Until 2021, the NWSL did not have a formal policy prohibiting harassment. Its low operating budget, a response to the overspending of WUSA, left WPS to run on thin margins. Players described numerous instances of club leaders engaging in sexual misconduct, including making unwanted sexual advances toward players and making inappropriate sexual remarks to players. Previously, Alyse spend five years as the GM of the Chicago Red Stars. a) Unconstructive, Personal, or Threatening Verbal Misconduct One assistant coach recalled another coach making comments about players' weight and once telling a player at a restaurant, You can't eat this. ." Clarkson's comment left the player crying and visibly upset. Temares did not recall Novo coming to him with this question and rather remembered being surprised because he heard about Holly's departure after the fact. . Players recounted instances in which Harrington made sexual comments to and about players. A GM actively pursuing a relationship with a player is not the same as an athletic trainer who was already married to a player joining the team. LaHue is supportive of the ongoing reforms that are taking place in the NWSL, it said in part. Another child, tween, teen and beyond will know the world is better when it's . The calendar crisis explained. Burke also engaged in multiple instances of conduct that included stereotyping and jokes about Jewish people. 7. 28, Investigative Team that he surmised that U.S. Soccer and the NWSL received legal advice from Levine that there was nothing they could formally do to stop Riley from coaching elsewhere in the NWSL. This prevented the Joint Investigative Team from timely gathering documents and information relevant to the investigation, and substantially delayed important parts of this investigation. Insufficient Understanding of the Respective Roles of U.S. Soccer, the League, and Clubs in Investigating Misconduct The NWSL should train all League and club staff designated to receive complaints and other club leaders, including coaches, on how to respond to complaints of misconduct and on investigative best practices. This league, eventually named the National Women's Soccer League, began play in April 2013. 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. 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. The evidence shows that LaHue then followed up with, "You were going to get a massage, I didn't see it. In at least one instance, a former player declined to participate in a prior investigation due to this fear. Although the Thorns conducted an investigation in 2015 that led to Riley's termination, the Thorns publicly announced only that Riley was not being retained, with no explanation as to why. coach, and Alyse LaHue, the former general manager of Gotham F.C., each received two-year suspensions from the league. The report's conclusion stated, Dames has unpredictable behavior, singles out certain players for constant criticism, and yells excessively. The training should be engaging and interactive. She said he told her, "Let's meet and talk," and, "If you're up really late, you can come talk to me." In the 2022 Anti-Harassment Policy, the NWSL made several efforts to increase the number of reporting channels across all clubs: First, the 2022 Anti-Harassment Policy lists several channels that facilitate the reporting of misconduct directly to the NWSL, including contacting the NWSL HR Office and texting or calling an anonymous RealResponse hotline. 113, players and those in supervisory roles over players is strictly prohibited, even if the relationship is consensual. While coaches and staff may appropriately discuss professional players' fitness in the context of players' performance, coaches often made comments that did not address performance, but rather were focused on appearance or other arbitrary criteria. Simon recalled being excited to play for Racing Louisville but also "terrified" because of Holly's past behavior toward her. He also sent friendly emails to Lines, sometimes copying Riley or favorably discussing Riley; in one email, Paulson wrote to Lines, "Happy to see [the Flash] and Paul doing so well!!" Players also recalled that Dames would threaten to shred a player's contract or kick them off the team or out of practice if they made a mistake. Shim believed Riley would try to pressure her to have sex with him during the trip, so she made sure she was never alone with him. Harrington responded that he reviewed his phone records, but he could not verify how the player contacted him. It has been a tumultuous season in the NWSL on the player advocacy front. According to an external review conducted by the Red Stars in 2021, players described Dames "as 'condescending', manipulative', 'aggressive', 'insulting', [and] an intimidator."" However, Plush observed, Looking back, it is clear to me that no matter how many conversations I had with [the Flash] . When Riley was head coach of the Thorns, after a night out drinking alcohol with Thorns players, Riley brought Shim and Farrelly to his apartment, made additional alcohol available, tried to grind" against Shim, and told Farrelly and Shim that if they kissed each other, the team would not have to run an intensive fitness drill that week. But the handling of this situation from all parties, and the future of a club suddenly back in a state of chaos, are worth exploring. After WPS collapsed in 2012, U.S. Soccer, the official governing body of soccer in the United States, convened representatives from various semi-professional leagues to discuss the future of women's professional soccer in the United States. First, the Joint Investigative Team found that the 2015 Thorns Investigation was inadequate in key ways. At Racing Louisville, for example, Holly lived in the same apartment complex as Simon and other players, one of whom described this arrangement as "weird." The Joint Investigative Team also reviewed emails, text messages, and other documents, including materials that were not reviewed during the 2015 Thorns Investigation. 