to any third-party that denigrates, disparages, criticizes,
Gotham FC,. She specifically recalled having meetings in hotel rooms alone with two coaches and stressed that from her perspective, it is never appropriate for a male coach to meet with a player in his hotel room with the door closed. Riley also engaged in other inappropriate conduct while at the Thorns, including going out drinking with players, hosting multi-day social retreats involving alcohol at his home on Long Island that some players felt pressure to attend, and making comments about players' sexual orientation. The agreement increased minimum player salaries; created free agency; and provided severance pay, mental health, and parental leave. The player described feeling shocked at the sudden threat because her teammate "[hadn't] done a thing and was harmless." Additionally, players reported instances in which behavior by coaches, staff, or club leadership created a culture in which players feared retaliation. The non
After Dames tendered his resignation, Whisler entered into a separation agreement with Dameseven though Dames was terminable at will. They also found former Utah Royals head coach Craig Harrington to lack credibility while offering defenses of his actions, which ranged from drinking with players (including once at a strip club while an assistant coach in Chicago), attempting to enter a player's hotel room and inappropriate comments of a sexual nature. O'Connor responded, Confidentiality in our culture suggests it is an issue which is either illegal or immoral," and the players responded that it did not fall into those categories. The NWSL has not consistently offered anti-harassment training to players and club staff beyond the SafeSport trainings. For instance, Farrelly began dating one of her teammates on the Thorns during the 2014 NWSL season. During this meeting, Simon emphasized that she wanted to remain confidential, because she felt scared and unsafe. The Joint Investigative Team carefully considered which individuals to identify by name in this Report. She failed to take steps to protect players during the investigation, and ultimately failed to act on evidence of Dames's misconduct. In a text message she sent about bringing in the expert, Cromwell stated, "We don't want [those players] around this week." Additionally, Riley would talk frequently about sex around Shim, would call Shim "hot" and "sexy," and would tell her he was "turned on." Based on the findings, the Thorns terminated Riley. The NWSLPA also announced that it would conduct its own independent investigation into workplace misconduct within the League. The Joint Investigative Team also received credible reports of sexual misconduct by former Racing Louisville Head Coach Christy Holly, targeting player Erin Simon. The 2021 and 2022 Anti-Harassment Policies expressly prohibit retaliation, but retaliation occurred both before and after implementation of the 2021 Anti-Harassment Policy. Sauerbrunn: NWSL players horrified and heartbroken, Morgan shames former NWSL commissioner Baird for inaction over Riley abuse, Morgan: Mana Shim was failed by the system, NWSL report explainer: What's new, what's recommended and what's next, Foden's return to form helps mask De Bruyne's troubles, Nelson sends Arsenal into euphoria with last-gasp winner over Bournemouth, Arsenal rally, net late winner in 5-goal thriller, Garber: MLS would be flexible for Messi move, City beat Newcastle to keep pressure on Arsenal, Arteta: Arsenal win my 'most emotional moment', Ancelotti defends Benzema after Clasico loss, Klopp, Ten Hag tell fans to 'lose the poison', Xavi on Clasico critics: Barca world's hardest club, Guardiola: Next three games define City's season. Amidst this confusion, no entity embraced this responsibility. 104, B. Whisler acknowledged to the Joint Investigative Team that he had spoken to Dames and the players involved in the complaint because he felt it was necessary to address the issues they raised.
Horan also said "the French coach was very brutal with it." Long did not indicate that she was concerned about potential retaliation against the players who spoke up at the meeting. Despite this instruction, multiple people observed Benstiti commenting on players' food consumption at the 2020 Challenge Cup, where Benstiti also hid food from players.
Since the Joint Investigative Team began its work, the NWSL has increased efforts to eradicate misconduct, embraced greater accountability, and experienced a cultural shift regarding behaviors that are no longer tolerated. This misconduct included sending the player inappropriate text messages that continued even after the player told LaHue to accept that they were working together and nothing more.
This Report notes where certain individuals agreed to be interviewed, provided a written response, declined the Joint Investigative Team's invitation, or did not respond. Any individual who receives a report of potential misconduct must immediately submit the report to the NWSL HR Office.
