In response to Shim's email, Riley texted Shim asking to meet, and the two corresponded about meeting but ultimately did not meet. Riley also engaged in other inappropriate conduct while at the Thorns, including going out drinking with players, hosting multi-day social retreats involving alcohol at his home on Long Island that some players felt pressure to attend, and making comments about players' sexual orientation. By the time U.S. Soccer's investigator contacted the complainant to interview her, the Red Stars had already traded her. In 2017, players in the League formed the NWSLPA to unite professional and amateur players on NWSL rosters who were not allocated to the League by the U.S. or Canadian national teams. Nearly every interviewee agreed that Clarkson was not adept at tailoring his coaching style to particular players' needs or reactions, and that he failed to recognize or appreciate when certain players did not respond well to his coaching style. Work on the USSF Dames Investigation ended in September 2019, and the investigator's draft report was sent to Wahlke, but the investigation was never formally concluded. Paulson also said he had heard that Shim did not want Riley's termination made public, though there is no evidence that Garcia or anyone else on the Thorns asked Shim for her preference, and Shim told the Joint Investigative Team that she did not recall making any such statement. The League should issue a public statement reiterating its commitment to creating a safe working environment for players, announcing specific actions that the NWSL will take to demonstrate this commitment, and setting a timeline for implementation in consultation with the NWSLPA. Hendrix informed the Joint Investigative Team that she had subtly tried to prevent Holly from being alone with Simon. Historically, clubs sometimes conducted investigations into allegations of misconduct, and the NWSL was not involved in certain investigations. The New Jersey native is hoping to expand her horizons through overseas play. In general, players felt that the line between tough coaching and emotional misconduct is crossed when it becomes an attack, versus a criticism." . The NWSL engaged Covington & Burling LLP ("Covington") to conduct an independent investigation, and the NWSLPA engaged counsel at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP ("Weil"). Getting a massage." She explained that her job responsibilities were limited to coaching the national team, and she did not have a role in oversight of NWSL coaches. Is that never appropriate?" 93, In one case, an individual designated to receive player complaints was accused of misconduct, leaving players feeling as though they had no recourse to report those individuals. A different player recounted that after a tournament, her team received a "ton of alcohol to have a party." For instance, Duffy told the Joint Investigative Team she received "maybe one or two" updates while the investigation was ongoing. Simon felt like she owed him, because she believed he played a role in getting her a spot at the camp. The Spirit's handbook stated that "all employees and contractors are required to receive and acknowledge receipt of the NWSL Anti-Harassment Policy for a Safe Work Environment. Vera Pauw, who was the Houston Dash head coach in 2018 and is currently the head coach of the Ireland women's national team -- which will play in its first Women's World Cup next year -- was also identified in the report. He told Kurtz, I hope you know I'm doing this because I love you." Players also told the Joint Investigative Team that Riley [made] a face when players lifted their shirts to wipe their faces, commented that players had refrigerator[s] on their ass[es]," and stated that a player was eating too many hamburgers." Former USWNT General Manager Cheryl Bailey would serve as the League's executive director. She did recall discussing one of the transactions with Williams and that he offered a soccer-related reason for the transaction. He often invited certain players to have lunch or dinner with him, taking one small group of players out to dinner on a regular basis. Examples of prohibited verbal conduct include epithets; derogatory comments or slurs; negative stereotyping; and jokes, kidding, or teasing about another person's protected status.
Until 2021, the NWSL did not have a formal policy prohibiting harassment.
The investigations into allegations of misconduct-and the NWSL's awareness of and involvement in such investigations have been inconsistent and have not always followed best practices. Players reported that certain coaches expressed disgust towards players' weight. And we have to do something about it." The reasons for his departure were not shared publicly. F.
These considerations included the coaches' sudden fixation on and urgency in removing these players, the labeling of these players by Cromwell and Greene as "negative and not "bought-in," the decision to avoid interactions with these players and plan to exclude them from certain team activities following the March Investigation, and Cromwell's and Greene's shifting justifications for the intended transactions. In an interview with the Joint Investigative Team, Gulati stated he could not recall being aware in 2014 of player survey comments from that year indicating Riley was verbally abusive. One player noted "bystander training" for players could be helpful so that players could help other players experiencing misconduct. 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. .125, Introduction
Numerous players reported that they experienced mental health challenges due to toxic and abusive working environments created by coaches' behavior and treatment of players.
Craig Harrington, the former Utah Royals F.C. 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. Riley was only one of several NWSL club personnel accused of misconduct in the 2020 and 2021 seasons. The club did not contact Novo as part of its vetting process, even though Novo was the person most knowledgeable about the circumstances of Holly's departure. The majority of NWSL coaches have been men. For instance, in a January 19, 2018, text to Dames, Whisler complained that Press "wouldn't return [his] calls unless she was asking for something for her." "We've grown out of a college environment at this point. 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. 5.
U.S. Soccer
a) Dames's Misconduct at the Chicago Red Stars
An investigation commissioned by the National Women's Soccer League and its players union found "widespread misconduct" directed at players dating back to the beginnings nearly a decade ago of the Whisler said he then proceeded with the trade based on "soccer reason[s]" after consulting with the League. If you don't like it, then there's never going to be a league."