6 Trainings should also encourage players and staff to report bullying, harassment, discrimination, racist behavior, or other misconduct they experience or observe. In 2022, in consultation with the NWSLPA, the NWSL replaced the 2021 AntiHarassment Policy with the Policy to Prevent Workplace Discrimination, Harassment, and Bullying (the "2022 Anti-Harassment Policy"). When LaHue was named GM in April, her first big goal was to re-establish a relationship with the fanbase, which had been very vocal about ousting former Sky Blue president and GM, Tony Novo. Multiple players described outsized, angry reactions to innocuous questions or requests. U.S. Soccer Chief Legal Officer Lydia Wahlke directed the USSF Dames Investigation, asking the NWSL to stand down even though she believed U.S. Soccer did not have the authority to take action against Dames. Former coach Christy Holly is permanently banned from the league, and former general manager Alyse LaHue faces a two-year suspension with future employment in the league conditional. Furthermore, the investigation was not conducted in a trauma-informed manner, as is standard for such an investigation. In particular, the Joint Investigative Team did not receive a copy of Dames's separation agreement from the Red Stars until the end of this investigation, after the publication of the USSF Report. 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. 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. Gotham's policy contained a provision stating that [e]mployees who witness offensive behavior in the workplace-whether directed at them or another employee-are encouraged, though not required, to immediately address it with the employee whose behavior they found offensive." Eight different ownership groups and 15 individuals -- including some from the NWSL and U.S. Soccer -- come under detailed scrutiny in the latest report. Coaches and Club Staff One player reported that Williams stopped communicating with her, would ignore her when greeting other players, and made efforts to avoid her. That survey still contained questions about the prior topics, but also included more detailed questions about the NWSL, including player satisfaction with the contract and trade processes. However, it is far from the only misconduct experienced by players. A player on another team remembered her coach saying to a teammate, in front of others, "I could take away your contract like that." When asked about his comment, Burke claimed that he was not making light of the incident, but rather that he was upset about it. At the same time, the Thorns claimed legal privilege over the very information that would be responsive to such inquiries, creating barriers for the NWSL and U.S. Soccer to disclose what the investigation revealed about Riley's misconduct. As late as December 2021, the majority of clubs still did not have dedicated HR staff tasked with receiving or investigating reports concerning misconduct. Harrington denied making these comments, and he stated that he never made comments about players' physical attractiveness and never "sexualized" players. Hammond acknowledged that he did not follow up with Kurtz after the call to share any steps that were being taken or to see if there had been any improvement in Riley's behavior. In the course of the investigation, the Joint Investigative Team investigated not only historical misconduct by coaches and other club staff, but also ongoing concerns of misconduct raised by players and staff regarding current player-facing personnel in the NWSL, including concerns that were raised for the first time after the investigation commenced. Lisa Levine (U.S. Soccer, General Counsel, 2009-2017; NWSL, General Counsel, 2017-2021) 84, stepping down from his position as the Spirit's head coach, the club first announced he would be reassigned to the club's front office. Baird ultimately replied that Shim's 2015 complaint was "investigated to conclusion" and that she was "not at liberty to share any more with Shim. O'Connor responded, Confidentiality in our culture suggests it is an issue which is either illegal or immoral," and the players responded that it did not fall into those categories. Courage owner Steve Malik said when he learned of a complaint that Riley made inappropriate weightrelated comments, he did not follow up with the player; instead, he presumed the League would respond to [the] complaint" because he was told the complaint went to the League. 