Players also expressed concerns about the financial viability of their individual clubs. However, the joint investigative team indicated in the report that based on the totality of the evidence, misconduct did occur, notwithstanding these discrepancies, which are not described in any detail. Sometime after that incident, Shim asked Riley to maintain a strictly professional relationship with her. The Oversight Committee pledged to ensure that the investigation was independent, thorough, and objective. Riley and Holly were not the only club staff members reported to have made unwanted sexual advances toward players. Sexual misconduct, as used in this Report, is a broad term intended to encompass a range of conduct, including conduct that could be described as sexual assault, sexual abuse, and sexual harassment. Unwanted Sexual Advances Toward Players
The NWSL should continue requiring these background checks and should expand the background check requirement to all prospective club employees and volunteers who may interact with players and travel with the team, including medical staff, massage therapists, equipment managers, volunteer coaches, and volunteer trainers. The summary continued, "This was not a widely-held concern [and was not] identified as a significant concern." One interviewee reported that some clubs that had HR departments historically [could not] use them because of the single-entity structure [of the NWSL]." Inquiry Finds Widespread Misconduct In Women's Pro Soccer She felt that he had been grooming her and identified his conduct as abusive. Behavior
Consider Developing a Plan to Conduct Exit Interviews of Departing Players
The Spirit suspended Burke pending an investigation initiated shortly after the Washington Post article was published, and the club fired him on September 28, 2021, following the completion of that investigation. Paulson told the Joint Investigative Team that Garcia and an attorney presented the report to Thorns leadership. The report found that Riley had (i) violated instructions by Wilkinson not to socialize with players "when alcohol was involved; (ii) engaged in inappropriate and unprofessional behavior and exercised poor judgment by sending inappropriate text messages, not establishing and maintaining appropriate professional boundaries, inviting players to his apartment, serving alcohol to players, dancing with a player and touching her while doing so, inviting a player to his hotel room, having one-on-one dinners (and involving alcohol), having one-on-one game film sessions in his apartment, and failing to notify his supervisor of the July 5 email; and (iii) likely violated his employment contract by doing so. Leadership at the Thorns had knowledge of misconduct by Paul Riley, including his drinking alcohol with players and reported mistreatment of players, even before Mana Shim made a formal complaint in September 2015 of sexual misconduct by Riley. According to the report, one player recalled that players "felt forced to attend" social interactions with Dames, and if they did not, he "wouldn't look at [them] the next day at practice." b) Non-Contact Physical Behavior
Farrelly also emailed Baird and the NWSL HR Office email address in April 2021 setting forth serious allegations against Riley, including that she had experienced inappropriate conduct by Riley in addition to what she reported during the Thorns's 2015 investigation. A third player reported that Riley called players "fucking idiots" while at the Courage, and another player recalled Riley calling an injured player "the clumsiest fucking player I've ever coached." As described in detail below, the Joint Investigative Team contacted and interviewed stakeholders representing a variety of perspectives, including current and former players, coaches and other club staff, NWSL employees and officials, U.S. Soccer officials, NWSLPA and U.S. Women's National Team Players Association (USWNTPA) leadership, and other members of the professional soccer community. The latest investigation ("the joint investigation") acknowledges and reiterates the Yates report's detailing of misconduct by former Portland Thorns, Western New York Flash and North Carolina Courage coach Paul Riley; former Washington Spirit coach Richie Burke; and former Sky Blue FC and Racing Louisville coach Christy Holly. 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. These updates were provided under a common interest agreement, which restricted Levine's ability to share what she learned in those conversations. Two players expressed the concern that speaking out about issues of race could jeopardize a player's
For example, coaches often must raise their voices to be heard across a field. 67, players" or "belittling players about their body image or weight" may constitute emotional misconduct.
