While the conclusion stated that Dames (i) yelled excessively; (ii) targeted players; and (iii) behaved unpredictably, it mentioned none of the other concerns about Dames. The NWSL completed an independent investigation, and it announced that based on witness interviews and a review of video footage, no disciplinary action would be taken against the club. A. The statement reads in part, Ms. The Thorns's Flawed 2015 Investigation and Opaque Termination of Riley Players described how emotional misconduct affected their performance. VII. 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. In the course of 2021 alone, six of the League's then-existing ten clubs fired or accepted the resignations of general managers or head coaches due to misconduct, in some cases misconduct that had persisted for years. In addition, Shim's complaint identified Farrelly as a target of Riley's misconduct, but Farrelly was not treated as a potential target of misconduct; her interview was brief and focused on Shim's allegations and on whether Farrelly had told anyone about them. She said, I would filter them, look for comments that can help the Red Stars improve and move on." The NWSL should store all certifications in a central location. 2. Instead, the vetting of player-facing club employees including whether background checks were conducted and what those background checks included-was left entirely to the clubs' discretion. 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." Levine claimed that Farrelly "withheld her experiences with Riley in 2015, and she asserted through her counsel that Farrelly and Shim consciously did not explain Farrelly's alleged sexual history" with Riley when they emailed the NWSL in 2021 as part of an effort to "gain leverage over the League." 2. The new report expands on many of those topics, though only relating specifically to occurrences in the NWSL era. Co-Founder of Gonzo Soccer: Girls Soccer & Leadership Academy for under-served girls, a 501 (c)3 organization in the U.S., Mexico, and Colombia. 90, with NWSL policies were unclear as to what those policies were and what club employees' obligations were. The League has committed to communicating and consulting with the NWSLPA in player-involved investigations as part of these procedures. Shim emailed a complaint, with a narrative describing Riley's inappropriate conduct, to Garcia, Riley, Wilkinson, and Thorns owner Merritt Paulson. The player who raised a complaint to the Courage, Kaleigh Kurtz, had joined the Courage in 2018 and was initially pleased to be playing for Riley. Multiple players described outsized, angry reactions to innocuous questions or requests. Given their public roles in U.S. Soccer, League, and club management, this Report also uses the names of individuals in the following roles: (i) club owners involved in day-to-day club management; (ii) club leadership and management, including presidents, general managers, and other equivalent positions; (iii) the U.S. Soccer Board of Directors and senior members of U.S. Soccer management; (iv) members of League management; and (v) where necessary, outside counsel and consultants. Moreover, individual acts of misconduct in the League cannot be addressed without considering the failures in institutional structures, policies, and proceduresat U.S. Soccer, the League, and individual clubs-that have allowed misconduct to persist. The NWSL should share with U.S. Soccer when a club employee is removed from a club due to a finding of misconduct under the Anti-Harassment Policy to allow U.S. Soccer to take necessary measures to prevent that employee from engaging in further misconduct in youth soccer or in other leagues, including the removal of coaching licenses where necessary. This confusion extended to the question of whether U.S. Soccer, the League, or clubs were expected-or even permitted-to develop HR functions and address misconduct. Riley returned from the restroom and asked the women, who had been assigned by Riley to share hotel rooms on team road trips during the season, if they "hooked up" while traveling for games, a notion he had raised even before that night and something they denied doing. Plush was aware in September 2015 that Sky Blue was interested in hiring Riley, and he stated to the Joint Investigative Team that he told Sky Blue not to hire Riley. While the player denied that this text made her uncomfortable, another player reported that she found the text concerning. 