Riley's attitude changed during the early 2015 NWSL season, when he began texting Shim often, asking her to coffee during road trips, and inviting her to watch game film with him to identify areas for improvement, sometimes changing the location of film-watching to his apartment. The players, however, reported to the Joint Investigative Team that they did experience retaliation after this meeting. 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. Another player told Courage leadership that Riley had been verbally abusive and created a culture of fear" in which players could not express opinions, and that other coaches had allowed Riley to engage in this behavior. Dames declined requests to be interviewed in this investigation. However, interviewees reported that Clarkson on occasion failed to recognize or appreciate his effect on players. Dames was not the only coach who resorted to critiques of players' parental status: a player described Riley "berating [one player]" through an entire game and blaming the loss on her infant son." Additionally, despite numerous requests and months of protracted negotiations, the Thorns were slow to answer questions and provide requested documents, and they withheld a number of potentially key documents by claiming they were protected by legal privilege, before ultimately conceding that many key documents were, in fact, not protected by legal privilege. 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. The reasons for his departure were not shared publicly. Text messages between Whisler and Dames in the days following the complaint suggest that Levines approach to the investigation increased the risk of both retaliation against players and interference with the investigation. . One player on the Red Stars described witnessing Dames go after her teammates even after it was "pretty obvious" that they were "mentally destroyed." Club owners, coaches, and general managers from Utah Royals FC, OL Reign, NJ/NY Gotham FC, the Washington Spirit, Racing Louisville FC, and later, the Chicago Red Stars departed their clubs following reports of misconduct towards players, including overtly racist conduct, verbal and emotional abuse, sexual harassment, and sexual assault. Some of the sport's most prominent players are married to their former coaches, including their college coaches. Nonetheless, the Courage were aware when they executed an employment contract with Riley of an allegation that Riley had suggested two players kiss while at his apartment after a night of drinking, and that an investigation into Riley showed he exhibited poor judgment. Whisler recalled that the club worked to get the severance agreement "done by midnight" on November 21, and he signed the agreement that night. Pauw's presence at the same apartment complex created anxiety among players. After significant effort and some inquiries, they ultimately identified Nancy Garcia (formerly Nancy Garcia Ford), the HR director for the Thorns and its affiliated men's team, the Portland Timbers. While the player denied that this text made her uncomfortable, another player reported that she found the text concerning. She explained that her job responsibilities were limited to coaching the national team, and she did not have a role in oversight of NWSL coaches. Racing Louisville 2021 NWSL abuse scandal - Wikipedia Two players recalled an instance when Harrington, former head coach for the Utah Royals and assistant coach for the Red Stars, went out drinking with players after a game and noted that Harrington had drank to excess. Garcia, who conducted all of the interviews and collected and reviewed documents and text messages from individuals she interviewed, is not a lawyer and lacked experience in conducting sensitive investigations. Flynn did not specifically recall providing the details noted by Johnson; rather, he only recalled telling Johnson to speak to individuals at the Thorns and to other club owners prior to making a decision regarding Riley because others might know the results of the 2015 Thorns Investigation. Prior to the event, he forwarded Shim an email containing his hotel reservation-one room with a king bed-and asked Shim to stay with him. Even before the Athletic article detailing Riley's misconduct was published, two Courage players had made complaints-one directly to the NWSL and one to the Courage (which was later reported to the NWSL)-that Riley had made inappropriate comments about players' weight and that he had required a player to report her weight to him daily for more than two months. To conduct the training, the NWSL should consider engaging a third party with expertise in anti-racism, antisemitism, and DEI in the professional sports context. The statement also claimed that investigators provided Ms. LaHue a few documents that contained alterations. To the extent that Racing Louisville has asserted that the severance agreement was intended to address Simon's confidentiality concerns, the non-disparagement provision was far more limiting on the club than what was necessary to protect her confidentiality. Players at the Current said that the friendly relationship between Huw Williams and club owners Chris and Angie Long, dating back to Williams's management of the Longs's daughter's youth soccer club, affected players' ability to report misconduct. Courage President Curt Johnson explained that during this vetting period, Flynn told Johnson some of the details of Riley's 2015 misconduct towards Shim and Farrelly, but described the incident as "a moment of poor judgment." On the international stage, the United States