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In 2020, the NWSL investigated Dell Loy Hansen, then-owner of the Royals, for making racially offensive comments. He made a comment along the lines of, "I don't know if it's because your girlfriend is world famous and you can't handle her fame." Non-fraternization policies need to extend beyond just head coaches as demonstrated within the report with very critical language regarding relationships between players and staff. In 2017 and 2019, the NWSL hired a law firm to conduct an inperson anti-harassment training for all players and a separate anti-harassment training for all club staff, though according to former NWSL General Counsel Lisa Levine, one club declined to participate in 2019. The club encouraged Simon to consider A report detailing the results of the year-long investigation was published Wednesday, a little over two . Reports of Misconduct in 2020 and 2021 On another club, a staff member observed that when new players joined the team, the head coach would comment on their sexual orientation. Whisler also wrote, "The senior [US]WNT players absolutely want this league to shut down so they don't have as much competition for their spots and so they can make more money overseas." Revise the Anti-Harassment Policy to Address Microaggressions and Racist and Derogatory Language Passion for Real Sociedad runs as deep as San Sebastian's love for Basque culture and cuisine, Top 10 greatest FA Cup shocks after Grimsby stun Southampton, Oral history: When Barcelona, Real Madrid played four Clasicos in 18 days back in 2011, Infighting of Women's World Cup faves Spain, France, Canada reveals big issues in the sport. The Joint Investigative Team considered the following factors when deciding whether to identify an individual who engaged in misconduct: whether (i) the misconduct was widely reported in major news outlets; (ii) the misconduct was severe; (iii) the misconduct was repeated; and (iv) there is a risk of substantial harm to NWSL players, youth players, or others if the individual is not identified. ALYSE LAHUE. 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. For example, Angel City's policy as of 2021 stated that it was "committed to providing a workplace free of sexual or any form of unlawful harassment, discrimination, or retaliation based on protected characteristics." Multiple players reported hearing that Williams referred to this player, a leader in the locker room, as "toxic." 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. The revised policy should state that waiving players, trading players, or buying out players' contracts could be retaliatory and a violation of the policy if a motivating factor for the player transaction is the player's engagement in a Protected Activity. Similarly, the players were left in the dark about the findings of the investigation. While the report summary downplayed players' concerns in spite of the evidence, it credited Dames's and Whisler's explanations of events without further scrutiny. Another player also stated that the training environment was dangerous and that there was a lack of proper coaching. Riley told Kaleigh Kurtz that he could "see the cellulite on [her] legs and that in order to retain her starting position, she needed to lose 14 pounds in 10 days. Neither the Flash nor the Courage-the NWSL clubs that employed Riley after he was terminated from the Thorns-received a copy of the Thorns's 2015 investigative report detailing Riley's misconduct. Kurtz added that after reading last year about Riley's past sexual misconduct, she realized that the coach was "grooming" her with similar patterns of behavior. 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. On September 30, 2021, The Athletic published the article regarding Riley, and the Courage publicly announced Riley's termination that same day. . At the conclusion of its investigation, the Joint Investigative Team determined that Clarkson's actions constituted emotional misconduct. 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. After the group returned to the hotel, Harrington came upstairs to two players' hotel room. The NWSL announced an investigation into abuse and misconduct towards NWSL players. The Committee should engage regularly with the Board of Governors and the Commissioner regarding DEI efforts and should be sufficiently resourced to implement meaningful DEI initiatives. Burke also discouraged player activism for racial equity. Ms. LaHue was placed on unpaid administrative leave while the NWSLs third-party investigator reviewed the matter. Players reported to the Joint Investigative Team a wide range of misconduct, including many instances of misconduct that have not been previously reported. 