Upon reading the article regarding Riley in The Athletic, Kurtz recognized many of her own experiences with Riley in the accounts of Shim and Farrelly, identified his conduct towards her as abusive, and realized that he had been grooming her for sexual abuse. Throughout its 125 pages, the joint investigation repeatedly details how U.S. Soccer, the NWSL and specific clubs passed on responsibility for problems of the past to each other, with parties either claiming ignorance to specific information or stating that another party was responsible for reporting something. Other Inconsistencies Between the NWSL Anti-Harassment Policy and Club Policies Baird told ESPN that reading the article was the first she ever heard of accusations of sexual abuse against Riley. The NWSL should consider adopting Mental Health First Aid training. Players were frequently reminded of the fragility and financial instability of the League. For example, and as discussed in detail above, when Riley was separated from employment with the Thorns and subsequently hired by the Flash, neither the Thorns nor the League informed the Flash of the precise issues or investigative findings against Riley. In general, players felt that the line between tough coaching and emotional misconduct is crossed when it becomes an attack, versus a criticism." .125, Introduction Whisler signed this non-disparagement clause notwithstanding the commissioning of the NWSL and NWSLPA Joint Investigation the month prior by the NWSL Board of Governors, of which Whisler was a member at the time. Consider Creating an Alternative Complaint Resolution Program The latest report also focuses on racism and microaggressions in a way that the Yates report did not. When Racing Louisville was considering hiring Holly, no one contacted Novo regarding Holly or the reason he departed Sky Blue. Players Experienced an Array of Interpersonal Misconduct and Reports of That Misconduct Were Mishandled. One player described feeling anxious and upset after a coach was "almost screaming on top of [her], pointing his finger." Following the receipt of evidence that Cromwell and Greene were retaliating against players and considering removing from the team players they believed had participated in the March Investigation, the Joint Investigative Team recommended in June 2022 that Cromwell and Greene be placed on 36, findings about Riley's inappropriate behavior beyond that night. On October 26, 2015, the Thorns announced that they were trading Farrelly to the Breakers, a now-defunct NWSL club. 59, said that the staff member allowed the player "to get things reimbursed that didn't qualify" for reimbursement. Additionally, the 2015 allegations and findings against Riley were often downplayed, including by discussing only certain aspects of the allegations and at times by using the phrase that no unlawful harassment" occurred as a way to summarize the investigative findings. Club ownership noted that the individual had "cleared" his background check and that they had planned to hire him, but that they ultimately chose not to hire him after the NWSL advised against it. 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. Also around that time, Paulson-who frequently communicated with Malik-wrote to Malik via text message: "Paul's contract was up when he left us and we didnt [sic] renew it. The NWSL announced on October 3, 2021, that it had retained Covington to conduct an independent investigation into workplace misconduct within the League and to recommend reforms. Mishandling of Rory Dames's Misconduct by U.S. Soccer, the NWSL, and the Chicago Red Stars In December 2013, Whisler emailed Cheryl Bailey that he had "sat with [a player] and addressed" her concerns about Dames; he then speculated, "Whatever the [player's] story is now it is window dressing likely because she wants more money." On multiple occasions, misconduct directed at NWSL players was reported to U.S. Soccer but inadequately investigated or addressed. Ms. Farrelly described this as a build-up with Riley. After Simon signed with Racing Louisville, Holly and Pearce Rampone came over to Simon's parents' home for dinner. In each instance in which a report of misconduct was referred to another entity, the NWSL and the NWSLPA were consulted and agreed to the referral. Failures of the 2015 Thorns Investigation and Subsequent Communications Sports and The New York Times, published articles detailing her experience at PSG. i Texts between the player and Burke indicate Burke spoke to her supportively at one point in or around June 2020 about her And while Sky Blue leadership, the League, and Racing Louisville knew that Holly had a relationship with Pearce Rampone, who had been one of his players, the relationship was generally viewed as not concerning because Pearce Rampone was older than Holly and a prominent figure within the women's soccer landscape. They also spoke with their former teammate Alex Morgan. Shim had told a teammate, Alex Morgan, about some of Riley's conduct and had consulted Morgan regarding reporting. By January 2012, WPS suspended operations and announced it would be folding permanently in May 2012. ." As a result, the Joint Investigative Team was not able to fully question LaHue about her interactions with the player. The Committee should engage regularly with the Board of Governors and the Commissioner regarding DEI efforts and should be sufficiently resourced to implement meaningful DEI initiatives. A former player stressed that "players married to staff members [and] coaches" is "an issue across multiple clubs." However, the extent to which clubs actually spoke to former owners, general managers, staff, or players who had worked with a coach varied drastically. This included not disclosing the identities of players interviewed, absent their express consent, to the NWSL, the NWSLPA, or any club, unless it was necessary to do so to prevent ongoing inappropriate conduct. 