has been a powerhouse of women's soccer. The NWSL should provide mandatory and comprehensive annual anti-bullying trainings to address non-abusive approaches to coaching and to empower players to recognize and report misconduct. Cone told the Joint Investigative Team that prior to her discussion with Malik, she had received a phone call from a player agent stating that Riley had previously acted "inappropriate[ly]" towards a Thorns player. It's across the sport. Alyse LaHue, a former team executive, also received a two-year penalty, while ex-coaches Farid Benstiti, James Clarkson and Vera Pauw could return only by meeting specified conditions, such as . That's the problem with this league. While the NWSL and clubs have worked to strengthen their HR resources, many players continue to gravitate towards the NWSLPA as the safest reporting mechanism: even veteran players on the USWNT told the Joint Investigative Team that they would default to bringing their concerns through the NWSLPA. 4. One player opined that in the past, players had an innate instinct to put up with" problematic behavior and to protect a nascent, unstable league. . Additionally, 15 current and former NWSL staff members engaged in interviews or provided documents, as did 11 current and former U.S. Soccer staffers. Holly pulled Pearce Rampone from the starting lineup following the fight, but once they resolved their conflict, he put her back into the lineup. The report indicates that LaHues counsel described the allegations as false claims., The report explains that the Joint Investigative Team found discrepancies in versions of an email exchange involving LaHue that was part of the file from the initial investigation done by the league in 2021. Sources: Alyse LaHue out as Gotham FC general manager : r/NWSL - reddit Even in Vancouver, Riley pushed Shim to stay the night with him. Mental Health First Aid training tailored toward sport professionals could help players and staff develop the skills to recognize and respond to players navigating mental health challenges. It does not appear that the investigator affirmatively asked players if this incident had occurred in an attempt to corroborate the allegation. 10. The NWSL should enforce appropriate discipline against NWSL and club staff and players who do not timely One player described Holly screaming at a player during a game, only to bring her into a meeting after the game in which he cried and told her that she was his favorite player. Paul Riley, Alyse LaHue, Sunil Gulati named in NWSL-NWSLPA abuse There's no one. 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 Stanton reported that Holly texted her all the time" while he was an assistant coach at Sky Blue, sometimes communicating in a way that felt like it was "teetering on the line" of Players directed similar criticism to the processes that led to the hiring of Richie Burke, Farid Benstiti, Christy Holly, Vera Pauw, and Paul Riley. This assessment of Whisler failed to acknowledge the report's own statement that "four of the players with the most significant concerns did not, for various reasons, believe Whisler [was] willing to address those concerns." The majority of NWSL coaches have been men. Additionally, players reported instances in which behavior by coaches, staff, or club leadership created a culture in which players feared retaliation. 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 Courage learned nothing of the allegation that Riley had said players could avoid the suicide mile by kissing, or of the other clearly established The Joint Investigative Team also posted these reporting lines on the NWSL webpage and in the League's Anti-Harassment Policy. One player recalled that O'Connor informed players that Holly had been terminated due to an inappropriate relationship" with a player. This included withholding documents and other information related to an investigation U.S. Soccer conducted into reports of misconduct by Rory Dames for the better part of a year. Falling between these two approaches, one club consulted with owners at the coach's former club and U.S. Soccer staff during the hiring process, but not with the coach's former players. Third, the Joint Investigative Team found that the Thorns, the NWSL, and U.S. Soccer failed on numerous occasions to fully and clearly communicate the allegations and findings against Riley to other NWSL clubs that subsequently hired Riley. A player at Racing Louisville reported feeling that complaints about Christy Holly were not appropriately addressed due to the close relationship he had with club management. Had they done so, Riley likely would not have been hired by the Flash or, later, the Courage. One player stated that, "Dishonesty and manipulation from your coach creates a toxic environment." Arnim Whisler confirmed considering a similar plan for Dames at the Red Stars, even after Whisler learned that a majority of the players on the team believed Dames created an environment of fear and expressed concerns about retaliation. Although Plush asserted that he tried to dissuade the Flash from pursuing Riley, he did not give the Flash any information about why they should not pursue Riley. This scope included both sexual misconduct and other forms of misconduct. Describing Dames, a Red Stars player stated that a "huge day-to-day struggle was the fear-what was the day going to bring?" Gulati acknowledged that he had read the memorandum in advance of a meeting with players, including Press, on September 17, 2014, but said that he did not remember any specifics about the meeting, including whether Dames's conduct was discussed. When LaHues termination was announced in June 2021, an NWSL spokesperson put out a statement via Meg Linehan on Twitter stating: Following a complaint, the league conducted an investigation and shared the findings of that investigation with Gotham FC. The Joint Investigative Team is not aware of any action by U.S. Soccer, the NWSL, or the Red Stars to address the behavior described in the 2014 comments. Both Williams and Angie Long recalled the club trying to find a trade within the NWSL for one player, but being unable to find a trade partner. In addition, romantic relationships between players and staff, even when consensual, blur the lines between appropriate and inappropriate behavior, increasing the risk of misconduct. 