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For much of the League's existence, there was confusion between U.S. Soccer, the League, and its clubs regarding their respective roles in responding to reports of misconduct against players. In another example, Paulson recounted that when he spoke to Wahlke about the 2015 Thorns Investigation when U.S. Soccer was considering hiring Riley as a coach in 2019, Wahlke focused on the fact that the investigation had found no unlawful harassment. 3, violations of those policies-to identify and reform deficiencies. Simon recalled that when she told him he could not touch her like that and that it was messing with her, he responded, "If you don't want me to touch your tits, I won't touch your tits." These aspects of the culture in the NWSL discouraged some players from reporting any concerns. The report points out issues within the NWSLs infrastructure, including a historical lack of background check procedures for potential coach and front-office hires. A PDF version of this document with embedded text is available at the link below: Report of the In many instances, in the absence of League requirements for coach vetting, the NWSL and its clubs failed to sufficiently vet coaches before hiring them. The NWSL and NWSLPA authorized the Report's release, in its entirety, to the NWSL community and the public. Paul Riley joined the NWSL in December 2013, when the Thorns hired him as head coach for the club's 2014 season. Another player explained that she had dealt with coaches yelling in the past, but what set Holly apart was that there was "such a shift" and he would "lose control." The NWSL began the roll-out of training by the U.S. Center for SafeSport in January 2021. .85 Other Inconsistencies Between the NWSL Anti-Harassment Policy and Club Policies When Racing Louisville was considering hiring Holly, no one contacted Novo regarding Holly or the reason he departed Sky Blue. This misconduct did not occur in a vacuum. The NWSL should advise clubs to offer players the opportunity to speak candidly about their views on prospective coaches or staff and should guard vigilantly against any potential retaliation or breach of confidentiality associated with players sharing their views. Both Gulati and Flynn said they never reviewed the Thorns's 2015 investigative report prior to its October 2022 public disclosure by U.S. Soccer. 4. 91, The perceived absence of HR at the NWSL and its clubs meant that many players felt that they had no clear path to report misconduct they experienced. This is partly due to institutional factors; SafeSport only has jurisdiction over reports concerning NWSL coaches or staff who hold U.S. Soccer coaching licenses. She recalled thinking at the time, "they're all adults, and did not consider the "context of how these people met." The training for players should address appropriate communication between coaches and players, including soccer-specific constructive criticism, and should provide examples of conduct or scenarios that professional players could potentially encounter. The focus of the investigation was too narrow, and interviews were not sufficiently thorough. 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. Players reported the club did not take sufficient action to address players' concerns after the meeting. He shared personal information with her, talking about his ex-wife, his relationship status, and his sex life, including describing his preferred sexual positions. 113 The Oversight Committee pledged to ensure that the investigation was independent, thorough, and objective. Players told the team's head coach that Black players on the team felt unsupported and that the posts did not align with the team's values. 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. 6. In mid-August 2021, Starr told the NWSL volunteer chaplain coordinator that a player shared that Holly had touched her inappropriately, though Starr did not share Simon's name. 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." 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. It did not contain a carve-out that would allow the club to voluntarily disclose Holly's misconduct to law enforcement. Compounding this effect, the League lacked trainings, policies, and other resources on harassment, abuse, and other forms of misconduct. In explaining the transactions the club made before the next season, Williams said, "We needed to make a lot of changes-we were last [in the League]. The Joint Investigative Team spoke to other players on the Red Stars who reported similar concerns of retaliation. Third, Dames made personal insults, and the summary stated, these comments in a professional environment are concerning." Having opportunities to hang with others or time for self-care is important to maintain a healthy relationship. concerns. 