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At some point that night, only Riley, Shim, Farrelly, and Thorns Assistant Coach William "Skip" Thorp remained in the bar, and the four left together when the bar closed. 49, that he did not have "near enough support" to keep him at the club and they would "need to find the right wording." For example, players noted that Pauw wanted to exert control over "every aspect of [their] lives," including everything you were putting in your body, every exercise you were doing." The Joint Investigative Team also found numerous deficiencies in the 2015 Thorns Investigation and subsequent communications by the Thorns, the NWSL, and U.S. Soccer about Riley's misconduct. The New Jersey native is hoping to expand her horizons through overseas play. 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. In evaluating potential misconduct towards players by those in positions of power, the Joint Investigative Team gathered relevant evidence, made factual findings, and analyzed whether those findings met established definitions of misconduct. 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. 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. 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. Novo explained that before this happened, players approached him and requested a meeting to share concerns about Holly. A former player stressed that "players married to staff members [and] coaches" is "an issue across multiple clubs." 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. In May 2022, the Joint Investigative Team commenced an investigation into reports from Pride players that members of the club's coaching staff were retaliating against players who they believed had participated in a previous investigation into misconduct allegations against coaching staff. Trainings should be streamlined and consistent, and should be mandatory for League staff, club staff, volunteers who regularly interact with players, and players across all clubs. A. 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. For instance, one player said that while she felt Whisler "cared," she felt he did not "get it or understand what he lets happen." The Thorns acquired Farrelly on January 13, 2014, a month after the club named Riley head coach. The Joint Investigative Team also reached out to approximately 150 current and former players individually by email, telephone, and/or text and invited them to share their, experiences with the Joint Investigative Team. One club staff member stated that Dames would give the team three days off, but would not inform them until the day before, leaving the team "stuck [and] not able to get out of Illinois. The staff member said, I don't know if that's him being controlling, but also noted that it felt like Dames didn't like people leaving market." Through counsel, the Thorns emailed Levine a copy of the report with its attachments. Harrington then stated that the player may have contacted him via WhatsApp or may have just flagged [him] down" in the hotel lobby. According to players, Riley made unrealistic and seemingly arbitrary demands for player weight loss. 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. 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 investigators said they conducted more than 200 interviews and reviewed some 200,000 documents. A player recalled the owner of her club warning her that if players complained, the club would fold as the Breakers had already done because the owner would depart, anyone buying the club would have to assume the debts attached to it, and no one would be willing to do so. 1. 1. The background checks should continue to be conducted by professional employment services companies in a manner consistent with any applicable legal restrictions and guidelines. Instead, the conclusion of the report stated, "Beyond the undisputed behaviors, there are a significant volume of other concerns shared by some, but not all players. 97, In an email exchange in July 2017, Sky Blue owner Steven Temares asked Novo whether "Christy has a relationship that takes advantage of any player or makes his independence as a coach questionable among the players." At the end of the investigation, the Joint Investigative Team delivered this Report to the NWSL and NWSLPA. As another example, the summary stated, "Several players described Dames using personal information against players, in those words, but struggled to articulate what they meant by this allegation and to provide specific examples. When an assistant coach attempted to give the player the requested advice, Williams told the assistant coach, "Shut the fuck up and go sit down." 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." Leadership at the Thorns had knowledge of misconduct by Paul Riley, including his drinking alcohol with players and reported mistreatment of players, even before Mana Shim made a formal complaint in September 2015 of sexual misconduct by Riley. Of the ten clubs that were in operation in October 2021, seven did not have dedicated HR staff tasked with receiving complaints or reports of misconduct and with investigating misconduct. 1. Players raised multiple concerns about him to club management. Sky Blue FC's Alyse LaHue And for every role model out there, and every new one made, there's another awakening. Recalling the club's mindset at the time, Red Stars owner Arnim Whisler explained that a check was not considered, as Dames was a well-known figure within the soccer community. 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." 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.' Truth Be Told: The Fight for Women's Professional Soccer, stream on ESPN+. The Joint Investigative Team found strong evidence to corroborate players' concerns about Whisler. But the story had been percolating since June 28, when I reported via Twitter that Alyse LaHue was away from the team. D. 10, that worsened its financial troubles. This concern was well-founded. 100, other inappropriate sexual conduct at Shim, including attempting to be alone with Shim, and opening his hotel room door in his underwear and asking Shim to get on his bed. Rory Dames engaged in both verbal and emotional abuse and made racially insensitive and sexist comments to players. Similarly, the League had no process for clubs to speak to former owners, general managers, staff, or players when hiring a new coach. 1. The agreement provided Dames with an additional five weeks of pay, and prohibited Dames and the Red Stars from disparaging the other or disclosing to anyone the existence and content of the agreement, with no exception for cooperation with the ongoing investigations. The League is also part of a soccer ecosystem in which mistreatment of players is endemic one which affects not only the NWSL, but other professional leagues, both domestic and abroad, the report says. One Spirit player recalled Burke going "from zero to a thousand on the aggressive scale" towards one of her teammates during a halftime speech and making the teammate cry. Please sign in below. Riley also would tell players that he wanted "to see two women kiss," and made other statements that one player described as "homophobic." However, four of the nine players interviewed had raised concerns that Dames made inappropriate remarks about players' appearances, and two players provided specific examples of those comments. The NonFraternization Policy should also clarify that any sexual or romantic relationship between 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. Although the sex did not continue in Portland, Riley continued to fixate on Farrelly, and she continued to feel that he could put her in a position in which she could not refuse him Clubs and Owners At a higher level, the joint investigation makes a greater attempt to identify and define problematic everyday behaviors like emotional abuse, at times noting that even the players they interviewed struggle to define the lines between that and "tough coaching" because many of them grew up with so much of the latter. The actions of League and U.S. Soccer personnel-from the League's founding, through its years under U.S. Soccer management, to the present-demonstrate that misconduct does not announce itself, but requires proactive prevention and detection. The Dash blamed coronavirus protocols, and Clarkson did not ask security to look into it. While Whisler acknowledged receiving each of these complaints, he said he felt there was no "pattern" of complaints and wished he had received more information in order to take action earlier. In particular, the Joint Investigative Team did not receive a copy of Dames's separation agreement from the Red Stars until the end of this investigation, after the publication of the USSF Report. