Ed Cooley lost his cool in the worst way Saturday night after his Georgetown Hoyas blew an 80-77 heartbreaker to Xavier at Capital One Arena.
However, it is tough to control emotions after losing a very close match. Still, the Georgetown head coach literally crossed every line after throwing a water bottle into the stands. The projectile hit a child sitting on his mother’s lap just rows behind the bench.
Fans Demand Ed Cooley’s Head After Water Bottle Tantrum
Being three points behind with just 3.4 seconds left in the match, Georgetown managed to get a very good look from the corner to tie up the game.
But Malik Mack couldn’t materialize the chance, as he had the ball just before the final buzzer. Then, he pulled off a brain-dead decision, and the camera caught him red-handed.
Did Ed Cooley just try to launch his water bottle into the crowd but it only went one row in?
— Made For March (@madeformarch) December 21, 2025
The woman adjusted her position after the bottle struck the kid in the leg. The video showed the child getting hit while Cooley could be seen storming off the court in frustration.
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Social media did not even try to understand his situation, urging the league to put him under serious punishment. Seems like the college hoops fans wanted blood from the veteran coach.
One fan wrote, “He STRUCK a CHILD.”
Another noted, “Child is concussed allegedly.” While unconfirmed, the concern illustrated how serious fans viewed the incident because head injuries are no joke, especially for children.
A third claimed, “Unacceptable behavior by Cooley here.. throwing a temper tantrum and throwing a water bottle at a young child. Disgraceful.”
A fourth shared, “There’s something inherently immature about Georgetown head coach Ed Cooley.”
The fifth remarked, “Ed Cooley should be suspended and sued for pelting a kid with a water bottle.”
Another random X user penned, “He should apologize, pay a fine (bc he says he’s rich IYKYK), & a game suspension.”
The Cincinnati Enquirer identified the family as Georgetown center Vince Iwuchukwu’s. The 7-foot-1 big man is sidelined after undergoing an undisclosed medical procedure last month. His family attended to support the team even though Vince could not play.
Cooley opened his postgame presser with an immediate apology. He specifically addressed the Iwuchukwu family by name before taking questions. The coach admitted he realized mid-throw that he’d hit the child and his mother.
“First and foremost, I have to apologize to the Iwuchukwu family,” Cooley said. “Really frustrated realized I threw my water bottle, and it hit [him] and his mom.” He called the behavior totally out of character and blamed raw frustration after the brutal loss.
Ed Cooley just NAILED a child with a water bottle he was trying to hurl into the stands after Georgetown lost tonight to Xavier 😳
He opened his press conference apologizing to the family pic.twitter.com/LFm3MYDF47
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) December 21, 2025
He said he would personally call the family to apologize. He also said sorry publicly and stressed several times that throwing the bottle was not his true character.
But this wasn’t Cooley’s first concerning incident involving Xavier. Back in February, he confronted a Xavier fan courtside after another Musketeers win. Georgetown staffers had to separate Cooley from the fan physically. He later defended his actions by saying he was protecting his players.
So, whatever happened in February and again Sunday night, his pattern of erratic behavior has always been a red flag for the community.
