This information sharing between the staff member and the player led other players to express concerns to team management that the staff member was sharing players' private medical information with the player they were dating. In addition to background checks, the NWSL should conduct reference checks for all prospective owners, coachesincluding volunteer coachesand club staff who may interact with players. Two former staff members recalled reporting to Wilkinson concerns they had about Riley's treatment of players; one of the staff members said Wilkinson dismissed the staff member's concerns and told the staff member to "support the coaching staff." According to players and staff, including Cromwell and Greene, Cromwell and Greene deliberately declined to speak with these players, adopted as wholesale negative reports of these players' behavior from other players, and refused to entertain that there was another side to the stories, even when another staff member offered to facilitate a dialogue between the coaching staff and certain players. The latest report also focuses on racism and microaggressions in a way that the Yates report did not. 2. The NWSL's predecessor leagues-the Women's United Soccer Association ("WUSA") and Women's Professional Soccer ("WPS")-both buckled under financial pressures. Yael Averbuch West was a Jewish soccer star and player advocate. As a The Joint Investigative Team was tasked with making recommendations regarding the League's processes for identifying and investigating complaints of misconduct and addressing violations of the League's anti-harassment and discrimination policies. The following morning, on August 31, 2021, Starr met with Racing Louisville's HR Director Erin Wilkins, O'Connor, Estes, and Bates. a) Dames's Misconduct at the Chicago Red Stars And as discussed above, in some cases, Riley's practice of holding meetings in hotel rooms did in fact lead to boundary-crossing interactions with Shim. In a follow-up interview, the lawyer said the alterations were not made by Ms. LaHue, and did not provide any further details. In October 2022, the Joint Investigative Team received a report that then-Thorns Head Coach Rhian Wilkinson had disclosed to the Thorns's HR director potentially inappropriate interactions with a player with whom she had formed a friendship. The statement called on the NWSL to (i) open an independent investigation into the issues described by The Athletic; (ii) suspend any staff accused of violating the anti-harassment policy; and (iii) disclose how Riley was hired within the NWSL after leaving another club following an investigation into his misconduct. 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. Require Certification of the Completion of Mandatory Trainings and Closely Track Compliance One player reported that Riley ripped" a player for being too fat during a halftime speech. The same day, The Athletic reported that the investigation was related to a violation of the NWSL's anti-harassment policy. . 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. The location of Shim's and Farrelly's interviews-the Thorns's stadium-was not an appropriate setting for such a sensitive conversation and contributed to Shim feeling uncomfortable and concerned that staff would see her being interviewed. The 2015 Thorns Investigation was poorly handled in key respects. The content of this report is sensitive and graphic. Witnesses also reported that the coach attempted to get another player to dance with him and told her he did not care about her sexuality. Kaleigh Kurtz reported to the club that Riley made her uncomfortable and called her "chubby," and the club responded by telling Riley that he should speak to players about fitness," not "weight." A 2012 ESPN article later reported that Borislow's conduct included verbal abuse and sexually suggestive comments towards players. The National Women's Soccer League and NWSL Players' Association have published their joint investigation into abuse allegations across the league. Players from other clubs shared similar sentiments: for example, players from one club said they feared a coach would retaliate if they reported concerns about him because they had seen him lash out" at players during meetings and because he had once removed a player from the roster after an on-field disagreement. Plush was aware in September 2015 that Sky Blue was interested in hiring Riley, and he stated to the Joint Investigative Team that he told Sky Blue not to hire Riley. At OL Reign, CEO (and for much of the club's history, the principal owner) Bill Predmore also managed HR. Alyse is the General Manager for Sky Blue FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Players on another team reported that a former assistant coach liked tweets critical of the Black Lives Matter movement, causing several Black and non-Black players to be uncomfortable and upset with the assistant coach. 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. In addition to reports of misconduct involving Paul Riley, Rory Dames, and Christy Holly, described in detail below, the Joint Investigative Team identified many instances of coaches, staff, club leadership, and other individuals in positions of power engaging in misconduct directed at players. In November 2021, the NWSL imposed requirements that prospective general managers, coaches, and presidents of clubs undergo background checks before being hired. 108, 1. Just when we thought it was safe to go back in the water, too. 68, Coaches can also engage in verbal misconduct when they target players for personal attributes or immutable characteristics, such as their appearance, parental status, medical condition, or socioeconomic and educational background. It really wasn't an investment so much as it was philanthropy." After Riley joined the Thorns in 2014, he brought on assistant coaches who had worked for him in the past and who, according to multiple accounts, appeared loyal to Riley. In the 2015 player survey, several players made negative comments about Flash Head Coach Aaran Lines. Develop and Enforce Guidelines Addressing Appropriate Interactions Between Club Staff and Players. This Report, prepared by Covington in collaboration with Weil, summarizes that joint investigation and offers recommendations for systemic reform. O'Connor acknowledged that he did not follow up with the players to determine whether they experienced any retaliation after the group meeting. That player requested that The Washington Post not name her in the article due to fears of retaliation. Wednesday's report, which was jointly commissioned by the NWSL and the NWSL Players Association, comes just over two months after former U.S. deputy attorney general Sally Yates released her report, which was commissioned by the U.S. Soccer Federation. 