6. At a team meeting the next day, players observed that Clarkson was visibly angry as he reprimanded the team at length, calling them selfish, disrespectful, and unprofessional by going out drinking prior to a game. The history of women's professional club soccer in the United States has often been tumultuous. Until now, the only reported detail was that LaHue was the subject of a complaint filed under the leagues anti-harassment policy. The ability of individuals within the League to identify and report misconduct, and to receive sufficient responses to those reports, has also been hampered by a failure of stakeholders including U.S. Soccer, the League, and clubsto adequately share information. It further stated that any employee "who believes they have been subject to or witnessed illegal discrimination, including sexual or other forms of unlawful harassment, is requested and enco couraged to make a complaint." This player added that as a result of this division, players feared telling their own teammates about their experiences with Dames, worrying that their teammates might report their comments to him. In addition, despite recent messages of empowerment from the League and clubs, gender norms and biases led many players to believe that their needs and concerns were not worthy of attention. Multiple current and former players from the Kansas City Current raised concerns that Head Coach Huw Williams retaliated against players for participating in an August 2021 meeting with other club leaders, including club owners Chris and Angie Long. Players Experienced an Array of Interpersonal Misconduct, and Reports of That Misconduct Were Mishandled Additional Barriers to Effective Reporting Another player stated that her team had been "brainwashed" into thinking that Riley's coaching methods were necessary for the team to win. The same player emphasized that "continuous commitment to anti-racism is important" and the burden should not be on Black players to educate others. Maybe. A third player recalled that during trips for away games, the team would "go to the bar together and Riley would "be there buying players . Gotham FC cooperated in all respects with the NWSL investigation. 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"). The Thorns's outside counsel told U.S. 2. Against this backdrop, some players reported misconduct anonymously through player surveys conducted by the NWSL. He complied with her request for a little while, but his inappropriate behavior resumed soon after. At one point, she sought to bring in a team-building expert to improve locker room dynamics. While some players expressed doubt that the SafeSport trainings were helpful, one player recalled that the SafeSport training made her realize she was experiencing sexual harassment; however, the player also noted that the training did not provide any NWSL-specific resources to help players experiencing misconduct. 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. E. NEW YORK Sky Blue FC has restructured its leadership, announcing Wednesday the arrival of a new minority owner in Ed Nalbandian and a new role for Tammy Murphy, the New Jersey First Lady. 70, Multiple players described an incident in which Clarkson was "out of line" and created a culture of fear and anxiety. 4. McCall Zerboni, Gotham FCs captain and NWSL Players Association representative in 2022, is ready to move towards a place where the mistakes from the past can be turned into creating a strong future for the NWSL, a young league that is still growing. 3 After players continued to push for a response, including through an HR manager, the club fired the assistant coach. The club ultimately elected to retain Riley as head coach, but this decision was similarly affected by the Thorns's, U.S. Soccer's, and the NWSL's lack of transparency about Riley's misconduct. Leaders within U.S. Soccer and the NWSL, including the Board of Governors and club management, must lead the effort in building back trust with players and creating a safe working environment for all players. This training should encompass conduct and scenarios that players, staff, and volunteers at professional clubs could potentially encounter. The NWSL did not distribute player surveys in 2018 and 2019 due to bandwidth and resource constraints, and it did not distribute player surveys in 2021 in part because the NWSL received feedback from players on many topics covered in previous player surveys during CBA negotiations. These biases are central to any evaluation of misconduct in the League. Multiple players at the Pride experienced anxiety attacks due in part to a stressful working environment. 100 Another child, tween, teen and beyond will know the world is better when it's . Most players enter the League through a draft, and player contracts are not required to be guaranteed. 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." Two weeks later, an NWSL employee raised a concern she had heard from U.S. Soccer employees that the potential hire was "worse than Rory Dames in terms of belittling players" in youth soccer. In a Tweet late Friday afternoon, the National Women's Soccer League club announced that LaHue had, as of July 9 - a week ago today - was no longer employed by the team. 92, Players at the Thorns reported that they felt uncomfortable making complaints about Head Coach Paul Riley to Thorns President Gavin Wilkinson because the two were "buddybuddy." Provide Mandatory Annual Anti-Bullying Training Farrelly emailed Wilkinson expressing discontent and concern that she was being traded so soon after the investigation into Riley's conduct. C. If [we have] a concern, we're going to sit down and try to find a solution. He also said, If you're trying to build trust, which is what we're trying to do, it's hard to build trust if someone's saying to you, '[I] can't tell you where it's coming from.' That player also said that Black players were uncomfortable because the club often placed the substantial burden of engaging in race and other culture-related activities on them. 