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. The day after the player spoke to the NWSL about her complaint, Dames texted Whisler that he was planning on waiving her. 2. In general, players felt that the line between tough coaching and emotional misconduct is crossed when it becomes an attack, versus a criticism." Some types of misconduct against players, including certain instances of sexual abuse and manipulation, have already been widely reported. I'm told that people at 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 Flash also wrote to the Joint Investigative Team that the "only negative reference" made was that Riley did not mesh well with all of the personalities" in the locker room, and Wilkinson had said to get Riley if the Flash could. The Anti-Harassment Policy should specify that the Non-Fraternization Policy applies not just to head coaches, but also to assistant coaches and any other club staff in supervisory positions over players. It was not until June 2021, when Benstiti gave a speech in which he criticized players' diets, that the club took action. Other misconduct, which this Report discusses in detail below, has not received as much, if any, public attention. One staff member said that everything Holly did "in film, in training, in games, in formations, in tactics centered around protecting" Pearce Rampone. Some coaches and staff staunchly defended certain conduct as "tough coaching," demanding, or directness, even when players found the conduct emotionally abusive. At Riley's door, she felt he expected that she would come into his room. Please be assured that we will carefully and thoroughly investigate this matter." This includes harassment; sexual harassment; discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion, age, or any other protected status under federal, state, or local laws; bullying; sexual misconduct, including the use of coercion, force, intimidation, or certain power imbalances; emotional misconduct; physical misconduct; and retaliation. Even after repeated requests and lengthy negotiations with the separate law firm U.S. Soccer retained to respond to the Joint Investigative Team's requests, U.S. Soccer did not meaningfully respond to those requests until shortly before, and again after, the USSF Report was released. Following public reporting about Hansen's statements, the NWSL conducted an investigation and pushed Hansen to sell the club. Later that month, the NWSL adopted a Non-Fraternization Policy as part of its Operations Manual. Paulson told the Joint Investigative Team that the Thorns phrased the announcement this way based on the 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. Another player recalled that Riley loved the feeling of controlling our lives, and that he acted on this feeling by chang[ing] the schedule at the last minute" and "withhold[ing] information A third player stated that Lines "often encourage[d] hard fouls in training, which created a dangerous and toxic team culture during training. It's not just this coach. 69, that would allow us to travel home." Develop and Enforce a Responsible Drinking Policy Applicable to All NWSL Staff, Club Staff, and Players The fact that certain coaching behaviors may have been tolerated previously does not establish, or in itself suggest, that the behavior is, or was at that time, appropriate. The club policies also failed to address NWSL reporting requirements. Prioritize DEI Initiatives to Create a More Inclusive Environment for All Players and Staff This appears to be in part due to uncertainty surrounding which entity or entities bore responsibility for developing policies of this nature. Sky Blue FC's game at Red Bull was a success, but only the first step 73, Players also described coaches who publicly shamed players for their weight, rather than addressing the issue privately. Another member of the team said that LaHue paid special attention to this player and described instances in which she believed LaHue provided preferential treatment or sought to be close to the player. At the time, the NWSL was addressing a number of other issues with Sky Blue, unrelated to misconduct against players, and Duffy recalled "being confused" about how to handle Holly's relationship with Pearce Rampone and how Holly's departure fit into other concerns with the club. As the report summarizes, LaHues alleged 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. LaHue expressed an emotional reliance on the player, repeatedly questioned the players interactions with another individual, and pressed the player for more attention.. Separately, during a large group meeting with Baird and Levine, she told them about some of her experiences with Riley. Gorden said that she and her boyfriend were racially profiled, prompting a league investigation at the time. Likewise, OL Reign performed a background check but did not perform a reputational check when hiring Farid Benstiti, who later left the club following reports of misconduct that, as discussed above, mirrored public reports about his behavior while coaching a team overseas. The Joint Investigative Team also reviewed emails, text messages, and other documents, including materials that were not reviewed during the 2015 Thorns Investigation. Levine did not report Riley to SafeSport between its creation in 2017 and the publication of the Athletic article. 