37, harshly criticized Kurtz's weight. While he sometimes yelled at her during practice, she described the yelling as a one and done; others he [would] stick with for a whole practice. Another player who felt positively about Dames similarly said that Dames would "pick on" certain players, "constantly criticizing their on-field performance." The training should advise that the NWSL does not tolerate inappropriate jokes that are sexist, racist, antisemitic, homophobic, bigoted, or that target any protected characteristic. Lisa Levine (U.S. Soccer, General Counsel, 2009-2017; NWSL, General Counsel, 2017-2021)
9
Two players recalled former Red Stars Assistant Coach and Utah Royals Head Coach Craig Harrington, while intoxicated, making comments about cheating on his wife and comments about players' appearances. Overall, the downplaying of Riley's misconduct by key individuals with first-hand knowledge evinced that the Thorns, the NWSL, and U.S. Soccer did
These partnerships should provide regular formal opportunities to explore concerns and receive feedback from members of these groups. Non-fraternization policies need to extend beyond just head coaches as demonstrated within the report with very critical language regarding relationships between players and staff. The NWSL should consider adopting Mental Health First Aid training. Although the Thorns conducted an investigation in 2015 that led to Riley's termination, the Thorns publicly announced only that Riley was not being retained, with no explanation as to why. Plush stated that he did not share additional information because the investigation was ongoing at the time. On several occasions, the NWSL or clubs did not investigate racially insensitive conduct or attempt to improve conditions for players of color until allegations of racism were brought to the public eye, or until players pushed for a response. The Joint Investigative Team created an email address and phone number for individuals to confidentially provide information. The failure by U.S. Soccer to share its investigation findings with the NWSL or the Red Stars was particularly perplexing in light of the fact that Wahlke had instructed the NWSL to stand down in its own investigation of Dames, and the fact that U.S. Soccer had concluded it was not in a position to take any action against Dames. The Thorns reversed their position in February 2022 after protracted discussions with the Joint Investigative Team about the validity of the privilege claim as to the report. Can Borussia Dortmund, Bundesliga's hottest team, topple Bayern for the title? Require Clubs to Revise Their Anti-Harassment Policies to Be Consistent with the NWSL Anti-Harassment Policy
In certain instances, the Joint Investigative Team determined that conduct did not violate the Anti-Harassment Policy or other relevant standards. While much of the sexual misconduct she described took place when Simon and Holly were alone, Simon confided in her friend and teammate, Brooke Hendrix, who spoke to the Joint Investigative Team and shared what Simon told her about some of Holly's abuse as it was occurring.
Wednesday's report, which was jointly commissioned by the NWSL and the NWSL Players Association, comes just over two months after former U.S. deputy attorney general Sally Yates released her report, which was commissioned by the U.S. Soccer Federation. After a player filed a complaint about the speech with Predmore and with the League, the club asked Benstiti to resign. Kurtz said that she found the text to be "weird" and was confused as to whether Riley was trying to invite her to the bar.
Tony Novo resigns as Sky Blue FC President, General Manager The player explained that although she repeatedly pushed back against LaHues inappropriate conduct, LaHue persisted, the investigations report said.
Women's Soccer Bans Ex-Coaches and Fines Teams After Misconduct Report When traveling for another away game, Riley asked Shim to bring him a bag of chips from downstairs in the hotel up to his room. "A review of the available investigative reports related to all historical complaints of discrimination, harassment, or abuse (physical, emotional, or sexual) in the NWSL, and where necessary, a reopening of the respective investigation, or the initiation of a new adjudication process.
g) Consequences of Inaction
In January 2017, NCWFC, LLC, owned by Steve Malik, bought the Flash and moved the team to North Carolina, renaming it the North Carolina Courage.
Not resign."" It was not until August 2021 that the league implemented a process requiring clubs to submit head coaching candidates to the league for vetting and approval. LaHue participated in an initial interview with the Joint Investigative Team but canceled a second scheduled interview and declined the Joint Investigative Team's repeated requests to reschedule. WUSA enjoyed initial success, with all-star lineups, television exposure, and high attendance at games. One player recalled a specific comment Dames made about "her attractiveness." During the conversation, Levine also noted that Riley was a "well-respected coach" in the NWSL. Beginning in March 2022, the Dash instituted a practice of sending a weekly email to players containing information about the club's HR resources in an attempt to make reporting channels more visible to players. Some witnesses also recalled that Riley would at times exert pressure to have injured players play, in spite of medical advice to the contrary. While player transactions and staff terminations are certainly not the only conduct that could be retaliatory-and many player transactions may be motivated by non-retaliatory and soccer-specific reasonstaking this step could alert the NWSL to any potentially retaliatory player transactions or staff terminations and allow the NWSL to investigate where needed. "We've grown out of a college environment at this point. Some individuals did not know reporting incidents of misconduct to SafeSport was an option at all. Nearly three weeks after my original reporting, during which Gotham ignored more than a half dozen requests for comment via various platforms, the club announced the end of the line with LaHue in a tersely worded statement that did not even acknowledge her by her full name, and which mostly passed the buck to the league office. Clarkson's comment left the player crying and visibly upset. A PDF version of this document with embedded text is available at the link below: Report of the
