The announcement did not specify that the cause was sexual misconduct. Farrelly recalled feeling guilty after the interview that she had told her partner about the kissing incident. 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. The summary also stated that the allegation was "credibly denied by Whisler," but he in fact did not explicitly deny the allegation. Players directed similar criticism to the processes that led to the hiring of Richie Burke, Farid Benstiti, Christy Holly, Vera Pauw, and Paul Riley. Rather, according to the report, he indicated that he "was unaware of any retaliation." In fact, an attorney from the law firm retained by the Thorns informed Levine that there were suggestions in [Shims] interview [with Garcia] that Paul Riley's relationship [with Farrelly] was more extensive than [Shim's]/Riley's." As one staff member explained, there had "always been a high interest and attention" in this player by LaHue. A former OL Reign staff member who worked closely with Predmore was adamant that Benstiti had not yet been hired when Predmore was made aware of the issue. He stated it was included because, in Estes's view, no one would sign a unilateral non-disparagement provision. The ability of individuals within the League to identify and report misconduct, and to receive sufficient responses to those reports, has also been hampered by a failure of stakeholders including U.S. Soccer, the League, and clubsto adequately share information. Whisler said that Wahlke called him for "just a couple minutes" when the investigation ended, and that on this call, he was not informed of the need for "dramatic remediation" and there was no suggestion that Dames "shouldn't be in the [NWSL]." Reflecting on the agreement, Whisler said that he believed the provisions were standard" and the club "just tried to get through it . Leveraging Players' Job Insecurity and Ambition
LaHue denies the allegations made against her and will make no further comment..
We discussed them at length in his interview."
Another witness reported that Dames used "homophobic" language directed at players to demean them. Some players also reported that the SafeSport trainings are not applicable to professional women's soccer and are geared toward youth sports, with the trainings including examples of misconduct involving children. As one former player described, "It was almost like [the coach] was trying to break down [my teammate's] confidence so that she would not even be playing for the team. A Spirit player stated that rather than engaging in constructive criticism, Burke would "[go] at [her teammate] just to get her to cry." Multiple players told the Joint Investigative Team that they felt disconnected from the NWSL or did not know who at the NWSL to contact if they experienced misconduct. With regards to the League's legal and HR functions, from 2012-2017, then-U.S. Soccer General Counsel Levine handled the NWSL's legal and HR responsibilities in the absence of an NWSL general counsel. After Benstiti's hiring, Predmore instructed Benstiti not to discuss player weight or nutrition" with players, and "specifically forbade him from talking about "anything related to food." Hendrix, who knew about the abuse, also stated she and Simon did not report to the club's HR, because they did not realize that's the person you would talk to about sexual abuse," and they did not know the HR employee well enough to feel comfortable talking to her about the abuse.
To encourage participation and transparency with responses, the NWSL should take steps to ensure the surveys are anonymous. Riley declined to respond to requests to participate in this investigation. Work on the USSF Dames Investigation ended in September 2019, and the investigator's draft report was sent to Wahlke, but the investigation was never formally concluded. Following that email, Riley's behavior towards Shim changed: he barely acknowledged Shim, and her playing time noticeably dropped. 3. Gorden said that she and her boyfriend were racially profiled, prompting a league investigation at the time. According to the report, one player recalled that players "felt forced to attend" social interactions with Dames, and if they did not, he "wouldn't look at [them] the next day at practice." The report summary further included the finding that [w]hile a few players described their belief that Dames inappropriately shares personal information they all appeared to be referring to the [same] incident." In 2017, Daniels had withdrawn from a USWNT camp so as not to wear an LGBT pride jersey, and according to an article in The Athletic, "repeatedly made homophobic statements on her public social media." Following the publication of the Athletic article in 2021, Paulson stated in Golub's presence that "Mike [Golub] spent a lot of time on the phone w/Aaran Lines" when the Flash were considering hiring Riley. The Joint Investigative Team considered whether the conduct at issue violated the 2022 Anti-Harassment Policy, regardless of when the conduct occurred. Insufficient HR Staff at the NWSL and Clubs
"We existed because [our owner] wanted a soccer team for his daughter. The 29-player list Access the best womens soccer coverage all year long. The documents should be kept confidential and shared only with individuals who need them to investigate and make determinations regarding investigation outcomes and discipline. Burke screamed and cursed at players, even when those players were crying and visibly emotional. (1)
Furthermore, Thorns owner and then-CEO Merritt Paulson and then-Thorns General Manager Gavin Wilkinson were familiar with the 2015 allegations and findings against Riley, but they were not transparent with the Flash and the Courage when those clubs were vetting Riley. First, the Joint Investigative Team found that the 2015 Thorns Investigation was inadequate in key ways. Further, the Joint Investigative Team found that the NWSL investigation put the complainant at risk of retaliation and failed to adequately prevent interference from the Red Stars. Later that day, NWSL Commissioner Lisa Baird resigned. LaHue was appointed as general manager of NJ/NY Gotham FC (formerly Sky Blue FC) in September 2019, and has been credited with playing a major role in turning the club around, both on and off the .