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. The erratic, emotional behaviors exhibited by these three coaches were repeatedly described by players as "cycles" of abuse. Observations and Findings Since then, the lineup of clubs has undergone various changes. Mental Health First Aid training tailored toward sport professionals could help players and staff develop the skills to recognize and respond to players navigating mental health challenges. A. The player told Predmore she understood. Adding to this controversy, in July 2011, the WPS players' union filed a grievance that accused Borislow of bullying and threatening players, and creating a "hostile, oppressive and intimidating work environment." mentally" and could not perform at her best for the rest of the year. "We existed because [our owner] wanted a soccer team for his daughter. The NWSL should require clubs to provide separate housing accommodations to establish clearer boundaries between players and club staff. U.S. Soccer stopped managing the NWSL in December 2020, and terminated the allocation system through which it paid USWNT players' club salaries in December 2021. Estes was involved in negotiating the severance agreement and explained that the club pursued the agreement after Simon expressed concern for her safety and confidentiality. The Joint Investigative Team also did not find any evidence that Levine provided information about Riley in response to the Courage's due diligence requests for information, or that she shared information about the 2015 investigation with the Courage. When asked whether he ever referred to players as "morons," Burke told the Joint Investigative Team he could not recall ever calling a player a "moron" directly, but that he may have said to players, "Don't be a moron." Commissioner of the NWSL, detailing numerous instances of sexually inappropriate conduct by Riley during the 2015 season. Ex-Philadelphia Independence coach Paul Riley fired from NWSL team amid allegations of sexual misconduct, Joanna Lohman was fooled by Paul Riley in Philadelphia, where he allegedly coerced her teammates, Megan Rapinoe criticizes Paul Riley, who briefly coached her on the Philadelphia Independence, Equalizer Soccer reported the anti-harassment detail, U.S. Soccer promises action after Yates investigation details abuse and sexual coercion in NWSL, California residents do not sell my data request. As one player described, Riley made it seem like "he had a direct line" to the USWNT head coach, and so as a player "you were willing to do everything he said to get you there." The Courage's policy stated that [d]isciplinary action, up to and including discharge, will be taken against any employee engaging in sexual or other unlawful harassment." Players and staff also reported that staff members engaged in a wide variety of unprofessional behavior that blurred professional boundaries, including staff: (i) drinking alcohol to excess with players; (ii) living in player apartment complexes; (iii) holding meetings with players in hotel rooms; (iv) organizing frequent social interactions with players; and (v) communicating in an unprofessional manner. Simon said she was "terrified" to go to Holly's apartment alone, so she often came up with excuses not to go, or she would bring Hendrix with her. It also provides new information around the suspensions and firings of several coaches and general managers and recommends how the league must change going forward. The NWSL should ensure this training is mandated for all volunteers who regularly interact with players, including team chaplains and volunteer coaches. The NWSL began the roll-out of training by the U.S. Center for SafeSport in January 2021. O'Connor acknowledged that he did not follow up with the players to determine whether they experienced any retaliation after the group meeting. 