45, In multiple instances, the USSF Dames Report's factual summary was directly contradicted by facts provided elsewhere in the report. Ten days before the first game she expected to start, Riley Players reported the coaching staff physically turned their backs on the player while she was experiencing a panic attack and did not follow up with this player afterward to ask how she was doing. In addition, the Joint Investigative Team reviewed materials from the short-lived NWSL investigation and spoke to individuals involved with that investigation. Require Separate Individuals to Hold Key Club Leadership Roles Novo could not recall the date of this meeting. Players Strengthen Anti-Harassment Policies Meetings between players and club staff, particularly one-on-one meetings, should take place at club facilities or in appropriate public spaces or offices. The banned coaches engaged in sexual misconduct, verbal and emotional abuse and made sexist and racist remarks to players, a 14-month investigation found. 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. In addition, Shim's complaint identified Farrelly as a target of Riley's misconduct, but Farrelly was not treated as a potential target of misconduct; her interview was brief and focused on Shim's allegations and on whether Farrelly had told anyone about them. The 2022 Anti-Harassment Policy further explains that [p]rohibited retaliation could include any of the following actions if taken because of a player/employee's involvement in Protected Activity: termination of employment, demotion, transfer to less desirable position, suspension, failure to hire or consider for hire, failure to give equal consideration in making employment decisions, failure to make employment recommendations impartially, adversely affecting working conditions, or otherwise denying any employment benefit." The Dash's policy was titled "Policy Against Unlawful Harassment." In the 2014 player survey, several players for the Thorns shared negative comments about the coaching staff, including Riley. 1. One of these players said that the dual head coachgeneral manager role was "a nightmare." By the time U.S. Soccer's investigator contacted the complainant to interview her, the Red Stars had already traded her. Holly offered Simon another contract in 2017, which she accepted. I don't want her anywhere around the team." Although this investigation gathered substantial evidence, the Joint Investigative Team also encountered challenges. ", Among the specific incidents detailed about Clarkson was a 2022 preseason trip to Mexico. One player reported that Williams stopped communicating with her, would ignore her when greeting other players, and made efforts to avoid her. II. The report, however, acknowledges that "a majority of players expressed the view that Clarkson's treatment of players did not rise to the level of abuse or misconduct. In total, the Joint Investigative Team reviewed approximately 200,000 documents. . Riley invited her to share details about her romantic life, and in the following weeks and months, persistently asked her about her love life and how her relationship was going. In response to her request, Courage Assistant General Manager Bobby Hammond conveyed to Kurtz or her agent that the club was unable to find a trade for her, but that it could increase her salary by a "few thousand dollars." Alyse LaHue shares her excitement about the future of the NWSL at the same time she is not shy to reflect on the need of having more women in the game.Alyse . Racing Louisville entered into a severance agreement with Holly upon his departure, which provided for a severance payment to Holly of $14,000. Gulati responded that Dorrance "should reach out to previous owners as well" as part of "due diligence" about Riley. However, the NWSL did not implement relevant policies until years later; the NWSL's anti-fraternization policy was implemented in January 2018, and its anti-harassment policy was implemented in April 2021, after a push by NWSL players. It can be argued that Alyse LaHue, general manager of the soccer team formerly known as Sky Blue FC, was herself the rebrand that became official this . The NWSL has not consistently offered anti-harassment training to players and club staff beyond the SafeSport trainings. A few weeks later, on June 12, 2018, another Red Stars player emailed the NWSL HR office to file a complaint about Dames and Whisler. 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. Some owners regularly analogized the players to children or daughters, which both staff and players alike found unprofessional. Despite the 2014 and 2018 complaints and a formal investigation in which players reported a wide range of concerns corroborating Press's account, the Red Stars, the NWSL, and U.S. Soccer failed to address Dames's conduct. One player said that after Holly learned she had experienced a personal loss, he encouraged her to meet with him late at night. Maintaining a competitive women's professional league in the United States has long been viewed as critical to the long-term success of the USWNT. 111, Also in 2018, a player raised concerns to Duffy and Levine about Dames's behavior towards players. These sentiments, in combination with the downplaying of the allegations and findings against Riley, contributed to the Flash's and Courage's limited understanding of the events of 2015. Burke (who did not know at the time of her conversation with Baird that Farrelly and Shim had already emailed their complaints to the NWSL) said Baird did not seem to indicate recognition in response to Burke's warning. This included withholding documents and other information, for the better part of a year, related to an investigation U.S. Soccer conducted into reports of misconduct by Rory Dames. Alyse LaHue (Sky Blue and Gotham, Vice President, 20182019, General Manager, 2019-2021) Finally, players and club staff recalled that Riley made caustic remarks to Thorns players, calling players idiots and motherfuckers, harshly criticizing their weight, and commenting about players' sexual orientations (including stating that a player loves