3. One player recalled that Holly knew "every time [she] had people at [her] apartment, and a second player noted that Holly heard if players were playing loud music or things like that." An owner of a club emphasized that one of the problems with having a coach and a general manager who are the same person" was that it meant "one less channel of communication that you have" to report concerns. Even after repeated requests and lengthy negotiations with the separate law firm U.S. Soccer retained to respond to the Joint Investigative Team's requests, U.S. Soccer did not meaningfully respond to those requests until shortly before, and again after, the USSF Report was released. U.S. Soccer's 2019 Consideration of Riley for U.S. Women's National Team Coach In a separate survey of USWNT players, there were several negative comments about Dames: survey comments stated that the "head coach was disrespectful to players and created a hostile work environment." She has denied any wrongdoing. Multiple individuals emphasized the critical insight that can be gained by speaking with persons knowledgeable about the candidate and expressed the view that background checks alone are unable to detect every potentially problematic issue. One player reported that Riley ripped" a player for being too fat during a halftime speech. During her interview-which was two hours long (more than twice as long as any other interview conducted at the time)Shim recounted the instances she had described in her complaint. Rather, working closely with U.S. Soccer, she proceeded "stepwise" until she felt she had collected enough information to speak to Dames and Whisler. Hammond said that Kurtz's agent had requested a trade, and Hammond reached out to teams to try to find a trade for Kurtz. It's important to have time to yourself in any relationship. The player stated that Burke's lack of emotional control was "very regular." 100, other inappropriate sexual conduct at Shim, including attempting to be alone with Shim, and opening his hotel room door in his underwear and asking Shim to get on his bed. For example, when Riley was terminated from the Thorns in September 2015, the club's public announcement merely stated that Riley would not be retained as head coach for the 2016 season. Burke told the Joint Investigative Team that he was a demanding" coach and acknowledged that he could be "profane" at times, but he adamantly denied that his behavior was abusive toward players. Players, including Kaiya McCullough, recounted in that article that Burke berated, screamed at, and targeted players, and that he had used racially insensitive language. For example, in June 2021, a group of players reached out to O'Connor and asked if they could speak with him. The NWSL completed an independent investigation, and it announced that based on witness interviews and a review of video footage, no disciplinary action would be taken against the club. professionalism. One-on-one or small group socializing for non-soccer purposes between players and individuals with supervisory authority may blur the boundaries between professional and personal relationships, present concerns of improper favoritism, or leave certain players feeling isolated or excluded. The lack of uniform NWSL-wide anti-harassment training contributed to players and club staff being unsure what conduct is appropriate and what behavior constitutes misconduct under the policy. The U.S. Women's National Team (USWNT") has consistently ranked in the top of FIFA's rankings and has never finished below third place in the Women's World Cup. Players reported they raised concerns during this meeting regarding Williams's ineffectiveness as a coach and unprofessional and demeaning communication style. In other instances, clubs transitioned coaches accused of misconduct to front office roles instead of terminating their employment. Yates was commissioned by the U.S. Soccer Federation, which is the sport's governing body and was, for eight years between 2012 and 2020, the manager of the NWSL as part of an operational agreement. 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. She also did not share the findings or conclusion from the investigation with players. disparagement language in the agreement included a caveat, which allowed Holly to "provide his honest assessment of players on the Club team, solely as it relates to their performance as soccer players." Simon told Holly she was uncomfortable and did her best to get out of the house, but she did not want to anger Holly because she was scared. Whisler and Dames's text conversations reflect this benefit. Gulati, who said he had never received the 2015 investigative report, said that although he could not remember clearly, he surmised that he was given legal advice by Levine not to disclose or discuss information regarding the allegations and investigation by the Thorns. Not resign."" Strengthen Anti-Harassment Policies Players reported concerns about staff members drinking alcohol excessively with players. On July 16, 2021, Gotham announced that General Manager Alyse LaHue was terminated following an investigation into a complaint that she had violated NWSL policy. 2. One staff member said that everything Holly did "in film, in training, in games, in formations, in tactics centered around protecting" Pearce Rampone. 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. Multiple current and former players from the Current raised concerns that Williams retaliated against players for participating in the meeting with ownership, both by mistreating players who complained and by taking actions to remove them from the club. One club staff member stated that Dames would give the team three days off, but would not inform them until the day before, leaving the team "stuck [and] not able to get out of Illinois. The staff member said, I don't know if that's him being controlling, but also noted that it felt like Dames didn't like people leaving market." On August 15, 2019, Levine forwarded to Duffy the 2015 email in which the attorney retained by the Thorns in connection with the 2015 Thorns Investigation into Riley made the unexplained statement that the investigation revealed no "unlawful harassment" and to which the attorney had attached the Thorns's 2015 investigative report regarding Riley as well as supporting texts and emails. 