A. Burke screamed and cursed at players, even when those players were crying and visibly emotional. Toward the end of July 2021, Simon had coffee with Starr and told Starr that Holly had touched her inappropriately while reviewing film at the stadium. NWSL investigation finds misconduct at 'vast majority' of clubs For instance, former Red Stars player Nikki Stanton recalled that she felt "worthless" during her time on the Red Stars, but she prided herself on being a good teammate and maintaining a positive attitude. Offensive and Insensitive Behavior Related to Race and Ethnicity Both players and club staff reported being unsure what conduct violates the Anti-Harassment Policy and what is required under that policy. The Thorns's policy similarly stated that remedial action will be taken "if the company determines that unlawful harassment has occurred, and it lists examples of "[p]rohibited unlawful harassment." "The club has a tremendous history and. This appears to be in part due to uncertainty surrounding which entity or entities bore responsibility for developing policies of this nature. 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. As described above, Nikki Stanton recalled that Dames said she was not playing well because of her girlfriend at the time. Whisler was confronted with players' concerns repeatedly beginning in at least 2014, in the form of player survey feedback, direct conversations with players, and Whisler's own participation in the USSF Dames Investigation. the ghosts of their former Sky Blue FC selves and all the baggage that came with it, Yazmeen Ryan is at Gotham FC for the long haul, Why Naomi Girma could be the USWNTs most important player at the World Cup, Pride swap white shorts for black as global push continues for player welfare, Waived from Gotham FC, Kelly Ann Livingstone sees opportunity with Fortuna Hjrring, 2023 NWSL schedule released: Actually, theres a lot to like, Sinead Farrelly joins Gotham FC preseason roster as Non-Roster Invitee, Amy Rodriguez traded to North Carolina; Kansas City acquires Mace, Hamilton and Rowland, USWNT wrestling with identity ahead of World Cup, USWNT 2, Brazil 1: On fullback positioning and the double-edge sword of transitions, Several players drop out of French national team ahead of the World Cup, Seriously, a fall-to-spring schedule for the NWSL? Misconduct within the NWSL-and a failure to adequately investigate allegations of misconduct and take measures to prevent further misconduct-has contributed to players' lack of trust and confidence in U.S. Soccer, the NWSL, and its member clubs. . These protocols mandated that all coach, general manager, and president hires had to be approved by the NWSL and that such employees had to complete a New Hire Certification, complete an NWSL-directed background check, and have certain language included in their contracts. Levine did not recall reviewing survey responses in the ordinary course, but told the Joint Investigative Team that she would have expected survey responses referring to abuse to be elevated to HR, the commissioner, and to her. On the Monday night before the game, four Dash players had dinner at a Pumas player's apartment and returned to their hotel around midnight. The NWSLPA continues to advocate for player safety and amplify players' voices regarding opportunities for change and improvement in the League. You moron.' These allegations were largely unsupported by specific examples and appear to either be the result of personal relationships that have soured and/or a reaction to Dames's undisputed favoritism of certain players." These failures created barriers to identifying and reporting misconduct, and bred distrust among players that reports would be handled appropriately by the League or clubs. Using language drafted in part by Levine, Baird exchanged a few emails with Shim, and during one such exchange, Shim emphasized that given the League's inaction" in response to her 2015 complaint, she was concerned for current players; she requested confirmation that "these issues will be investigated and that appropriate corrective action will be taken to ensure that abusers are not permitted to coach in the NWSL." 104, B. . The League later received new information indicating that Riley's misconduct had not been adequately investigated, but the League did not commission its own investigation or take other action. The statement also claimed that investigators provided Ms. LaHue a few documents that contained alterations. Clarkson denied making this comment, but witnesses corroborated that Clarkson was visibly upset and frustrated at the player, and that the player was upset. 