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. Players and Thorns staff described the assistants as Riley's "yes-men" and recalled that they would not speak against Riley. However, in a June 14, 2018 email, Wahlke informed Flynn and then-U.S. Soccer Chief Commercial Officer Jay Berhalter that she had "expressly taken [the investigation] over from [the NWSL]" because it overlapped with U.S. Soccer's ongoing review. When U.S. Soccer did respond to the Joint Investigative Team's requests, it produced limited documentation and refused the Joint Investigative Team's request to identify the documents withheld. The New Jersey-based club wanted to recognize its growing reach across the region. The 2022 Collective Bargaining Agreement retained the waiver system, but provided four weeks of severance pay for waived players. Burke screamed and cursed at players, even when those players were crying and visibly emotional. The NWSL should consider engaging with the Black Women's Player Collective and players from other historically marginalized groups to understand how microaggressions or racist, antisemitic, homophobic, and other derogatory language may manifest in the NWSL environment and how the policy may be updated to address such issues. Levine's explanation for her response to these emails was that she was focused on language in the emails regarding how the NWSL would respond to Shim's initial 2015 complaint-despite indicia in the emails that Shim and Farrelly were dissatisfied with the NWSL's response to Shim's 2015 complaint and despite Farrelly having provided additional pertinent information in her email. Another player also stated that the training environment was dangerous and that there was a lack of proper coaching. From simultaneous kickoffs to end the regular season, to relegating the Challenge Cup to On Monday, NJ/NY Gotham FC released their highly anticipated preseason roster. 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. However, these surveys were not specifically intended to capture this information, and in multiple instances, the NWSL and U.S. Soccer failed to investigate or address comments from player surveys stating that club staff engaged in misconduct. One former player differentiated between raised voices in different locations: the player opined, "If you're working in an office cubicle, no one will scream at you for your terrible touch, but that might be needed on the field." In another instance, according to the report summary, the investigator determined that "players provided very little detail about specific, inappropriate comments made by Dames about their personal appearance." A lack of clarity in the roles played by the NWSL and clubs in receiving and responding to complaints of misconduct has contributed to confusion about reporting channels. Players reported in the USSF Dames Investigation that the dinners were inappropriate, in part because Dames's open favoritism had a negative impact on the team dynamic. 21, not done with other deleted emails. In late June 2015, Riley encouraged players to attend a Women's World Cup match in Vancouver. Alyse LaHue, General Manager of the NJ/NY Gotham FC Women's Football Team Lisa Ferkul, Director of Hockey Sponsorship at Scotiabank Andrew Sutherland, Vice President of Marketing, Creative and Original Content at Sportsnet What were the takeaways? As the report states, there is a clear lack of guidance provided to players regarding what constitutes misconduct. The NWSL should not rely on clubs to voluntarily share this information with other clubs. As described below, individuals from U.S. Soccer, including General Counsel Lisa Levine, her successor Chief Legal Officer Lydia Wahlke, President Sunil Gulati, and CEO Dan Flynn, failed on numerous occasions to disclose what they knew about Riley's misconduct to other NWSL clubs that hired him. Multiple individuals confirmed that Benstiti addressed the players to criticize their diets and weight. She said she decided to hold the report open while U.S. Soccer and the NWSL negotiated the relationship that U.S. Soccer would have with the League going forward. Inattentiveness, neglect, and concealment allow misconduct to fester.. At the same time, 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. She later described feeling "powerless" and "scared to say no." face allegations of misconduct. The failure to fully share information between stakeholders in women's soccer was also an issue during the USSF Dames Investigation. The club then released a statement that did not disclose the reason for Benstiti's departure. Holly also asked Simon to send him suggestive pictures of herself, including a request for a picture of her in his boxers. At the second club, the relationship between the staff member and the player allowed rumors to pass between management, staff, and players. Simon said she told Holly that now that he was her boss, he would have to stop the inappropriate behavior, and he replied that he had until January 1, because that was when her contract started. Predmore responded that the club's "primary objective was "to remove [Benstiti] from the role as quickly as possible" and the question of resignation or termination was an important, but secondary concern." According to this player, in her experience, the film sessions were professional rather than social; players would go to Riley's hotel room to review film, and then leave. Players shared with former Sky Blue President and General Manager Tony Novo This may encompass disputes between players, or disputes between players and club staff. In addition to the lack of information at Sky Blue, NWSL personnel did not have a clear understanding of why Holly left Sky Blue. 