5. It's across the League. While traveling for an away game in June, Riley pressured Shim over text message to have a drink with him in his hotel room. Simon also confided in Racing Louisville's team chaplain Taylor Starr, whom the Joint Investigative Team also interviewed. Another player said Harrington made other comments about players' appearances and bodies, including their breasts. As one player observed, the practice of drinking together erased the sense of boundaries between "players, coaches, and general manager[s]." Until 2017, the NWSL front office had five or fewer full-time staff members, and it did not have a dedicated HR staff member for players, who are NWSL employees, until June 2019. I just played for [my team]. Whereas the Yates report intentionally focused on what it deemed the most egregious abusers, the joint investigation scrutinized more nuanced incidents of emotional abuse and power imbalances that caused players to report that they contemplated quitting, had panic attacks and, in some cases, needed therapy. This is where the beer comes in. 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." During this time, Duffy, who had recently become NWSL president, and Levine, who had transitioned to the role of NWSL general counsel, worked with NWSL communications staff to prepare a draft public statement (which was never publicly released) related to the handling of sexual harassment complaints and the Riley investigation. The investigative teams evidence included inappropriate and suggestive text messages along with accounts of unwanted attention, even following pushback from the player. These factors do not constitute a bright-line test; Johnson told the Joint Investigative Team that he spoke to Flynn on the phone as part of vetting Riley and that Flynn shared that Riley drank with players at a bar and that players "ended up" at Riley's apartment. One player who spoke up at the meeting and was subsequently traded shared that because she and other players spoke up, "[w]e all knew we were going to be traded." Following that email, Riley's behavior towards Shim changed: he barely acknowledged Shim, and her playing time noticeably dropped. The Courage's policy stated that [d]isciplinary action, up to and including discharge, will be taken against any employee engaging in sexual or other unlawful harassment." 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. A second player credibly reported that Riley made comments regarding that player's weight and required her to report her weight to him daily. The NWSLPA continues to advocate for player safety and amplify players' voices regarding opportunities for change and improvement in the League. Development of an Anti-Harassment Policy. In another example, one player reported that after a player lodg[ed] a complaint with the PA, Dames retaliated against the team by denying players their family time. According to the report summary, this concern "was not raised by any other player and was credibly denied by Dames and Whisler." 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. According to one player, Holly sometimes sent another player heart eyes" emojis through Instagram. She told investigators she recognized Riley "had been 'grooming' her for sexual abuse" after reading The Athletic's initial story on his abuse. Levine gave the HR employee the impression that Riley was a "respected coach and the "players [were] trying to get him out." During the limbo period, the National Womens Soccer League media relations department was mildly more helpful, finally acknowledging the situation by saying they were not going to comment on a club matter. In addition to the USSF Dames Report's internal contradictions, the report summary inappropriately minimized the severity of players' concerns. Cromwell's and Greene's conduct fostered a fear of retaliation among certain players and staff at the Pride. Many of the coaches and individuals who engaged in misconduct and who are discussed in this Report were not appropriately vetted by their clubs. 1. Players from marginalized backgrounds, or with the least job security, were often targets of misconduct.". The same player noted that when players considered raising concerns, they wondered, "Are we going to ruin something? Clarkson denied making this comment to a player. The NWSL should not just list reporting channels in the Anti-Harassment Policy, but should email or otherwise share them with players, staff, and volunteers on a regular basis. When the team arrived in Chicago, Dames "gave the team the entire weekend off." Wahlke admitted that she did not share the findings and conclusions from the report with the NWSL or the Red Stars because the material was privileged. When U.S. Soccer Chief Legal Officer Lydia Wahlke learned that Levine had told Whisler about the complaint, she expressed concern, noting that "it could put [Whisler] in the position of unwittingly creating a retaliation claim if he acts on it or communicates it to any third party (and worse, to the responding party)." At a team meeting the next day, players observed that Clarkson was visibly angry as he reprimanded the team at length, calling them selfish, disrespectful, and unprofessional by going out drinking prior to a game. This was apparent in the hiring of Riley by the Flash, and subsequently the Courage. Alex Morgan shares her frustration at the NWSL's failure to support Meleana Shim after speaking out against Paul Riley in this behind-the-scenes clip from E60: Truth Be Told, available now on ESPN+. Some of the sport's most prominent players are married to their former coaches, including their college coaches. MBA with a focus on. On December 5, 2022, Whisler announced that he would sell the Red Stars. 