a strapon"). However, many players were troubled by the way the Dash handled the situation. Players, including Kaiya McCullough, recounted in that article that Burke berated, screamed at, and targeted players, and that he had used racially insensitive language. Whisler also wrote, "The senior [US]WNT players absolutely want this league to shut down so they don't have as much competition for their spots and so they can make more money overseas." The NWSL should consider expanding and further supporting formal pipelines for former and current players who are interested in coaching and support those players in their pursuit of coaching positions, beyond the current I also pitch in with coverage of college basketball and the WNBA. B. 4. It was mean." The NWSL should update the 2022 Anti-Harassment Policy to explicitly address microaggressions and racist, antisemitic, homophobic, and other derogatory language. 90, with NWSL policies were unclear as to what those policies were and what club employees' obligations were. Plush was aware that the Thorns launched an investigation, and he received some updates regarding the investigation. When one player asked Williams during a game how the team should adjust their positioning after a player was removed from the game due to a red card, Williams screamed, "Are you fucking serious? Harrington was found to have "made inappropriate sexual and objectifying comments," and LaHue was found to have sent players inappropriate messages, the N.W.S.L. She recalled that her interview for the role was conducted at U.S. Soccer, by U.S. Soccer employees. The Joint Investigative Team requested an interview of Angie and Chris Long, and Angie Long sat for an interview. She recalled thinking at the time, "they're all adults, and did not consider the "context of how these people met." . Multiple players described coaches engaging in behavior that was perceived to be physically threatening to players, such as chasing players down to scream at them, screaming in Many players, team and league staff, and team owners were not given the completed report before it was made public. 3. According to players, Riley made unrealistic and seemingly arbitrary demands for player weight loss. 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. A peek at LaHues normally busy Twitter account suggests that things began to go south sometime around June 18, when her account last posted. Gotham FC,. Emotional Misconduct The power of players' voices to call attention to and combat misconduct is evident; the steps the League has taken, including commissioning this joint investigation with the NWSLPA, have already had a meaningful impact. 3. Christy Holly (Sky Blue, Assistant Coach, 2013-2015 and Head Coach, 2016-2017; Racing Louisville, Head Coach, 2020-2021) While the investigation into Clarkson was ongoing, players submitted an additional formal complaint and again reached out to the Joint Investigative Team to raise both related and additional concerns about Clarkson's treatment of players, expressing fear that Clarkson would retaliate against them if he learned they had raised complaints. Historically, clubs sometimes conducted investigations into allegations of misconduct, and the NWSL was not involved in certain investigations. The NWSLPA was initially conceived as a means to improve communication between the players and the League and to facilitate reporting and addressing of concerns about the player experience. The League is also part of a soccer ecosystem in which mistreatment of players is endemic one which affects not only the NWSL, but other professional leagues, both domestic and abroad, the report says. On the other hand, some thought Clarkson handled the situation well and reported that he later expressed his support and apologized if he had appeared insensitive. But it takes us all: folks at the top, every staffer, even every fan. 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. The public revelation of Riley's misconduct and the systemic issues it exposed prompted outcry and action. Additionally, despite the adverse findings, the Thorns asserted in an email to the NWSL that the 2015 Thorns Investigation revealed no "unlawful harassment," a conclusion that was not included in the 2015 investigative report itself and that was not further explained. I'm going to watch what you eat," and the other recalled Players at the Dash told the Joint Investigative Team that they were unsure where to report misconduct by James Clarkson because they believed that he and club President John Walker were "best friends." The policy, however, then states that [i]f a dating, romantic, or sexual relationship between a player and a staff member or between staff members develops, it must be disclosed to Human Resources" to allow the club "to take steps to protect the interest of [the] organization and the parties involved, which seems to suggest exceptions may be made to the policy. The courses also apparently do not describe the process whereby participants can report misconduct. "Inattentiveness, neglect, and concealment allow misconduct to fester," the report's conclusion reads. Other clubs in the NWSL pursued Riley after it became known that the Thorns would not retain him and in the absence of any public information indicating that he had been terminated for cause. Horan spoke publicly about weight-shaming behaviors at PSG on multiple occasions before Benstiti's hiring at OL Reign. This is especially important in situations where club staff with control over player transactions (coaches, general managers, etc.) The player said she did not report Burke's abusive behavior to Baldwin because she "figured he'd go to [Burke] and [she would] get waived during the season." Holly also asked Simon to send him suggestive pictures of herself, including a request for a picture of her in his boxers. However, player confidentiality and safety were not the motivating factors in the Thorns's decision to withhold information about Riley's misconduct from the Flash and the Courage.