I had no avenue to communicate with the League, or whatever that even meant. Joint Investigation Reveals Why Alyse LaHue Was Fired from Gotham FC She also stated that Benstiti "was always commenting on food and women and their weight.
reliably disseminated to relevant stakeholders. Offensive and Insensitive Behavior Related to Sexual Orientation
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. Gorden observed that white players, on the other hand, had been speaking closely with their families in the stands, and she felt targeted. Garcia emailed Shim, stating that although Garcia "did not conclude that unlawful harassment had occurred," she concluded that policy violations had taken place. 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. As Equalizer has reported, the highly-anticipated report contained detailed findings of an investigation into numerous allegations of misconduct across the league. 81, After the end of the 2021 season, when the Current finished in last place in the League, Williams was relieved of his coaching duties, and he moved to a scouting role at the Current. 118
In fact, an attorney from the law firm retained by the Thorns informed Levine that there were suggestions in [Shims] interview [with Garcia] that Paul Riley's relationship [with Farrelly] was more extensive than [Shim's]/Riley's." In addition to their many concerns about Dames, players told U.S. Soccer's investigator they felt the club's owner, Arnim Whisler, was insensitive and unresponsive to their concerns about Dames."
Gulati further noted that it was his understanding that U.S. Soccer could not impose discipline on Dames, and that, in his view, U.S. Soccer had "no ability to discipline coaches as manager or as the governing body."
One player described being screamed at by Burke during a game until she began hiding behind the other team because [she] was so scared of touching the ball." Train NWSL and Club Staff in Complaint Handling and TraumaInformed Investigation Best Practices
Markgraf also told the Joint Investigative Team that a player subsequently warned Markgraf not to hire Riley and left Markgraf with the impression that Riley was a "bad guy.
Plush stated that he did not share additional information because the investigation was ongoing at the time. Disseminate Annual Reports to Players Regarding the Effectiveness of the NWSL's Reporting Channels and Investigation Processes
Players reported the coaching staff physically turned their backs on the player while she was experiencing a panic attack and did not follow up with this player afterward to ask how she was doing. This league, eventually named the National Women's Soccer League, began play in April 2013. 32, and that for this reason, Riley would be disqualified from consideration. to discount the impact of his behaviors." A player who said that she liked Dames acknowledged that he would not make the blunt crazy comments" to her that he made to others. ..13
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. It [did not] matter what kind of abuse and toxicity they [were] creating. 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. A. The team, including the head coach, later engaged in conversations regarding creating a safe workplace for players. Second NWSL abuse report covers Clarkson, LaHue, Pauw, Riley Malik later called her back and stated there had apparently been an incident involving two players kissing in front of Riley. ", - Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, more (U.S.). Holly also verbally abused players and retaliated against those who raised complaints about him. In response to her request, Courage Assistant General Manager Bobby Hammond conveyed to Kurtz or her agent that the club was unable to find a trade for her, but that it could increase her salary by a "few thousand dollars." Second, the Joint Investigative Team found no support for the Thorns's independent assertion that the 2015 investigation did not reveal any "unlawful harassment by Riley, an assertion which seemed to have emerged just after the 2015 Thorns Investigation. Third, Thorns leadership, U.S. Soccer, and the NWSL were not transparent with other NWSL clubs regarding the allegations and findings against Riley in the 2015 Thorns Investigation. Each of these issues could potentially require their own mini-review to sort out the conflicting versions of events. In response to Shim's email, Riley texted Shim asking to meet, and the two corresponded about meeting but ultimately did not meet. It's across the League. We may eventually find out what happened to LaHue and we may not. Malik reported that he told Cone that there were no concerns with Riley on the Courage, but that Malik understood there had been issues involving Riley in the past, and he and Cone discussed Riley drinking alcohol with players in 2015. Develop and Enforce Guidelines Addressing Appropriate Interactions Between Club Staff and Players
However, the extent to which clubs actually spoke to former owners, general managers, staff, or players who had worked with a coach varied drastically. The same day, on August 15, 2019, Duffy forwarded the Thorns's attorney's 2015 email, along with the Thorns's investigative report and its supporting attachments, to then-U.S. Soccer Chief Legal Officer Lydia Wahlke.