1. The report made clear that certain facts were not disputed. Ms. LaHue was placed on unpaid administrative leave while the NWSLs third-party investigator reviewed the matter. Covington and Weil (collectively, the "Joint Investigative Team) reviewed all reports indicating that a person in a position of power in the NWSL or one of its member clubs engaged in or facilitated inappropriate conduct towards NWSL players, including discrimination, harassment, sexual, physical, or emotional abuse, and retaliation related to such reports. Coaches would berate players about their weight in front of their teammates or speak disparagingly about a player's weight to people other than the player. Kaleigh Kurtz, who reported experiencing sexual misconduct from Riley at the Courage, said that she did not report Riley's behavior in the past out of fear of being called a "troublemaker," but that she felt comfortable being named in this Report because "players who come forward will be protected." Riley declined to respond to requests to participate in this investigation. The League has committed to communicating and consulting with the NWSLPA in player-involved investigations as part of these procedures. The Thorns initiated a week-long investigation (the "2015 Thorns Investigation") conducted by its HR director, who found that some of Shim's allegations were undisputed and who summarized findings against Riley in a final investigative report. 120 They used derogatory and insulting language towards players, displayed insensitivity towards players mental health, and engaged in retaliation against players who attempted to report or did report concerns., In addressing root causes of those problems, the report says: Like many institutions, the League has been influenced by sexism, racism, homophobia, and other biases. The NWSL and NWSLPA authorized the Report's release, in its entirety, to the NWSL community and the public. Having provided the investigative report on Riley to U.S. Soccer and the League, and on the stated basis of legal advice, the club directed inquiries about Riley to the NWSL and U.S. Soccer. She also said she was "petrified" that Wilkinson would trade her from the Thorns because Riley had portrayed himself and Wilkinson as good friends. On July 8, 2021, the Club was advised that the investigation determined that Ms. LaHue violated the leagues policy on harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. 21, not done with other deleted emails. Players reported that playing time and favorable feedback from coaches were critical to their chances of selection for the USWNT; a lack of playing time also impacted sponsorship opportunities, without which many players had to work second jobs in the off-season to supplement their income. Players also reported that club staff, including coaches, were unhelpful to players who experienced mental health challenges. The next step for Alyse LaHue and Sky Blue FC: Finding a new home While Sky Blue FC still might not be a first-place team, the differences off the pitch are shaping how the players perform on the pitch. One of these players said that the dual head coachgeneral manager role was "a nightmare." The NWSL should revise the 2022 Anti-Harassment Policy to clarify the actions that could be considered retaliatory. He frequently texted Shim, even though she did not always reply, sometimes asking her to come to his apartment or turning the conversation to her sexual orientation. Holly told Simon that he may have talked to people behind the scenes to get her signed to the Dash. Expectations of Gratitude and Acquiescence e) In text messages to Dames, Whisler spoke negatively of Press and expressed suspicion about players' motives for raising concerns. Notwithstanding the seriousness of the conduct conveyed to Malik, and the unusual resistance Malik encountered when he sought more information, the Courage did not take further steps to try to obtain the report, such as making a written request for it, appealing to the Board of Governors, or seeking intervention from Gulati or U.S. Soccer. She also asked him not to speak to one player implicated in the complaint about the complaint until the League had the opportunity to call that player, but Whisler refused to comply, saying that th[e] situation has the potential to destroy team chemistry." He stated that he told Lines that Riley was a "good coach but definitely never stated" that he would hire Riley. As another example, League staff were unsure whether data from player surveys-which at times detailed incidents of coaches' misconductwere ever shared with the relevant clubs. These vague public statements contributed to the failure to adequately share information between U.S. Soccer, the League, and clubs regarding coaches who committed misconduct.
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