Hendrix, who knew about the abuse, also stated she and Simon did not report to the club's HR, because they did not realize that's the person you would talk to about sexual abuse," and they did not know the HR employee well enough to feel comfortable talking to her about the abuse. The Joint Investigative Team received evidence that LaHue texted the player, "You were in my dream last night. Limitations and Challenges The report indicates that LaHues counsel described the allegations as false claims., The report explains that the Joint Investigative Team found discrepancies in versions of an email exchange involving LaHue that was part of the file from the initial investigation done by the league in 2021. As U.S. Soccer General Counsel, Lisa Levine received Shim's September 2015 email containing allegations against Riley on the same day Shim sent the complaint, and Levine received updates about the Thorns's 2015 investigation regarding Riley from the outside counsel hired by the Thorns. 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. She remembered that Holly "verbally attacked players, and his behavior was "just different" than it had been in 2016. 85, In contrast, the NWSL's 2021 Anti-Harassment Policy prohibited certain forms of misconduct even if the conduct was not unlawful. Riley had a long and successful coaching career when he joined the Thorns in 2014, having held several head coach positions and having been named coach of the year in two soccer leagues. manipulate them."" 1. In January 2020, Simon left West Ham and signed with the Dash. . Whisler recalled that the club worked to get the severance agreement "done by midnight" on November 21, and he signed the agreement that night. Several individuals separately confirmed Benstiti was explicitly told he could not discuss weight or food with the players. Months before that, in July 2017, Whisler had also texted Dames that he was "trying to think of a buyer" who would purchase both the Red Stars and Eclipse. Gotham's handbook stated that the club "will also adhere to National Women's Soccer League's Anti-Harassment Policy." The previous investigation into misconduct allegations was conducted by outside counsel for the Pride in March 2022 (the March Investigation). Riley also engaged in other inappropriate behavior during his tenure on the Thorns, and he surrounded himself with staff members who were not likely to speak out against him. One club employee recalled that Riley often made comments about lesbian players, including that players dating women negatively impacted their playing performance and their commitment to the team. Third, Dames made personal insults, and the summary stated, these comments in a professional environment are concerning." Johnson reported The NWSL and NWSLPA authorized the Report's release, in its entirety, to the NWSL community and the public. Baird, working from language drafted by Levine, ultimately replied that Shim's 2015 complaint had been investigated to conclusion." The report states, Multiple individuals emphasized the critical insight that can be gained by speaking with persons knowledgeable about the candidate.. The NWSL should also develop standards for evaluating an applicant's fitness for the position based on the results of reputational checks. Some coaches and staff staunchly defended certain conduct as "tough coaching," demanding, or directness, even when players found the conduct emotionally abusive. as leverage to manipulate players. One player recalled that at Dames's suggestion, she spent more time socializing with players identified as Dames's favorites. One player explained that it took her several years to realize that Riley's treatment of players on the Courage was manipulative, and that other coaches don't treat people this way." Those discussions should be focused on how to improve the player's performance and should not include any jokes, insults, or other unconstructive comments about players' weight, appearance, or eating habits. 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. ", Among the specific incidents detailed about Clarkson was a 2022 preseason trip to Mexico. According to one former Sky Blue player, Holly told a player in the weight room that when he saw her squat, he wanted to grab her ass. He also asked this player if she preferred boxers or briefs. She added that it was possible her performance had in fact decreased because she was not comfortable with the situation. Provide Mandatory Anti-Racism and Unconscious Bias Training A majority of players expressed the view that Clarkson's treatment of players did not rise to the level of abuse or misconduct, though some of them took issue with some of Clarkson's conduct or aspects of his coaching style. 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. Alyse LaHue on Twitter Gulati acknowledged that he had read the memorandum in advance of a meeting with players, including Press, on September 17, 2014, but said that he did not remember any specifics about the meeting, including whether Dames's conduct was discussed. Morgan and NWSLPA President Tori Huster also spoke on the phone with Baird and Levine about the issue. Investigators determined that LaHue's interactions with the player constituted misconduct. Shim also forwarded the complaint to then-NWSL Commissioner Jeff Plush. Representatives appointed by each of the 12 NWSL club owners comprise the League's Board of Governors, which acts on behalf of the League. When asked about this conversation, Whisler acknowledged that it was a clear attempt at retaliation," and said that he told Dames that was not an appropriate reason for the trade. "A reopening of the 2015 investigation regarding former NWSL coach Paul Riley, including a review of the circumstances surrounding his departure from the Portland Thorns FC, and his subsequent hiring by Western New York Flash and the North Carolina Courage." While the NWSL investigation was ongoing, Dash Head Coach James Clarkson-during a team meeting prior to completion of the investigation-wrote phone numbers for stadium security