Can the USWNT's World Cup title push the NWSL to a long-awaited 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. Kurtz alleges that in 2019, Riley shared detailed information about his life, including preferred sexual positions, and persistently tried to obtain more details about her romantic life in the weeks and months that followed. 2. After the incident at the stadium, Simon avoided Holly for a few weeks, but he eventually pulled her into the same suite in the stadium where the previous incident occurred and confronted her. 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. Simon recalled being scared and noted that Holly lived in her apartment building, so she wanted to know how the club could keep her safe and make sure Holly did not come to her apartment after he was fired. The NWSL should store all documents, including a written record of the investigation, in a central location. Flynn, on the other hand, in written responses to questions posed by U.S. Soccer, stated that he never reviewed the Thorns's final investigative report and did not have a complete understanding of the findings of the investigation. 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. During her tenure as NWSL president, Amanda Duffy was made aware of, but failed to act on, Shim's 2015 complaint against Riley and the subsequent investigation conducted by the Thorns. Trauma-Informed, Survivor-Centered Approach
Additionally, the club put out a statement via Twitter addressing the report as a whole. 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.
The League's policy should ensure that player privacy is not used as a pretextual basis to justify agreements that undermine player safety and fail to protect the confidentiality of players who are impacted by misconduct. This misconduct included sending the player inappropriate text messages that continued even after the player told LaHue to accept that they were working together and nothing more. In a written statement, Wilkinson denied this account of his discussion with Lines.
The Joint Investigative Team also reviewed documents collected from the League relating to League organizational structure, policies, and trainings regarding harassment, abuse, and discrimination, as well as documents related to complaints and reports of misconduct and investigations into those reports of misconduct, and communications between League personnel. Background checks and reputational vetting of player-facing club employees were not mandatory for much of the NWSL's existence. The League also suspended former Utah Royals coach Craig Harrington and former Gotham FC general manager Alyse LaHue for at least two years on Monday. 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. 38, that Riley denied "weight-shaming" Kurtz, and Johnson told Riley that he should speak to players about "fitness, not "weight." Interviews with club and League personnel suggested a lack of information sharing both within Sky Blue and with the League.
To help address these concerns, players were invited to ask the Joint Investigative Team or the NWSLPA's counsel any questions about the investigation and interview process, confidentiality, and any other concerns without any obligation or expectation to participate in an interview. The club announced that Holly was terminated "for cause," but the announcement did not specify that the "cause" was sexual misconduct. After players continued to push for a response, including through an HR manager, the club fired the assistant coach. C.
A. He stated it was included because, in Estes's view, no one would sign a unilateral non-disparagement provision. The club immediately terminated the staff member for violating club policy. Whisler cautioned, Don't do [that] out [of] emotion.
The Joint Investigative Team carefully considered which individuals to identify by 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. The annual training should be interactive, with opportunities for participants to ask questions and receive feedback. Starr recalled that a couple of weeks later, she met with Simon again, and Simon informed her that the abuse had been "going on for a while." Players were "aware that this league could go under. 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." The NWSL should ensure this training is mandated for all volunteers who regularly interact with players, including team chaplains and volunteer coaches. These thematic findings form the basis for the recommendations set forth at the end of this Report. We discussed them at length in his interview." She said that when clubs receive a player complaint, they must ask the League what to do [and] where to tell them to go," and added that it was "really unclear what do you do locally versus what goes straight to the League. The HR director at one club explained that she had to reach out to the League for guidance on HR matters because none was provided, and she often assumed that the League, not the club, would handle potential misconduct reported by players. Reader discretion is advised. In text messages to Dames, Whisler spoke negatively of Press and expressed suspicion about players' motives for raising concerns. But some players and club staff described that Clarkson seemed to defend stadium security, and players and club staff expressed disappointment at Clarkson's and the club's failure to attempt to understand the Black players' perspective. The 2022 Anti-Harassment Policy prohibits harassment, including harassment on the basis of race.
U.S. Soccer took no steps to protect players during the 16 months it spent on the investigation.
The Joint Investigative Team concluded that Cromwell and Greene violated the NWSL's 2022 Anti-Harassment Policy prohibiting retaliation. For instance, one player said that while she felt Whisler "cared," she felt he did not "get it or understand what he lets happen." Though the club did not announce a reason for his termination, sources told The Salt Lake Tribune that Harrington "was placed on leave after players complained he was being 'verbally abusive.""
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.