Around 2020, the NWSLPA took on a more active and public role in advocating for player safety and well-being. Ryans three-year deal with Gotham highlights a shared commitment to making the team a Girma is everywhere she needs to be at exactly the right time. The NWSL should train all League and club staff designated to receive complaints and other club leaders, including coaches, on how to respond to complaints of misconduct and on investigative best practices. She told Clarkson during a water break shortly after entering that she had to come off the field due to her injury. One NWSLPA member expressed the need for training on the Anti-Harassment Policy. The League and Clubs Failed to Take Adequate Steps to Protect Players in Hiring and Filling Positions
Additionally, Whisler repeatedly minimized and dismissed concerns raised by players and staff about Dames. Players described numerous instances of club leaders engaging in sexual misconduct, including making unwanted sexual advances toward players and making inappropriate sexual remarks to players. The Joint Investigative Team repeatedly sought to speak with Lines about the Flash's inquiries regarding Riley, but Lines declined to speak with the Joint Investigative Team. Given this conduct, players feared retaliation from Burke and held back from criticizing him out of fear they would be waived. The NWSL should enforce appropriate discipline against NWSL and club staff and players who do not timely
The New Jersey native is hoping to expand her horizons through overseas play. This failure stemmed, in part, from confusion between U.S. Soccer, the League, and its clubs about their respective roles in responding to reports of misconduct, including whether they were expected-or even permitted-to develop HR functions and address misconduct. From her perspective, the concerns about Dames were not an emergency situation because the players identified as Dames's primary targets were no longer with the team" and the issues involved "older conduct." Instead, it appears that, in the face of threatened litigation by Riley, and on the advice of counsel, the Thorns sought to limit their potential liability to their former coach. When the Courage employed Riley as their head coach in 2017 in connection with their purchase of the Flash, they received insufficient information about the extent of Riley's misconduct while at the Thorns. . i
On October 1, 2021, the day after The Athletic reported Riley's misconduct, the NWSL announced that all scheduled matches for that weekend would be rescheduled. The preceding sections of this Report summarized, thematically, the Joint Investigative Team's factual findings. "Our biggest goal as a staff, when I took over, was that we needed to rebuild the trust with fans. That committee included: NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman; NWSLPA executive director Meghann Burke; WNBPA executive director Terri Jackson (selected by the NWSLPA); Goop, Inc. general counsel and chief people officer Djenaba Parker (selected by the NWSL) and former United States District Judge Barbara S. Jones, who was deemed an independent member. Leaders from U.S. Soccer avoided taking responsibility for systemic failures to protect players, contending that decision-making authority and the responsibility to address misconduct lay with the NWSL and club owners.
U.S. Soccer's failure to exercise its power as manager in this regard contributed to widespread confusion across the League, clubs, and players, as to which entity was tasked with preventing and addressing misconduct. The 2022 Anti-Harassment Policy clarifies that it applies to all "NWSL Personnel," which includes "certain individuals and entities not employed by NWSL," including team owners, team personnel, and team medical staff. The latter is presumably for each club and, perhaps in some cases, NWSL commissioner Berman to decide.
One player remarked that rumors [got] around" because of the player-staff relationship, and a staff member said that while you could articulate a policy of "church and state . Greene also made comments to staff members about reporting, including that she was going to find out who started the March Investigation and "get to the bottom of it," and that staff members should bring issues to the coaching staff, rather than club management. e)
Riley has previously denied the allegations against him. That January, the Courage made Riley their first head coach. The club put out a statement via Twitter stating that LaHue had been let go following an investigation by the league.
I didn't accept it." In crafting this policy, the NWSL should be mindful that non-disclosure and non-disparagement agreements have been used to restrict clubs from criticizing or sharing information about a departing staff member. Multiple players recalled former Thorns Head Coach Paul Riley informing players that he could influence their national team call-ups. Players and staff also described coaches creating emotionally toxic workplace environments by subjecting players to volatility or manipulation. In certain instances, these coaches justified their behavior by relying on the rationale that the behavior was "cultural" or by doubling down on claims that their behavior was oriented around fitness. Despite having this information, Duffy did not express any concerns about Riley to the Courage, Riley's employer at the time. Sky Blue FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) has named Alyse LaHue as General Manager. The reasons for Alyse LaHue's termination as NJ/NY Gotham FC general manager in July 2021 are also now clear following 1 years of silence from the club on the issue. The Joint Investigative Team also reviewed documents collected from the League relating to League organizational structure, policies, and trainings regarding harassment, abuse, and discrimination, as well as documents related to complaints and reports of misconduct and investigations into those reports of misconduct, and communications between League personnel.
After Starr revealed Simon's identity to the club, Wilkins set up a meeting for later that morning with Simon, Starr, and Wilkins's supervisor. She claimed that players had called themselves "bulky." And after players reported concerns about Aaran Lines through the NWSL's player survey, the club removed him from his coaching position and installed him in the front office. The NWSL should emphasize that this program is not a substitute for reporting channels provided in the Anti-Harassment Policy and should not encourage players or staff to address potential misconduct under the Anti-Harassment Policy through the Alternative Complaint Resolution program.