The club also wrote to the Joint Investigative Team that Johnson and Malik spoke with Plush from the NWSL, with Gulati and Flynn from U.S. Soccer, and with Paulson from the Thorns. These threats, or even the perceived risk of waiver for raising concerns or expressing disagreement with clubs and coaches, signaled to players that they were dispensable. 18, Riley's subsequent hiring by the Flash would not speak with the Joint Investigative Team, including the Thorns's HR director who conducted the investigation, the former Flash vice president, and Riley himself. A. Background checks should also be conducted on prospective owners of NWSL clubs, including prospective owners of expansion clubs or investors who are candidates to acquire majority or significant minority stakes in existing clubs. Several coaches routinely relied on derogatory language and name-calling to shame or criticize players. 6
1. Despite having this information, Duffy did not express any concerns about Riley to the Courage, Riley's employer at the time. The NWSL should establish rules prohibiting an individual from occupying more than one of the following positions at a club: principal owner, general manager, and head coach. Riley declined to respond to requests to participate in this investigation. Temares and former Sky Blue Chief Financial Officer Mary Smoot did not recall being consulted about, or in any way involved in, the press release. Listen to Alyse's thoughts on why women's soccer is on the rise the United States, the story behind re-branding Sky Blue FC's to NJ/NY Gotham FC, and how Alyse is leveraging the power of Gotham's fans to inform th 7. In describing that meeting, Estes said that "the ultimate corroboration came from Christy Holly." Prior to joining the NWSL, Riley had coached Farrelly on the Long Island Fury and on the Philadelphia Independence in 2012 and 2013, respectively. Plush, the senior-most executive at the League, did not take any steps to ensure that the Flash, the Courage, and the players who would be coached by Riley were aware of the risks he posed. In the commercial, she discussed a time when she beat all of her teammates in a physical fitness test but her coach said, in front of the whole team, Lindsey, you're not going to play in any games until you lose more weight." Accordingly, she cooperated in the first, second, and third investigations into alleged conduct from April 2020 reported in June 2021. 1. Gorden observed that white players, on the other hand, had been speaking closely with their families in the stands, and she felt targeted. She was surprised then when the club's HR personnel emailed staff and the players who raised concerns to schedule a meeting for them to discuss the issues collectively. One player reported that Riley ripped" a player for being too fat during a halftime speech. 120, An explanation of the reporting channels should also be a key component to antiharassment training, anti-bullying training, anti-retaliation training, and any other trainings the NWSL or clubs provide. Levine suggested in a February 2016 email that she would prepare letters to Riley and to the owner of the Flash reminding them that coaches must remain professional, but the Joint Investigative Team did not find evidence that any such letters were written or sent. Multiple players reported that there was an overlap between these players and those who had been vocal at the meeting. Many players who spoke with the Joint Investigative Team were not aware that they could report concerns about misconduct to SafeSport. 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. Clarkson denied
Gulati told the Joint Investigative Team that he surmised he had received legal advice that there was nothing that could formally be done to stop Riley from coaching elsewhere in the NWSL.
Behavior
After the release of the Athletic article detailing sexual misconduct by Riley, the club's communications department received outreach from a journalist seeking to speak with someone knowledgeable about the basis for Holly's termination. 2. Some players of color reported they did not feel they could report racially insensitive and offensive conduct. As became evident to some of the witnesses in 2015, the investigation appeared to be focused more on determining whether Shim might have a legal claim and on limiting the club's liability than on thorough fact-gathering. Malik told the Joint Investigative Team that he thought at the time that Riley's drinking with players in 2015 was unacceptable" for a coach of the USWNT
A player recalled this same coach making comments about what players "had on their plates" and "food-shaming" players. . NWSL staff, players, and club staff are required to then take three 30-minute annual refresher courses. These protocols mandated that all coach, general manager, and president hires had to be approved by the NWSL and that such employees had to complete a New Hire Certification, complete an NWSL-directed background check, and have certain language included in their contracts. Players also stated that Pauw commented on players' legs as being "bulky" and prohibited players from lifting weights based on her view that it would make them bulkier when she wanted players to be lean. On July 8, 2021, the Club was advised that the investigation determined that Ms. LaHue violated the leagues policy on harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. The phrase 'using personal information against you' appears to be a catch-all phrase used by players to capture conduct by Dames that was perceived as being mean toward players on a personal level." Racing Louisville
The policy contains a broad prohibition on harassment, discrimination, bullying, and retaliation, and explicitly applies to "any and all" forms of each type of misconduct. She specifically denied receiving any complaints from Press regarding Dames. Following WUSA's collapse in 2003, the United States was without a professional women's soccer league until WPS began play in March 2009. The day after the player spoke to the NWSL about her complaint, Dames texted Whisler that he was planning on waiving her. Within a few months, investors had spent what was originally expected to sustain the league for three to five years.