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.' You should be so thankful I'm part of your life. By June 26, 2018, Levine had transferred her records of the short NWSL investigation to Investigative Methodology. Discussing the National Women's Soccer League and all things women's soccer in the US The Week in Women's Football: NWSL 2021 regular season review At some clubs, the players and club staff reported that they live in the same clubprovided housing during the season. Multiple players at the Pride experienced anxiety attacks due in part to a stressful working environment. The player said it later struck her as "weird" that Riley held these sessions in his hotel room rather than using a meeting room. U.S. Soccer's failure to exercise its power as manager in this regard contributed to widespread confusion across the League, clubs, and players, as to which entity was tasked with preventing and addressing misconduct. III. However, interviewees reported that Clarkson on occasion failed to recognize or appreciate his effect on players. The Joint Investigative Team reported regularly to the Oversight Committee on its progress and investigative strategy. to discount the impact of his behaviors." Players reported to the Joint Investigative Team a wide range of misconduct, including many instances of misconduct that have not been previously reported. Don't ever leave me." 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. On another occasion, after the detention of WNBA player Brittney Griner and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Clarkson approved conveying to a player's agent a contract offer from a Russian club, without acknowledging or showing sensitivity to the risks that would accompany playing in Russia. Yet, in responding to document requests from the Joint Investigative Team, the Thorns asserted the report was protected by attorney-client privilege and claimed they had shared it with U.S. Soccer in 2015 pursuant to a common interest agreement under which neither the NWSL nor U.S. Soccer would be permitted to share the report. Sources: Alyse LaHue out as Gotham FC general manager : r/NWSL - reddit 61, Another player recalled that Harrington went to a strip club with players after a seasonending loss when he was an assistant coach with the Red Stars. 6. While the emails between Whisler, Bailey, Flynn, and Gulati obtained by the Joint Investigative Team do not reflect this, Whisler said that he attempted, but was unable, to get more information from U.S. Soccer on the comments regarding Dames or direction on how to address them. At the club level, U.S. Soccer's failure to share its findings allowed Whisler to take the position that U.S. Soccer essentially had cleared Dames of wrongdoing and that no action was required by the Red Stars. Players directed similar criticism to the processes that led to the hiring of Richie Burke, Farid Benstiti, Christy Holly, Vera Pauw, and Paul Riley. 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. Sky Blue had three picks in the first round of the National Women's Soccer . The club did not take steps to determine if Riley's conduct extended beyond an isolated comment or to other players. During that interview, she explained that she was more involved in on-the-field issues and that Chris Long was more involved in sponsorship and other business issues. Farrelly asked what steps the NWSL intended to take in connection with inappropriate conduct that was initially reported" and offered to make herself available for an interview. The NWSL should conduct an assessment of its HR and Legal departments to determine whether they are sufficiently staffed to conduct thorough and prompt investigations of allegations of misconduct. Levine told the Joint Investigative Team she sent the report because Duffy was concerned at the time about a potential story regarding the Riley allegations, though Levine could not recall specifics. In one instance, players said they felt confined to their hotel on their day off because Dames told them that each player would have to meet with him "within five minutes of him calling them or they would be cut from the team, but did not give them advance notice of the meeting times. Shim later stated, I'm just so grateful for this opportunity to get these bad people out of the League and really shine a light on this issue because it's so prevalent. One player described feeling anxious and upset after a coach was "almost screaming on top of [her], pointing his finger." Covington and Weil (collectively, the "Joint Investigative Team) reviewed all reports indicating that a person in a position of power in the NWSL or one of its member clubs engaged in or facilitated inappropriate conduct towards NWSL players, including discrimination, harassment, sexual, physical, or emotional abuse, and retaliation related to such reports. When Simon arrived at Holly's house, Pearce Rampone was not there. If misconduct under the Anti-Harassment Policy is revealed as part of the Alternative Complaint Resolution program process, the misconduct should be reported promptly to the NWSL HR Office and/or the NWSL General Counsel. For instance, two players told the investigator they had left the Red Stars in part because of Dames's abuse. Accounts differ about what happened next. Ms. "We've seen other teams continue to up their professional standards, and Sky Blue has to follow suit," LaHue said. Conduct Background Checks on All Prospective Club Owners, Staff, and Volunteers Who May Interact With Players 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. But public reporting around misconduct against NWSL players has increased in recent years. Players and club staff also reported that they questioned Holly's decision-making because of this romantic relationship. When the Thorns received Shim's complaint in 2015, the club conducted an investigation that was too narrowly scoped, that was not conducted in a trauma-informed manner, and that lacked follow-up on indicia of additional sexual misconduct towards Sinead Farrelly or on comments by Riley regarding players' sexual orientation. The League should be transparent with players about progress and should provide players with a formal platform where they can share ongoing concerns with management and the Board of Governors. 