1. a) Perceptions of Bias and Cronyism
Another player recalled being hesitant to participate in prior investigations out of fear that her participation could be traced back to her and shared with club owners, the coach, or others. (1)
The statement said LaHue was first contacted by this investigation in August, and did not get an interview until only after she made several requests for one. NWSL, NWSLPA joint investigation finds 'widespread misconduct' Clarkson was suspended in April amid an ongoing investigation, but until Wednesday, no reasons were provided publicly. In keeping with the Joint Investigative Team's commitment to take a trauma-informed, survivorcentered approach, the Joint Investigative Team did not pressure any current or former player to participate in the investigation. The club immediately terminated the staff member for violating club policy. 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. coach, and Alyse LaHue, the former general manager of Gotham F.C., each received two-year suspensions from the league. (iii) disruption of the team environment. The League and Clubs Failed to Take Adequate Steps to Protect Players in Hiring and Filling Positions
Alyse LaHue, former vice president and general manager of NJ/NY Gotham FC (formerly Sky Blue FC), allegedly made unwanted sexual advances towards a player according to the joint investigative report released by the National Womens Soccer League and the NWSL Players Association on Wednesday. Against this backdrop, some players reported misconduct anonymously through player surveys conducted by the NWSL. There's no one. 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. Players suggested that this relationship led to favoritism and improper information-sharing. Gotham FC cooperated in all respects with the NWSL investigation. 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. Despite these recurrent issues, Whisler told the investigator that he believed that Dames had improved in his demeanor, mindset, and patience during his years as head coach and that Dames would not "be hard on someone unless he [thought] they [had] it within them to rise up." In other instances, players were told they could raise concerns to club management or ownership but feared doing so due to close relationships between coaching staff and club management, or because their coach also served as general manager. The complainant explained that one night, Riley told two players that the team would not have to do fitness drills if they kissed.
The NWSL and NWSLPA authorized the Report's release, in its entirety, to the NWSL community and the public. Strengthen Anti-Harassment Policies ..
She recalled feeling like she was being punished by them for her mental health struggles and for choosing to be home with her family during that time. Consider Establishing Guidelines Regarding Socializing Between Players and Individuals with Supervisory Authority
When the NWSL kicked off its fourth season in 2016, it became the first professional women's league in the United States to play more than three seasons. 114, staff and players to identify conditions and circumstances for socializing that prioritize player safety and respect for boundaries. Multiple players reported that there was an overlap between these players and those who had been vocal at the meeting. Post author: Post published: junho 10, 2022 Post category: the gridlessness family Post comments: eyal lalo net worth eyal lalo net worth
E.
One of these players said that the dual head coachgeneral manager role was "a nightmare." 31, [U.S. Soccer] are aware of the issues because they were raised when he was at the Thorns." Two prior leagues have." The staff member and player then moved to a second club, where they continued their relationship. Riley told her he would do whatever he could do for her, adding, "You know I love you."
While many clubs properly submitted candidates for the required vetting once these processes were in place, on at least two occasions, clubs hired player-facing staff and allowed them to begin working before they were cleared by the NWSL.
These dynamics have been apparent in the League and beyond. Documents Collected and Reviewed
As the report states, there is a clear lack of guidance provided to players regarding what constitutes misconduct. F. Naming Criteria
In addition, the Joint Investigative Team coordinated with the USSF Investigation team where appropriate for certain interviews or other fact gathering.
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. He told Kurtz, I hope you know I'm doing this because I love you." For the player, the offer "was weird" and not appropriate." Riley also would tell players that he wanted "to see two women kiss," and made other statements that one player described as "homophobic." The 2022 Anti-Harassment Policy defines emotional misconduct as deliberate, noncontact behavior that has the potential to cause emotional or psychological harm to another person," including verbal, physical, or other acts that deny attention or support to or degrade, insult, sabotage, humiliate, belittle, berate, and/or single out, ignore, or reject an individual. In certain circumstances, NWSL personnel maliciously threatening to waive, bench, or trade
Another club staff member felt that Holly lost trust in the locker room" because of his romantic relationship. Many players across the NWSL said they did not know how to elevate concerns about club staff, including coaches, within their clubs or to the NWSL.