When asked whether she thought Whisler's close relationship with Dames led to players' unwillingness to report Dames's behavior, the staff member said she did think "there came a point where players felt, '[W]hy are we even raising issues to [Whisler]?
Harrington was found to have. The Joint Investigative Team also took into account whether conduct complied with professional coaching standards. An additional reputational check-which would involve additional research into the candidate, including interviews with references and other contacts-is not required, but can be conducted at the club's election. Players told the Joint Investigative Team that the assistant coach was away from the team for a few days, before returning without any warning to them. During the lengthy investigation, players were given insufficient opportunity to speak to the investigator, and the investigator did not speak to any club staff members other than Dames. Neither Temares nor Smoot recalled Novo telling them concerns about Holly's treatment of players, and they emphasized that they were not in player-facing roles. The NWSL should establish and enforce a policy that provides clear guidance to clubs on their use of non-disclosure and non-disparagement agreements in circumstances involving alleged or substantiated misconduct under the Anti-Harassment Policy. Simon reported that Holly first engaged in sexual misconduct toward her in the summer of 2019. 124
The larger point is that if the environment at [the Red Stars] was different, and were perceived as one of mutual respect and professionalism, these issues would likely not be issues."
The article also noted Horan's observation that Benstiti's insistence on weight loss was "more [about] how you were seen and not how it was helping you play. An April 2019 Adidas commercial focused on Horan overcoming her negative experience with Benstiti. A former player told the Joint Investigative Team she believed the investigation was "inconclusive because no action was taken." 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. Although Novo said he shared these concerns with others at the club, key decision-makers within the club did not recall Novo telling them about Holly's mistreatment of players.
The future of sports sponsorship? Women's sports - Sid Lee 112, As it moves forward, the NWSL should continue to take affirmative steps to empower players, hear their concerns, and implement reforms in response to player concerns. As an example of this favoritism, another player
The Joint Investigative Team received reports from players that reflected concerns that Houston Dash Head Coach James Clarkson was engaged in ongoing emotional misconduct and insensitivity. On July 2, 2021, OL Reign announced that Head Coach Farid Benstiti had resigned. The sale was finalized in March 2022. Jill Ellis, then-Head Coach of the USWNT, was also emailed copies of certain player survey results. Giving Lahue a pass for something that is now a clear violation just because it's a newer policy would defeat the point of that necessary policy in the first place. Distribute Annual Player Surveys and Promptly Investigate Allegations of Misconduct Raised in Responses
100
The union is referenced by players in the report as a default place to voice concerns, for lack of historical human resources departments in the league and at clubs, but concerns remain over how reported complaints are handled. Furthermore, comments made by individuals at the Thorns were favorable to Riley and had the effect of indicating to the Courage and the Flash that Riley had not engaged in misconduct while at the Thorns. Another player noted the need for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training, and specifically, anti-Black racism" training. Players also reported a pervasive fear of retaliation should they raise concerns about Burke. While Simon's parents gave Pearce Rampone a tour of the home, Holly grabbed Simon's buttocks and felt her over her leggings.
It did not contain a carve-out that would allow the club to voluntarily disclose Holly's misconduct to law enforcement. The History and Culture of the League and its Member Clubs Discouraged Reporting of Potential Misconduct
When asked about this, the lawyer who led the investigation for U.S. Soccer said the issue of whether to take intermediary action "was not discussed with [her]."
2. In one text, he sent her a photo of himself in compression shorts. 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. A player for the Courage said Riley "would ask [her] to dinner in a "very casual way." One evening, he persuaded her to have dinner at an Italian restaurant in Portland.
On an away trip to another state, she asked Dames for permission to visit her parents, who lived in the state. The NWSL should consider providing leadership training to coaches. Holly also asked Simon to send him suggestive pictures of herself, including a request for a picture of her in his boxers. Also that same day, Levine reported Riley to the U.S. Center for SafeSport (an organization that investigates reports of abuse and misconduct in athletics) based on information that was then publicly available. Multiple witnesses reported that coaches continued their weight-shaming behavior even after being warned by players and other staff that such behavior was harmful. NWSL and NWSLPA Joint Investigative Team
The clubs that do address these topics in their handbooks set forth policies that depart from the League policy in various ways. Her dismissal was based on the results of an NWSL investigation into a . For example, players noted that Pauw wanted to exert control over "every aspect of [their] lives," including everything you were putting in your body, every exercise you were doing."