Some coaches would also explicitly wield their power over players' career success, including consideration for the USWNT, to manipulate players or bring them in line. The player said it later struck her as "weird" that Riley held these sessions in his hotel room rather than using a meeting room. One person who works with players in the League mentioned that she had seen text messages to other players from coaches that engaged in such emotional manipulation. These players' clear descriptions of particular experiences with Dames call into question the report's conclusion that players "struggled to articulate what they meant." Any individual who receives a report of potential misconduct must immediately submit the report to the NWSL HR Office. Players pinpointed instances in which it appeared that coaching staff were trying to humiliate and sabotage players, rather than help them improve. LaHue is supportive of the ongoing reforms that are taking place in the NWSL. players." Whisler said he then proceeded with the trade based on "soccer reason[s]" after consulting with the League. Under the leadership of Commissioner Jessica Berman, the NWSL released an updated Anti-Harassment Policy, increased dedicated resources for receiving and handling reports of misconduct, and acted on the findings of the Joint Investigative Team by removing individuals who engaged in misconduct from their roles at clubs. Harrington then stated that the player may have contacted him via WhatsApp or may have just flagged [him] down" in the hotel lobby. Harrington also stated "with 100% certainty" that he never [did] and would never enter a player's room." Players were confused about where to report misconduct, and the absence of clear guidance about reporting channels or designated personnel to receive reports compounded the problem. Through counsel, the Thorns emailed Levine a copy of the report with its attachments. Even in Vancouver, Riley pushed Shim to stay the night with him. According to one player, this staff member began dating the player mid-season. Lisa Levine (U.S. Soccer, General Counsel, 2009-2017; NWSL, General Counsel, 2017-2021)
2. Aside from Lines, Levine told the Joint Investigative Team that she could not recall any specific follow-up by the League or U.S. Soccer based on survey results. In addition, multiple players described a "be grateful" mentality permeating the League. These aren't criminal issues, they're behavior issues." According to Markgraf, Wahlke said that the Thorns had investigated the matter, and Markgraf understood from the conversation that Riley had been cleared and that his departure from the club was not related to the 2015 investigation. For much of the League's history, clubs were free to waive non-guaranteed players, releasing them from their contracts with the club without compensation and leaving them open to being claimed by another club via an established process. Communicate Reporting Channels Regularly
.
He noted, for instance, that if Chicago Red Stars owner Arnim Whisler quit the League, the League would fail. Baird, working from language drafted by Levine, ultimately replied that Shim's 2015 complaint had been investigated to conclusion." Clarkson denied
When the Thorns's investigation was complete, Lisa Levine forwarded to Plush the email from the Thorns's counsel containing the determination that the 2015 investigation revealed no unlawful harassment." Red Stars co-owner and ESPN personality Sarah Spain and Gotham FC general manager Alyse LaHue were both reportedly fined Wednesday for tweeting about the investigation. Two players, in separate interviews, described feeling like a tax write-off" to their clubs' owners. On some occasions, the NWSL and clubs failed to timely address misconduct until the public was made aware or until players took initiative to speak up about the issue. 123, F.
Another Courage player told team leadership last year that Riley had been verbally abusive and created "a culture of fear.". Having opportunities to hang with others or time for self-care is important to maintain a healthy relationship. For example, one player reported to The Washington Post that after she resisted inappropriate comments and invitations from Dames, he benched her and forced her to practice with reserve players, rather than the first team. Two other players said they felt that Dames gathered information about their personal and romantic relationships and used the information he learned about their personal lives as a tool for manipulation.
Other players similarly reported that they feared retaliation from Burke, or otherwise held back from criticizing Burke, due to incidents in which Burke threatened to waive players who disagreed with him and due to the fact that he had unilateral control over player contracts. When asked why she did not inquire further in response to Shim's and Farrelly's 2021 complaints, she responded by focusing on language from Shim's and Farrelly's 2021 complaints in which they asked how the NWSL would respond to Shim's initial or underlying 2015 complaint, which Levine said had already been investigated by outside lawyers and which she did not believe there was a basis for re-opening.