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." A volunteer who interacted with players at Racing Louisville, when asked whether she considered reporting Christy Holly's misconduct to SafeSport, said, No, and that's a great point. When asked if he recalled coaches and players ever going to strip clubs together, Harrington recalled one instance after a game where staff and players went to a strip club together. Compounding this effect, the League lacked trainings, policies, and other resources on harassment, abuse, and other forms of misconduct. (iii) disruption of the team environment. 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. Despite having knowledge of Holly's relationship with Pearce Rampone, and of its negative impact on players at Sky Blue, no one at the club spoke to former Sky Blue players to ask for their perspective on Holly. A player told the Joint Investigative Team that the club first attempted to fix the social media post without acknowledging the error or reaching out to the player, and only later issued an apology after Baucom posted about the error on Twitter. 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 League should require that any non-disclosure or non-disparagement provisions allow the League and clubs to share information consistent with disclosure requirements set forth in the AntiHarassment Policy and any other requirements that may be implemented to promote transparency and player safety. On one occasion, when she informed LaHue that other players had asked why LaHue was "so mean to her, LaHue responded, Tell them kids at the playground always pick on their crush." . .3 Lydia Wahlke (U.S. Soccer, Chief Legal Officer, 2017-2020) Benstiti was the head coach of PSG from 2012 to 2016. One player identified by Cromwell and Greene as having been involved in the March 2022 investigation was informed that the club was either waiving her or buying out her contract. a) Dames's Misconduct at the Chicago Red Stars Simon described her fear that reporting Holly's misconduct could destroy her career after he insinuated to her that he had orchestrated her youth national team call-up; she recalled thinking, He could ruin me." In June 2021, Benstiti gave a team speech in which he criticized players' diets, despite being told not to do so, in a manner that multiple players found inappropriate. In September 2014, U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati was made aware of a complaint by Christen Press that Dames created a toxic environment at the Red Stars, but did not prompt U.S. Soccer to act in response to the complaint. It is hard to overstate how much the conversation has changed around Sky Blue FC in less than a year, with Tammy Murphy taking on a lead role on behalf of ownership, and Alyse LaHue serving as. This one is the result of a joint investigation by the league, the union, and law firms each entity hired that started October of last year, after The Athletic published detailed allegations against former Philadelphia Independence, Portland Thorns, and North Carolina Courage manager Paul Riley. U.S. Soccer, as governing body and NWSL manager, failed to ban coaches and staff who resigned or were fired because of misconduct, or to apprise the League and club owners of such misconduct, which allowed these individuals to move to other clubs within the NWSL. 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. Shim told the Joint Investigative Team she cried when Riley joined the Flash; she said she never wanted to see Riley again, and she was concerned for other players. Riley continued his inappropriate conduct (both sexual and non-sexual) towards players while coaching for the Courage. 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. Reports of Retaliation for Complaints of Misconduct Since the Joint Investigative Team began its work, the NWSL has increased efforts to eradicate misconduct, embraced greater accountability, and experienced a cultural shift regarding behaviors that are no longer tolerated. It's not just this team. The close timing between the investigation and the proposed player transactions, efforts by the coaches to discourage reporting and reward apologies for participation in the investigation, exclusion of the players suspected of supporting allegations against the coaches from a team-building activity, and comments the coaches made about these players being "negative" and not "bought in" together indicate that the coaches' actions against the players at issue were motivated, at least in part, by retaliatory reasons. This is inconsistent with the final USSF Dames Report issued in September 2019, which stated that Dames was still "unpredictable," and that he was continuing to target specific players "for constant criticism" and yelling excessively. Hendrix recalled Holly would get mad if Simon did not respond to his messages. These player survey results had already been shared with Dan Flynn and