Players and staff at the Red Stars said that the close relationship between Head Coach Rory Dames and club owner Arnim Whisler made them feel that raising complaints to ownership would be pointless. 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. However, Novo told the Joint Investigative Team that the club was not seriously pursuing Riley at the time and that he does not recall hearing anything bad" about Riley. The Flash then became a new NWSL club, the Courage, which also retained Riley as head coach. Another witness reported that Dames used "homophobic" language directed at players to demean them. beers, shots, whatever. This same player said that Riley would be at the bar "from the time" the players arrived until after players left. .
Clubs and Owners
NWSL Sep 03, 2019. The Joint Investigative Team learned of a relationship between a staff member and a player, although due to player confidentiality concerns this Report provides limited identifying details. Establish Guidelines Addressing Appropriate Meeting Locations for Oneon-One Meetings Between Club Staff and Players
Simon was afraid to tell anyone of Holly's abuse because she was scared for her physical safety if Holly found out she had reported him. Many players emphasized to the Joint Investigative Team that they are willing to take tough coaching, or as one player put it, "harsh criticism with direction." Clarkson then demanded hotel security footage (which investigators said he did not get) and reprimanded the team for drinking before a game, although player maintain they did not.
Johnson reported
The NWSL's Founding, Initial Success, and Challenges
The NWSL's Non-Fraternization Policy, adopted in 2018, states: "No person in management or a supervisory position with a Team or the League shall have a romantic or dating relationship with a League or team employee whom he or she directly supervises or whose terms or conditions of employment he or she may influence." Another staff member at the same club was retained as a consultant after complaints that he made inappropriate comments and singled out players. E. Players Lacked Effective Channels for Reporting Inappropriate
The report reached conclusions that minimized player concerns, that contradicted the factual findings laid out in the report, and that unjustifiably credited Whisler and Dames's statements. Shim declined, and she traveled to Vancouver with her then-partner instead, along with Farrelly and her then-partner. While a short briefing of the investigation's findings was provided to the club, the Joint Investigative Team understands that U.S. Soccer did not share the nature of the complaints or conclusions of the investigation, including whether the reports against Dames were corroborated. This phenomenon is not unique to this investigation or the NWSL: interpersonal misconduct, and particularly sexual misconduct, is generally underreported. While the player surveys asked players to rate the knowledge and skill set of certain club staff, including coaching staff, the surveys did not ask specific questions about any misconduct the players experienced or observed. Wilkinson also said he told Lines that Riley was a good coach if not for the reason he had been fired. The League and Clubs Failed to Take Adequate Steps to Protect Players in Hiring and Filling Positions
Background checks, reputational checks, and other forms of vetting are not an infallible defense against coaches or staff who engage in misconduct. When the team arrived in Chicago, Dames "gave the team the entire weekend off." Provide Mandatory Annual Anti-Bullying Training
The Joint Investigative Team identified and examined facts relevant to potential abuse or misconduct against players by those in positions of power in the NWSL and its member clubs. Dames's behavior to U.S. Soccer's investigator. Although Racing Louisville's vetting of Holly was not atypical for clubs at the time, it did not go far enough in assessing his treatment of players. Holly stepped down as coach of Sky Blue during the 2017 season, and Simon was waived by Sky Blue in 2018.
NEWARK, NJ - After years of bad press, Phil Murphy's Sky Blue soccer team was. When the player was emotional after the game, Burke reportedly continued to yell at her and called her "selfish." . 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. One player recalled that Riley held film sessions in a
Similarly, other players reported that Dames texted certain players "all the time," including late at night. 3. Additionally, Paulson told the Joint Investigative Team that Wahlke contacted him at that time regarding Riley, and the two discussed the Thorns's 2015 investigation.
As the report states, there is a clear lack of guidance provided to players regarding what constitutes misconduct. Wahlke received copies of the investigator's interview notes and offered input to the investigator on how the investigation should proceed. 4. 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]." Formation of a Players' Union
Players expressed a belief that the close relationships between coaching staff and management meant any complaints of misconduct would fall on deaf ears or subject them to retaliation.