibility for my actions and their consequences. I will learn from this experience to ensure it never happens again.”

Cooley is in his third season as Georgetown’s head coach. After the team’s narrow loss to Xavier on Saturday, the Hoyas fell to 8-4 on the season and 1-1 in conference play. Georgetown athletic director Lee Reed also released a statement on Ed Cooley’s actions.

“I met with Coach Cooley today to discuss the incident which occurred after last night’s game against Xavier,” Reed wrote. “I expressed that his conduct did not align with the standards we expect of our coaches, nor does it reflect the values of Georgetown Athletics or Georgetown University.”

Cooley also immediately apologized for his outburst after the game. Cooley threw the bottle after Georgetown missed its game-tying 3-point attempt at the buzzer. The water bottle appeared to hit the child in the chest area.

In the loss, Georgetown shot 40% from the field and 35% from beyond the arc. The Hoyas ultimately lost the game at the free-throw line. They connected on just 25-of-their-43 (58%) attempts from the charity stripe. The Big East released a statement Sunday, supporting Georgetown’s suspension of Ed Cooley.

“We have communicated with Georgetown leadership and support their decision to suspend head men’s basketball coach Ed Cooley for his actions following last night’s game against Xavier,” the league said. “The safety and security of spectators and participants at Big East events is of paramount importance and fundamental to the enjoyment of our games.”

Georgetown will square off against Coppin State on Monday at 6:30 p.m. ET. The game will air live on ESPN+.