112, As it moves forward, the NWSL should continue to take affirmative steps to empower players, hear their concerns, and implement reforms in response to player concerns. LaHue was appointed as general manager of NJ/NY Gotham FC (formerly Sky Blue FC) in September 2019, and has been credited with playing a major role in turning the club around, both on and off the . The player explained that although she repeatedly pushed back against LaHues inappropriate conduct, LaHue persisted, the investigations report said. 8 A staff member "got really drunk" during this party and "made inappropriate passes at people." . The agreement increased minimum player salaries; created free agency; and provided severance pay, mental health, and parental leave. One player reported that Riley ripped" a player for being too fat during a halftime speech. Clubs Moved Coaches Accused of Misconduct to Other Roles "Inattentiveness, neglect, and concealment allow misconduct to fester," the report's conclusion reads. Whisler himself admitted that the club had an inadequate HR person and the person who served as "HR lead for the club at the time scare[d] people, exacerbating these problems. The same player stated that Holly would "attack" another player about her boyfriend, and Holly would tell this player that he felt like he was dating her. With regards to the League's legal and HR functions, from 2012-2017, then-U.S. Soccer General Counsel Levine handled the NWSL's legal and HR responsibilities in the absence of an NWSL general counsel. D. 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. Harrington was found to have "made inappropriate sexual and objectifying comments," and LaHue was found to have sent players inappropriate messages, the N.W.S.L. The club immediately terminated the staff member for violating club policy. For example, in one incident, Clarkson likened an injured player's stride to that of a "lame horse," and laughed when she jokingly responded, "So should I shoot myself?" As manager of the League until December 31, 2020, U.S. Soccer was tasked with providing the "NWSL with all management, governance, operational, administrative, and advisory services." 67, players" or "belittling players about their body image or weight" may constitute emotional misconduct. Johnson told the Joint Investigative Team that he spoke to Flynn on the phone as part of vetting Riley and that Flynn shared that Riley drank with players at a bar and that players "ended up" at Riley's apartment. 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." Gulati also stated that U.S. Soccer relied on the League and the clubs to develop their own policies regarding misconduct, but he did not recall ever conveying to the clubs that they were responsible for setting up these policies. The League's Unstable History and Players' Fear of Collapse The courses also apparently do not describe the process whereby participants can report misconduct. She did not recall any concerns about Williams's treatment of players being raised at the August 2021 meeting, instead recalling that players shared concerns about the level of training and the team's poor performance. Although the 16-month investigation found that Dames yelled excessively, targeted players, and behaved erratically, as a As noted above, the Thorns asserted privilege over the report in responding to She spent 5 seasons as General Manager of the Chicago Red Stars of NWSL and was the first woman to lead a men's USL PRO team as GM . Because background checks were not required for player-facing staff until late 2021, several of the coaches, staff, and other individuals discussed in this Report were not subject to those checks. Craig Harrington, the former Utah Royal F.C. The article also noted Horan's observation that Benstiti's insistence on weight loss was "more [about] how you were seen and not how it was helping you play. An April 2019 Adidas commercial focused on Horan overcoming her negative experience with Benstiti. If not, you can sign up below. Williams was moved to a front office role at the end of that season. Alyse LaHue, a former team executive, also received a two-year penalty, while ex-coaches Farid Benstiti, James Clarkson and Vera Pauw could return only by meeting specified conditions, such as . Club statement. The Joint Investigative Team requested an interview of Angie and Chris Long, and Angie Long sat for an interview. These biases are central to any evaluation of misconduct in the League. This former player said a few players were kind of being weirded out" by Dames's invitations, because they felt he was "always asking" them "to go get food" or to "hang out" with him. The training for players should address appropriate communication between coaches and players, including soccer-specific constructive criticism, and should provide examples of conduct or scenarios that professional players could potentially encounter. In a written statement, Flynn stated that he did not recall personally reviewing the results or being made aware of concerns regarding the quality of coaching or abusive coaching tactics. Players and Thorns staff described the assistants as Riley's "yes-men" and recalled that they would not speak against Riley. A majority of the players who participated in the investigation raised the concern that "Dames would get close to players, learn personal information about them, and then use the information he gained . Players also reported that club staff, including coaches, were unhelpful to players who experienced mental health challenges. Following the conclusion of the USSF Investigation, the Joint Investigative Team reviewed the Report of the Independent Investigation to the U.S. Soccer Federation Concerning Allegations of Abusive Behavior and Sexual Misconduct in Women's Professional Soccer (the "USSF Report").
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