Nonetheless, the Joint Investigative Team faced a number of limitations throughout the investigation. Both Gulati and U.S. Soccer CEO Dan Flynn received the NWSL player survey results from 2014, which included information about potential misconduct by both Riley and Dames.
A text message conversation between Whisler and Dames on June 13, 2018, indicates that Whisler informed Dames of the complaint shortly after speaking to Levine. The Joint Investigative Team looked to a variety of sources, including the League's 2022 Anti-Harassment Policy and professional coaching standards, when making these assessments. If the NWSL receives a complaint or report of alleged misconduct regarding club staff, it should consider requiring that club to report any planned player transactions or staff terminations to the NWSL for the remainder of the current season and the following off-season. Revise the Anti-Harassment Policy to Include the Non-Fraternization Policy
During this investigation, Racing Louisville initially refused to allow witnesses to discuss substantial aspects of Holly's employment and termination, citing the severance agreement's mutual non-disparagement and non-disclosure provisions. Later that night, Bates texted Starr informing her he spoke to Racing Louisville Executive Vice President James O'Connor and Racing Louisville President Brad Estes about the sexual harassment, and they needed to know who the player was. At the end of the investigation, the Joint Investigative Team delivered this Report to the NWSL and NWSLPA. During the course of the investigation, an attorney from the law firm engaged by the Thorns provided Levine-who in addition to her duties at the time as general counsel of U.S. Soccer would advise the NWSL-with updates regarding the progress of the investigation.
Previously, Alyse spend five years as the GM of the Chicago Red Stars. d) Lack of Transparency with the Courage Regarding Riley
Because the Joint Investigative Team was not tasked with imposing discipline on individuals accused of misconduct, it expresses no opinion on whether it would be appropriate to impose discipline for conduct that would have violated a policy that did not exist when that conduct occurred. One Courage player reported feeling that the club was moving in the right direction in 2021 after the firing of Riley, but that the club's signing of Daniels was a decision that "says a lot" and did not "align with the direction we thought we were heading in.
Where players' clubs shared ownership or management with men's teams, players reported that their owners prioritized the men's teams, even in cases where the women's teams were more successful. According to the USSF Dames Report, Dames told a player that when her son got
Additionally, club HR staff were not provided guidance from the NWSL on appropriate coaching behavior in a professional sports setting. 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. 4. The Joint Investigative Team spoke to multiple current and former players from the Red Stars, ranging from Dames's first season in the NWSL to his last. Some coaches and staff staunchly defended certain conduct as "tough coaching," demanding, or directness, even when players found the conduct emotionally abusive. The prospective owner asked how "pervasive" the problem was and wrote that he need[ed] to know that NWSL is protecting these girls and is vigilant about preventing such abuses of power in the future." Kurtz recalled Hammond responding, You're a professional athlete; I hope you know you're not chubby. According to Kurtz, Hammond did not ask follow-up questions about why she felt uncomfortable around Riley. Second, the 2022 Anti-Harassment Policy requires each club to designate two individuals to receive reports of potential violations of the 2022 Anti-Harassment Policy, at least one of whom must be an individual other than the Board of Governors representative and the head coach of the club. Maybe. Eventually, she reported the staff member to her coach because she felt that the staff member was "crossing the line and making [her] uncomfortable." It also states that "[e]xceptions to this policy may be granted by ownership or the Chief Operating Officer if, in their sole discretion, it is determined that the close relationship is not likely to cause actual or perceived conflict or favoritism, which is inconsistent with the NWSL policy. 5, Investigative Methodology
The NWSL's predecessor leagues-the Women's United Soccer Association ("WUSA") and Women's Professional Soccer ("WPS")-both buckled under financial pressures. One player recalled that Riley hosted a similar trip for Flash players at his Long Island property when he later coached that club. Levine told the HR employee not to worry about the email from Farrelly because a third party had already investigated the allegations and found no fault, and Riley had been hired by another club following the investigation.
The Spirit suspended Burke pending an investigation initiated shortly after the Washington Post article was published, and the club fired him on September 28, 2021, following the completion of that investigation. Many players, team and league staff, and team owners were not given the completed report before it was made public. Until 2021, the NWSL did not have a formal policy prohibiting harassment.
During the sixth minute of each match, the teams stopped play and gathered in a circle at midfield in recognition of the six years it had taken for the reports against Riley to become public. I.
Misconduct in the League is not wholly independent from abuse that begins in youth soccer, where many coaches' and players' formative experiences shaped the way they engaged in, or reacted to, misconduct and abuse in the NWSL. The Joint Investigative Team spoke to other players on the Red Stars who reported similar concerns of retaliation.