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." In spite of this, the evidence shows that neither club that subsequently hired Riley was given a full understanding of the extent of Shim's allegations and the full investigative findings against Riley. Former 24, film sessions at his apartment with Shim, had dinner alone with Shim one night, sent inappropriate text messages to Shim, and deleted Shim's July email to him stating Riley's conduct was inappropriate without notifying his superiors about the email. Wilkinson also said he told Lines that Riley was a good coach if not for the reason he had been fired. While the Joint Investigative Team considered the findings of the USSF Report, and identified lines of inquiry that merited further investigation, the objective of this Report is to summarize the work of the Joint Investigative Team, rather than to comment on, or respond to, the USSF Report. In addition, players could report complaints to the NWSL HR Manager, the email address and phone number for which are published in the NWSL Anti-Harassment Policy, posted on the League website, and disseminated to clubs and players. Inappropriate Sexual and Objectifying Remarks to Players The next day, on June 13, 2018, Levine informed Whisler that a player had raised a complaint. Hammond denied ever speaking to Riley about this request and denied that Riley told him that Kurtz could not be traded. However, Dames privately complained to Whisler about the need to change his behavior. 114 As described in the following sections, these failures harmed NWSL players and discouraged players and other stakeholders from reporting misconduct. During the interview, Farrelly described the night that she and Shim had kissed in Riley's apartment, and she said she had seen some of Riley's inappropriate text messages to Shim. If a club staff member who has been found to have engaged in misconduct seeks a position at another club in the NWSL, the NWSL should promptly alert that club of the prior misconduct. Clubs should be advised not to request that players and other witnesses in investigations sign non-disclosure agreements for the purpose of preventing the transmission of information about the allegations to the NWSL or other clubs. Former USWNT General Manager Cheryl Bailey would serve as the League's executive director. Another player reported to the Joint Investigative Team that she was traded from the Red Stars shortly after she raised a complaint to the NWSL about Dames; the player expressed concern that her complaint played a role in her departure from the team. During the lengthy investigation, players were given insufficient opportunity to speak to the investigator, and the investigator did not speak to any club staff members other than Dames. Out of respect for player privacy, this Report does not provide a detailed account of the evidence or findings in this and other instances where the Joint Investigative Team determined no misconduct occurred. At the time, Plush contacted Gulati and Flynn, saying that the player survey comments from the Flash were disturbing and more worrisome than others." Compounding this effect, the League lacked trainings, policies, and other resources on harassment, abuse, and other forms of misconduct. . In many instances, in the absence of League requirements for coach vetting, the NWSL and its clubs failed to sufficiently vet coaches before hiring them. Plush stated that he never told Malik that Riley was "cleared" or in "good standing." The NWSLPA and the League began collective bargaining in late 2020, and Meghann Burke was hired to a full-time position as the Executive Director of the NWSLPA in early 2021. Precious little information has been available about what went down between LaHue and Gotham. On October 6, 2021, NWSL teams returned to play for the first time since publication of the Athletic article. Dames responded, [S]he was one of the 2 in consideration prior to any of this crap going on per our text last night. Five months later, another NWSL club, the Western New York Flash, hired Riley as head coach. Club staff should be advised to elevate to the NWSL not only formal complaints and reports of misconduct they receive, but also any observed misconduct or alleged misconduct of which they otherwise become aware. Sometime after that incident, Shim asked Riley to maintain a strictly professional relationship with her. Following Clarkson's suspension, the Joint Investigative Team interviewed 19 additional current and former Dash players and staff, including Clarkson. Players on another team reported that a former assistant coach liked tweets critical of the Black Lives Matter movement, causing several Black and non-Black players to be uncomfortable and upset with the assistant coach.