36, findings about Riley's inappropriate behavior beyond that night. The findings included information on what led to the firing of former Sky Blue/Gotham FC General Manager Alyse LaHue in July 2021. 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." Kurtz said she cried on the phone, telling Hammond that her request was not about playing time-she said she did not feel comfortable being around Riley and told Hammond that Riley had called her chubby." In September 2021, this requirement was updated to include assistant coaches and other club staff who would regularly interact with players. When Simon arrived at Holly's house, Pearce Rampone was not there. Players also told Novo that Holly was in a romantic relationship with another player, Christie Pearce Rampone. Benstiti did not respond to the Joint Investigative Team's request to speak with him. One player remembered that there was "casual drinking throughout the day while players stayed at his home, and it felt like the alcohol was a gateway" for Riley to "wiggle his way in" with players. During the retaliation investigation, one of the players identified by Cromwell and Greene as having been involved in the March Investigation was informed that she would be waived by the club, and word spread in the club that Cromwell wanted to waive or trade several other players who she believed were involved in the March Investigation. He stated it was included because, in Estes's view, no one would sign a unilateral non-disparagement provision. Courage leadership was made aware of Riley's conduct toward Kurtz, who also reported her experiences directly to then-NWSL commissioner Lisa Baird in a group meeting last year. On July 2, 2021, OL Reign announced that Head Coach Farid Benstiti had resigned. According to O'Connor, he informed players that a player made an allegation against Holly, the allegation was 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. The player who raised a complaint to the Courage, Kaleigh Kurtz, had joined the Courage in 2018 and was initially pleased to be playing for Riley. The NWSLPA also announced that it would conduct its own independent investigation into workplace misconduct within the League. It really wasn't an investment so much as it was philanthropy." Around the same time, on July 1, 2021, OL Reign decided to remove Benstiti from the club, and asked for his resignation that same day. The Current's employee handbook states that employees "should not be employed in positions with supervisory responsibilities over the work of any family member or other person with whom the employee has a romantic or similarly close relationship," but it does not clarify if this applies only to relationships between club employees, or whether it also applies to relationships between club employees and players, who are NWSL employees. I'm told that people at This report, along with text message and email exhibits, was shared with individuals at U.S. Soccer and the NWSL. Create and Enforce a Policy Discouraging the Use of NDAs in Connection with Allegations of Misconduct The latest report also focuses on racism and microaggressions in a way that the Yates report did not. As one player said regarding the owner of her team, He made it seem like his players were his kids-which, if you had the owner of the Knicks saying that to one of his players, that's weird. Kurtz was not the only player to share her experiences with Courage management after the Athletic article was published. 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. Some individuals did not know reporting incidents of misconduct to SafeSport was an option at all. In the letter, players demanded that the NWSL adopt policies to protect players, including by requiring clear reporting channels for complaints as well as procedures for thorough and impartial investigations. Sometime after that incident, Shim asked Riley to maintain a strictly professional relationship with her. Those findings will remain confidential and the league will not comment further on individual club personnel matters., Now, further details have come to light. Shortly after the Flash hired Riley, Paulson expressed to Alex Sahlen that he had "a lot of affection" for Riley. 79, In some cases, players reported that club leadership failed to protect them from retaliation. Plush also reported that the Flash were "comfortable with the situation at [that] point." Multiple players reported to the Joint Investigative Team that Holly had retaliated against them for raising concerns. They stated that they had difficulty convincing the Board of Governors to act. They represented the two Level Two . On the evening of the announcement of LaHues firing from Gotham, a statement was provided by Kelly Hoffman, attorney for Alyse LaHue via Meg Linehan of The Athletic on Twitter reading: Ms. Simon had just graduated from college, and after an open tryout, Holly offered Simon her first professional contract to play for Sky Blue, where he was the head coach. Require Separate Individuals to Hold Key Club Leadership Roles A player and a former Sky Blue staff member both said that the environment at Sky Blue unraveled" when the team learned that Holly was dating Pearce Rampone. 