on a board and asked players to call and apologize for their conduct. Multiple players and club staff reported that in 2017, while Holly was head coach of Sky Blue, he began dating Pearce Rampone. Historically, clubs have not always conducted background checks on coaches and other club staff before hiring them. The Courage never received a copy of the report or learned the full findings, which also discussed Riley's other serious misconduct. Provide Written Guidance to Coaches and Other Club Staff Stating That It Is Inappropriate to Make Degrading Comments or Jokes About a Player's Weight He asked her what she was eating, told her she looked chubby, and told her she would need to lose 14 pounds before the game to keep her starting role, telling her, "I hope you know I'm doing this because I love you." Consistent with the CBA, the NWSL should require coaches to adhere to medical staff's decisions for a player to train, play, or return to play. 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." Founded in 2012, the National Women's Soccer League (the "NWSL" or the "League) has enjoyed success as the longest-running professional women's soccer league in U.S. history. Misconduct in the League is not wholly independent from abuse that begins in youth soccer, where many coaches and players formative experiences shaped the way they engaged in, or reacted to, misconduct and abuse in the NWSL.. NWSL investigation discovers 'widespread misconduct' in 'vast majority Ultimately, decisions about whether to share information about misconduct was left to the individual's discretion. Since U.S. Soccer did not adequately disseminate the findings to the NWSL, the NWSL did not take any disciplinary or corrective action toward Dames. The NWSL should update the 2022 Anti-Harassment Policy to explicitly address microaggressions and racist, antisemitic, homophobic, and other derogatory language. Holly then declined to speak to the Joint Investigative Team. 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." 37, harshly criticized Kurtz's weight. 8. On October 4, 2022, in response to the USSF Report, Paulson publicly stated that he, Wilkinson, and Golub were removing themselves from all Thorns-related decision-making until the Joint Investigative Team's investigative findings were released. After players reported concerns about Huw Williams's behavior around players, he was removed from his coaching role and moved into a scouting and player identification role. Gorden said that she and her boyfriend were racially profiled, prompting a league investigation at the time. Riley grabbed Shim, pulled her back against him, and tried to grind against her. 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. Even when these meetings were strictly professional, players expressed discomfort with meeting coaches in their hotel rooms. Multiple players told the Joint Investigative Team that they felt disconnected from the NWSL or did not know who at the NWSL to contact if they experienced misconduct. 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." . Dames responded, [S]he was one of the 2 in consideration prior to any of this crap going on per our text last night. The League's Unstable History and Players' Fear of Collapse One player explained that Holly demoted her to training with reserve players. After the group returned to the hotel, Harrington came upstairs to two players' hotel room. That same day, the NWSLPA issued an expanded list of demands, including that (i) every coach, manager, and owner take part in an investigation into abuse; (ii) the scope of the NWSL's investigation be expanded to include every club; (iii) the scope be expanded to include League administration; (iv) the League implement a "Step Back Protocol, to require individuals in a position of power to be suspended in some circumstances when a person being investigated for abuse had been working under them; (v) the League release the details of internal reports into abuse; (vi) the NWSL disclose findings, conclusions and reports in connection with the NWSL's investigation to the NWSLPA; (vii) the NWSL cooperate with the NWSLPA; and (viii) the NWSLPA have a say in the hiring of the next NWSL commissioner. This same player stated Riley called players "dumb, stupid, slow, idiotic, retarded" and "worthless," and remarked that the players had "no balls" and would never be better than the average 16 year old boy." In the course of this investigation, the Joint Investigative Team spoke to 47 individuals with knowledge relevant to Riley, including current and former players, key leaders including owners and general managersfrom the Thorns and the Courage, and other current and former club staff, League staff, and U.S. Soccer staff who were involved in or had information about the 2015 Thorns Investigation and Riley's subsequent hiring at the Flash and the Courage. Coaches and Club Staff Coaches would berate players about their weight in front of their teammates or speak disparagingly about a player's weight to people other than the player. Some of these remarks were not necessarily targeted toward specific players but were made openly in the presence of other club staff and/or players and created an unwelcome working environment, especially for players of color. While Richie Burke was head coach of the Spirit, club management created an environment where players felt it was futile to raise concerns about Burke to anyone at the club. E. Standards for Assessing Reports of Misconduct.. Estes and O'Connor later joined the meeting. The 2022 Anti-Harassment Policy further explains that [p]rohibited retaliation could include any of the following actions if taken because of a player/employee's involvement in Protected Activity: termination of employment, demotion, transfer to less desirable position, suspension, failure to hire or consider for hire, failure to give equal consideration in making employment decisions, failure to make employment recommendations impartially, adversely affecting working conditions, or otherwise denying any employment benefit."