Sunil Gulati at U.S. Soccer. Following public reporting about Hansen's statements, the NWSL conducted an investigation and pushed Hansen to sell the club. Williams, who was not at the meeting, reported being told by the Longs and a staff member that players were not happy because the team was not doing well. 89, Racing Louisville's management said that when the club notified the League that it finished its investigation into former Head Coach Christy Holly, Baird told the club to pause so the League could investigate. The Joint Investigative Team distributed this contact information via email to all current and former players for whom the Joint Investigative Team could identify an email address. Players, fans, and the public reacted with outrage. The Joint Investigative Team spoke to multiple current and former players from the Red Stars, ranging from Dames's first season in the NWSL to his last. New subjects include details on why former Gotham FC general manager Alyse LaHue was fired in July of last year. The report indicates that others at Gotham perceived LaHue to give the unnamed player preferential treatment and that there had always been a high interest and attention by LaHue towards this player. One owner said, "I came on as a passive investor. We discussed them at length in his interview." Based on his conduct, she assumed he was leaving the Red Stars and was surprised when he returned the next season. One of the players interviewed by Garcia by telephone told the Joint Investigative Team that her conversation with Garcia involved general questions, and she was given no indication that the conversation was part of an investigation. E. Reports of Misconduct in 2020 and 2021 Each individual was invited to speak with the Joint Investigative Team. After his hire, OL Reign CEO Bill Predmore told Benstiti he was not allowed to discuss diet or weight with players. Only two clubs' employee handbooks-the Spirit's and Gotham's-referenced the NWSL Anti-Harassment Policy. . After experiencing weight-shaming by Pauw and Riley, witnesses reported that players developed eating disorders and sought mental health treatment. Some of the club policies stated that managers who receive complaints should elevate those complaints to the club HR department, but they mentioned nothing of the requirement that the NWSL HR Office be notified. . One evening, he persuaded her to have dinner at an Italian restaurant in Portland. Club policies should also inform individuals of the reporting channels listed in the NWSL Anti-Harassment Policy and should remind club staff of their obligation to report potential policy violations to the NWSL HR Office or NWSL General Counsel. The investigation was conducted in a trauma-informed, survivor-centered manner, respecting the empowerment, autonomy, and physical and mental wellbeing of any individual impacted by inappropriate conduct. Player Reports of Misconduct During the USSF Dames Investigation Under the 2022 Anti-Harassment Policy, the League "prohibits reprisal or retaliation against anyone for engaging in the following Protected Activity: filing a good faith report under this Policy; supporting or assisting, in good faith, someone else in pursuing a report or in an investigation; objecting to misconduct; or filing, testifying, assisting or participating in any manner in any investigation, proceeding or hearing conducted by a governmental enforcement agency." The latest report also focuses on racism and microaggressions in a way that the Yates report did not. The NWSL should regularly remind club staff of their obligation to elevate information regarding misconduct to the NWSL HR Office or NWSL General Counsel. During the 2021 season, however, a series of news reports exposed multiple examples of interpersonal misconduct going back years by coaches and other club staff towards players in the NWSL. She recalled that her interview for the role was conducted at U.S. Soccer, by U.S. Soccer employees. 1. Some players and staff (other than Cromwell and Greene) were left with the incorrect understanding that none of the allegations had been substantiated, that no remedial actions were taken to address Cromwell's and Greene's behavior, and that the club was standing by the coaches. Over time, players' lack of trust in Holly led to a divide between Holly, Pearce Rampone, and the majority of the team. Players from marginalized backgrounds, or with the least job security, were often targets of misconduct.". 2. Players were frequently reminded of the fragility and financial instability of the League. The NWSL and U.S. Soccer in multiple instances did not investigate or address comments from player surveys stating that club staff engaged in misconduct. According to the staff member, Predmore said the Benstiti weight-shaming issue was a cultural thing and that he "worked on it." Several coaches routinely relied on derogatory language and name-calling to shame or criticize players. Kurtz said her biggest fear was being considered a "troublemaker" for reporting misconduct, but she feels now that "players who come forward will be protected." Similarly, the League had no process for clubs to speak to former owners, general managers, staff, or players when hiring a new coach.
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