2. Whether or not players specifically described this particular issue as significant, the report should have independently assessed the facts provided by the players. This investigation followed. During the meeting, Holly was reportedly fidgeting and "fumbling over his words." In addition to the SafeSport Trained Core Course and three annual refresher courses, medical staff are required to take a 60-minute course titled, "SafeSport for Health Professionals: Your Role in Preventing Abuse." soccer career. Some types of misconduct against players, including certain instances of sexual abuse and manipulation, have already been widely reported. I have no idea." In addition, the policy sets forth a general process for conducting investigations into potential violations and reporting the findings of such investigations. Clarkson asked a staff member to request security footage from the hotel, but the staff member was not able to obtain the footage. Women's soccer in the United States has a long history of relationships between players and staff. 1. The following morning, on August 31, 2021, Starr met with Racing Louisville's HR Director Erin Wilkins, O'Connor, Estes, and Bates. He became condescending toward her and made jokes about "ripping [her] contract up." Hammond told the Joint Investigative Team that he remembered a call with Kurtz about her interest in a trade after the 2019 season, when Kurtz was in the process of negotiating a new contract. The non A USWNT staff member said they were familiar with Benstiti before the Reign hired him and recalled that "everyone had heard rumors of his treatment of Lindsey Horan" because "it was public." 2. In a follow-up interview, the lawyer said the alterations were not made by Ms. LaHue, and did not provide any further details. In 2020 and 2021, James Clarkson emailed club staff, including the club president, in an effort to develop a mental health program to support players. .8 Other individuals disputed this characterization. Reis was placed on unpaid administrative leave and is required to participate in mandatory training regarding retaliation, discrimination, harassment and bullying, and must participate in mandatory executive coaching. Plush's email summarized Lines's report of a conversation with Wilkinson, in which Wilkinson brought up what he referred to as the human resource issue, said Wilkinson felt Riley "was put in a bad position by the player," and said Wilkinson would hire [Riley] in a heartbeat. According to Plush's email, Lines had spoken with Riley, who told Lines, "I shouldn't have put myself in that situation." Ex-Philadelphia Independence coach Paul Riley fired from NWSL team amid allegations of sexual misconduct, Joanna Lohman was fooled by Paul Riley in Philadelphia, where he allegedly coerced her teammates, Megan Rapinoe criticizes Paul Riley, who briefly coached her on the Philadelphia Independence, Equalizer Soccer reported the anti-harassment detail, U.S. Soccer promises action after Yates investigation details abuse and sexual coercion in NWSL, California residents do not sell my data request. 33, An NWSL HR employee recalled that she immediately went to Levine's office to discuss Nor do I have any independent recollection of who, if anyone, at the USSF reviewed these surveys, if the USSF had any policy or practice regarding who must review them, what follow-up actions should be taken in response to the surveys, and/or what information was shared with the NWSL teams." The two most senior executives in the League's front office, Commissioner Lisa Baird and General Counsel Lisa Levine, resigned. However, this position appears inconsistent with the email from the Thorns's counsel transmitting the Riley report to the League, which Plush received and which did not place any restrictions on the League. Paulson told the Joint Investigative Team that Garcia and an attorney presented the report to Thorns leadership. Another player also stated that the training environment was dangerous and that there was a lack of proper coaching. The League and Clubs Failed to Take Adequate Steps to Protect Players in Hiring and Filling Positions He also recalled being told that players were concerned about the amount of training given to non-starters. Three players said that they heard Dames make racist remarks, including referring to black players as 'thugs and telling one Black player that she was acting like a gang member after a game in which [she] played aggressively." Simon felt like she owed him, because she believed he played a role in getting her a spot at the camp. Gotham FC general manager Alyse LaHue was fired in July after an investigation connected to the league's antiharassment policy. The investigators said they conducted more than 200 interviews and reviewed some 200,000 documents. This league, eventually named the National Women's Soccer League, began play in April 2013. For example, the League's former interim CEO, Marla Messing, recalled multiple instances where, due to her experience in the soccer community, she was able to identify potential hires by clubs who were "terrible" or "abusive," but who had received clean background checks. Players recounted instances in which Harrington made sexual comments to and about players. Players told the Joint Investigative Team that this environment dissuaded them from reporting misconduct. Numerous players reported that they experienced mental health challenges due to toxic and abusive working environments created by coaches' behavior and treatment of players. Harrington was found to have. One interviewee reported that some clubs that had HR departments historically [could not] use them because of the single-entity structure [of the NWSL]."