64, beliefs and goals as a player. The NWSL should not just list reporting channels in the Anti-Harassment Policy, but should email or otherwise share them with players, staff, and volunteers on a regular basis. Garcia declined to speak with the Joint Investigative Team. 55 names revealed for FIFA FIFPro Women's World11 2019 . For example, one player reported to The Washington Post that after she resisted inappropriate comments and invitations from Dames, he benched her and forced her to practice with reserve players, rather than the first team. Please be assured that we will carefully and thoroughly investigate this matter." One player provided multiple examples of instances in which she felt Dames had used personal information against players. In interviews with the Joint Investigative Team, both Levine and Duffy remembered that they paused the NWSL investigation at Wahlke's request. During the retaliation investigation, one of the players identified by Cromwell and Greene as having been involved in the March Investigation was informed that she would be waived by the club, and word spread in the club that Cromwell wanted to waive or trade several other players who she believed were involved in the March Investigation. This misconduct was perpetrated by coaches, staff, club leadership, and other individuals in positions of power. She did not consider reporting Holly to the NWSL or U.S. Soccer, in part because she did not know who to contact or how to make a report. The player said that LaHue was also critical of her religious beliefs and told her that she and other team members who shared those beliefs were seen as judgmental. Clarkson put her in as a substitute, and she soon began struggling with pain. For example, one player recalled reaching out to an owner regarding a housing stipend that clubs could provide to players. On October 14, 2021, the club announced that Baldwin, along with owner Bill Lynch, would sell their shares in the club to Kang. Another comment said that the "coach made this year horrible for most people" and expressed uncertainty that people would be honest in their survey responses "out of fear." The report says he declined to respond to requests to participate in this investigation., READ MORE: Megan Rapinoe criticizes Paul Riley, who briefly coached her on the Philadelphia Independence. Clubs have also at times failed to share critical information about certain applicants with other clubs, which resulted in clubs hiring coaches accused of misconduct without sufficient information about the allegations. 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. Players and staff at the Red Stars said that the close relationship between Head Coach Rory Dames and club owner Arnim Whisler made them feel that raising complaints to ownership would be pointless. Ahead of the first game of the trip, Clarkson questioned whether a player was hungover from an outing the previous night, despite his medical staff informing him that they thought she was experiencing altitude sickness (Mexico City is 7,300 feet above sea level). The subjective experience is important to consider when assessing whether conduct rises to the level of emotional misconduct. 23, Thorns staff worked and players played games. The 2021 AntiHarassment Policy primarily focused on maintaining a safe environment free of harassment. They used derogatory and insulting language towards players, displayed insensitivity towards players mental health, and engaged in retaliation against players who attempted to report or did report concerns., In addressing root causes of those problems, the report says: Like many institutions, the League has been influenced by sexism, racism, homophobia, and other biases. Over the course of this investigation, the Joint Investigative Team conducted approximately 100 interviews of current and former NWSL players, 6 interviews of current and former leadership of the NWSLPA and the USWNTPA, approximately 90 interviews of current and former club staff, 15 interviews of current and former League leadership and staff, and 8 interviews of current and former U.S. Soccer personnel. It, therefore, prevented the club from being able to confirm Simon's account if she chose to share her experience publicly, and it put other players at risk by preventing the club from disclosing Holly's conduct to any clubs and organizations considering hiring 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 Management Agreement executed between the NWSL and U.S. Soccer on December 12, 2012, established U.S. Soccer as the manager of the NWSL. Players also reported a pervasive fear of retaliation should they raise concerns about Burke. Instead, it appears that, in the face of threatened litigation by Riley, and on the advice of counsel, the Thorns sought to limit their potential liability to their former coach. When asked about this incident, Burke denied ever having yelled at a player who appeared to be experiencing a panic attack and explained that he always tried to make players laugh and feel comfortable before and during games. 76, ever having a second discussion about the remark with the player. D. One player, who was vocal about racial equity, told the Joint Investigative Team that Burke and an assistant coach pressured her to leave her "blackness off the field" and discouraged her activism. 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. Baird told ESPN that reading the article was the first she ever heard of accusations of sexual abuse against Riley. One player recalled Harrington saying, on multiple occasions in front of players, "I need to have sex with someone tonight who's not my wife." Following these reports and upon learning that Clarkson had been made aware that he was under investigation, the Joint Investigative Team recommended in April 2022 that Clarkson be placed on temporary suspension pending investigation.