In another example, Dames told the investigator that he revoked the media credentials of a player's boyfriend because he concluded that the boyfriend's presence was "not positive" based on a conversation with a USWNT coach. Clubs' inconsistent responses to player-staff relationships left players confused about whether the NWSL prohibited such relationships. Some players reported that Clarkson's unpredictable mood contributed to a culture of anxiety. And while the coaches offered some purported legitimate, non-retaliatory
Multiple Spirit players expressed that they felt it was futile to report incidents to ownership or the club's general manager, as it was known that they were all just friends anyways, [and] there was no separation." It has been a tumultuous season in the NWSL on the player advocacy front. The NWSL should also develop standards for evaluating an applicant's fitness for the position based on the results of reputational checks. Players reported that they felt confused by the information shared with them and did not understand exactly why Holly had been fired. The team's first game was scheduled for 10:00 a.m. Tuesday morning, which required a 6:00 a.m. wake-up call. Multiple players described the fear and uncertainty that accompanied the constant threat of being traded to another team or waived. But it takes us all: folks at the top, every staffer, even every fan. Though the club did not announce a reason for his termination, sources told The Salt Lake Tribune that Harrington "was placed on leave after players complained he was being 'verbally abusive."" Most prominently, on September 30, 2021, The Athletic reported that then-North Carolina Courage Head Coach Paul Riley had engaged in sexual misconduct during his tenure as head coach of Portland Thorns FC. (The league has not always used that specific title. Predmore notified the players that Benstiti would be removed from his role as head coach. Within one day of learning of the players complaint, the matter was escalated to the NWSL pursuant to league policy. 19, not respond appropriately to Shim's concerns for six years, until after Shim and Farrelly went public. Despite the discussions between U.S. Soccer, the NWSL, and both the Thorns and Courage regarding Riley's unsuitability to coach the USWNT, no steps were taken to remove or prevent him from coaching NWSL players. During its investigation, the Joint Investigative Team identified discrepancies in versions of an email exchange involving LaHue that was part of the file from the 2021 League investigation.
The lack of clearly established responsibilities allowed individuals within these institutions to disclaim personal responsibility for player protection and to turn a blind eye or shift blame to other individuals and entities, while players were left exposed to further misconduct and unsafe environments. mentally" and could not perform at her best for the rest of the year. On one occasion, Dames made a derogatory comment to a player who was a mother, saying something like, "What makes you think you're going to be a good mother if you can't communicate?" In the fall of 2021, the Joint Investigative Team asked clubs to produce their antiharassment policies, and this Report analyzes the policies received from that request, some of which were implemented only recently. Holly lived in the same apartment complex with players at Racing Louisville, and he tried to get Simon to go to his apartment many times, but she refused. Similarly, the sex occurred only when Farrelly and Riley had come together for soccer-related activities, such as after Riley invited Farrelly to dinner to discuss her 2012 soccer contract. . Distribute Annual Player Surveys and Promptly Investigate Allegations of Misconduct Raised in Responses
She also detailed how Riley questioned her about her dating life and discussed his own sex life with her, sharing his preferred sexual positions. The 2015 Thorns Investigation into Riley was mishandled, and the Thorns, U.S. Soccer and the NWSL consistently failed to treat the allegations and findings against Riley seriously and to be transparent about them. They represented the two Level Two . Another player also stated that the training environment was dangerous and that there was a lack of proper coaching. During his interview with the Joint Investigative Team, Harrington described the incident differently: Harrington said he was at the hotel when one of the players either messaged or called him to ask for help taking an intoxicated player to her hotel room, which he claimed he did. As a result, Racing Louisville did not learn about Holly's mistreatment of Sky Blue players prior to his hiring. As detailed below, the Joint Investigative Team found widespread misconduct directed at NWSL players. Richie Burke (Washington Spirit, Head Coach, 2019-2021)
After participating in an initial interview with the Joint Investigative Team, LaHue, through her counsel, canceled another scheduled interview and declined the Joint Investigative Team's repeated requests to reschedule. The investigative teams evidence included inappropriate and suggestive text messages along with accounts of unwanted attention, even following pushback from the player.
Starr said it would have been helpful to have received more clarity and guidance about how to handle the situation in her role, and that she received no training from the NWSL.
The Equalizer is partnering with The Next to bring more womens sports stories toyourinbox. A volunteer who interacted with players at Racing Louisville, when asked whether she considered reporting Christy Holly's misconduct to SafeSport, said, No, and that's a great point. Weight-Shaming Comments and Pressure
Hendrix also attended the meeting. She showed the text message to a teammate to try to gauge Riley's intention.