59, said that the staff member allowed the player "to get things reimbursed that didn't qualify" for reimbursement. I also pitch in with coverage of college basketball and the WNBA. 9, instead, the Joint Investigative Team conducted a holistic assessment in determining which individuals to name in this Report. In this email exchange, Bailey did not mention the player survey responses stating that Dames created a hostile work environment and that he made sexist, racist, abusive, and other prejudicial remarks directed at players. Some players expressed that they sometimes let these microaggressions go because they felt that speaking out about their experiences would make others uncomfortable or because they felt they would not be believed. The NWSL should consider avenues to create a formal partnership with the Black Women's Player Collective to hear and address the Collective's concerns and improve the NWSL experience for Black players. Although the separation agreement included a specific carve-out to the non-disparagement provision allowing the club to share information about Dames with current players, club staff, and club ownership in connection with the organizational climate review, the agreement included no such exception for the NWSL and NWSLPA Joint Investigation. Another player said it was "tough" to report "racial allegations" as a Black woman because "it almost feels like you're having to convince someone that it actually happened." Holly then declined to speak to the Joint Investigative Team. 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." 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." Two players also reported they believed that if they complained about a problematic coach, they, and not the coach, would likely lose their jobs. 125, The N.W.S.L. According to Plush, as a result of his conversation with Lines, Riley called Plush and "accused [Plush] of trying to 'blackball [Riley] out of the league."" Players Lacked Clear Guidance Regarding What Constituted Misconduct .. . 2. And while the coaches offered some purported legitimate, non-retaliatory These factors do not constitute a bright-line test; 20, Farrelly briefly, and the players left the apartment. However, the Joint Investigative Team found no evidence that the letters were written or sent. They were also informed that players had come to Riley's apartment after drinking at a nearby bar and that an allegation was made that Riley had suggested two players kiss. 105, Soccer and the NWSL that the 2015 investigation did not reveal "unlawful harassment" but merely "poor judgment, and provided no explanation for this characterization, including how it squared with the contents of the report or the decision to fire Riley because his conduct violated multiple provisions of his employment agreement. 1. This includes harassment; sexual harassment; discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion, age, or any other protected status under federal, state, or local laws; bullying; sexual misconduct, including the use of coercion, force, intimidation, or certain power imbalances; emotional misconduct; physical misconduct; and retaliation. 6. 4. c) Meetings in Hotel Rooms Rarely so well behaved in my dreams." In those moments, she said she "just wanted to yell, 'Stop, they're not okay." In order to ensure the integrity of reporting channels, and to mitigate concerns regarding potential retaliation, the NWSL should require that separate individuals hold key leadership and management roles within clubs. Long did not indicate that she was concerned about potential retaliation against the players who spoke up at the meeting. Another player said Harrington made other comments about players' appearances and bodies, including their breasts. In November 2012, U.S. Soccer announced that it would manage a new women's professional soccer league, to begin play in 2013. . Those findings will remain confidential and the league will not comment further on individual club personnel matters.. She also played soccer through college at St. Ambrose U This appears to be in part due to uncertainty surrounding which entity or entities bore responsibility for developing policies of this nature. 25, advice of legal counsel. One player who was waived after the 2021 season had signed a multi-year contract extension with the club before the August meeting. The report's conclusion stated, "Whisler, as an owner, has demonstrated a commitment to continuous improvement of the player experience, as well as an intolerance for abusive and insensitive behaviors. At one point during the 2017 season, players held a meeting with coaching staff to address their concerns that Holly was dating Pearce Rampone. She later described feeling "powerless" and "scared to say no." The NWSLPA stated that it expected the League to cooperate with the NWSLPA's independent investigation. As a result, players felt they could not "risk going for dinner." From these conversations, the Courage said it understood that an investigation into Riley had been conducted and that Riley had exhibited poor judgment," the same language used in the Thorns's 2015 investigative report to describe Riley's conduct. One player reported that Dames had one-on-one dinners with players where he made comments about their appearances and dating lives. At least one player and a volunteer at the club corroborated that Holly treated Simon harshly. Witnesses reported during the 2020 NWSL investigation that Hansen described individuals as "colored" or "oriental" and used descriptors and references based on racial stereotypes, including calling Black players on an opposing team "African gazelles." However, the Joint Investigative Team found no evidence that they, or others at U.S. Soccer, shared information or ensured information was shared with the Flash regarding the 2015 allegations or investigative findings against Riley. The NWSLPA did not pursue collective bargaining at that time, and instead continued to focus on improving communication and addressing player concerns with the League.