It also could dissuade employees from reporting misconduct to club or NWSL HR because employees may instead
In her interview with the Joint Investigative Team, Ellis did not recall players bringing to her attention verbal abuse or racist or sexist comments by NWSL coaches during her tenure with the USWNT. The responsible drinking policy should also state that the NWSL expects all NWSL staff, club staff, and players to exercise good judgment and professionalism when drinking alcohol with colleagues outside of official NWSL or club events, and that alcohol will never be accepted as an excuse for engaging in misconduct toward staff or players. In terms of Dames's unpredictable behavior, one player told the investigator that she "never knew what to expect from Dames" because he was sometimes "jolly and goofing off" but then "would be 'pissed and yelling."" 75, Benstiti saying that he would replicate his "very strict monitoring and measuring [of Horan's] weight and what she's eating" with the club's players. Leading up to this meeting, Simon had been nervous, because she had been able to avoid one-on-one meetings with Holly until then. This phenomenon is not unique to this investigation or the NWSL: interpersonal misconduct, and particularly sexual misconduct, is generally underreported. Another player said Dames was "hostile and sarcastic" and would "shame" her, but would not pick on the top players" or "anyone with leverage." 98, Multiple players also voiced concerns that coaches found to have committed misconduct were not terminated but were instead allowed to resign from their positions. a) Perceptions of Bias and Cronyism
A. Whisler did not recall knowing who raised the complaint and said that he did not think Levine instructed him to refrain from speaking to players during this initial conversation, but she did tell him not to speak to players in a subsequent call to inform him of U.S. Soccer's investigation. The policy provided that "while harassing conduct is generally unlawful only if it affects tangible job benefits and/or is sufficiently severe or pervasive so as to interfere unreasonably with work performance and creates an abusive or hostile work environment, this policy prohibits harassing conduct regardless of whether it rises to the level of a legal violation." She was hired that May as vice president. The NWSL should consider engaging with the NWSLPA on the role and parameters of such a program to ensure that it is responsive to player needs and concerns and that it is developed and implemented in a player-centered way. Until now, the only reported detail was that LaHue was the subject of a complaint filed under the leagues anti-harassment policy. Players reported that Riley often inquired about and commented on players' romantic and dating relationships. Multiple players reported instances of club staff, including coaches, using racial epithets, making derogatory comments, using negative stereotypes, and making jokes about race and ethnicity. Over time, players' lack of trust in Holly led to a divide between Holly, Pearce Rampone, and the majority of the team. Most critically, when the investigation was completed, U.S. Soccer did not communicate the results of the investigation to the players, the Red Stars, or the NWSL on the basis of attorney-client privilege. Players also drew a connection between coaches who engaged in abusive behavior and coaches who, in the players' view, relished the feeling of having power over their players. 19, not respond appropriately to Shim's concerns for six years, until after Shim and Farrelly went public. On one occasion, Holly took her upstairs and began showing her film and discussing soccer, but then he searched for and showed her pornography. 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. The NWSL should establish guidelines requiring that meetings between club staff and players take place in appropriate professional settings, including while traveling. Insufficient Understanding of the Respective Roles of U.S. Soccer, the League, and Clubs in Investigating Misconduct
Why not talk to me?" 8. Harrington denied each of these reports, but the Joint Investigative Team did not find his denials to be credible when viewed against the accounts of multiple other witnesses. d) Failure to Investigate
In September 2021, this requirement was updated to include assistant coaches and other club staff who would regularly interact with players. Nevertheless, she decided to dress for the game because she did not think she would get any playing time. U.S. Soccer's 2018 investigation into Dames's conduct surfaced several concerns about his interactions with players, but minimized the breadth and severity of these concerns and failed to protect players during the 16 months it took to complete the investigation. This prevented the Joint Investigative Team from timely gathering documents and information relevant to the investigation, and substantially delayed important parts of this investigation. OL was supportive of the decision to hire Benstiti, who had been employed as a head coach for OL from 2001-10. Even where clubs did conduct background checks, the checks were in many cases narrow and limited to reviewing only a candidate's criminal history. Weight-Shaming by Farid Benstiti
Following that email, Riley's behavior towards Shim changed: he barely acknowledged Shim, and her playing time noticeably dropped. Inattentiveness, neglect, and concealment allow misconduct to fester. [in] less than a day." One of the players perceived this as an attempt to convince them to go out drinking. D.
When the player asked if Holly was referring to a nude photo, she recalled that Holly replied that if that was what it took to get a nude photo from that player, he would stand her up "any day." In total, the Joint Investigative Team reviewed approximately 200,000 documents. The NWSL began the roll-out of training by the U.S. Center for SafeSport in January 2021. Following the revelations of Riley's sexual misconduct on Sept. 30, 2021, the NWSL and the NWSLPA separately sought to conduct investigations. 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. 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. The New Jersey-based club wanted to recognize its growing reach across the region. 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.
In 2018, former Red Stars player Christen Press made a complaint about Chicago Red Stars Head Coach Rory Dames to U.S. Soccer, alleging that he engaged in verbal and emotional abuse. 10. 5. The complainant stated that Riley made comments about a relationship between two other teammates, stating that one of the players was "not in fact gay," and that the other was a "predator." In some instances, close relationships between coaching staff and club management led players to feel they could not report concerns about coaches to management or vice versa. In Ep. In addition, the policy sets forth a general process for conducting investigations into potential violations and reporting the findings of such investigations. The injured player recalled that Clarkson angrily asked her, How the fuck are you so unprofessional?" 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." 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.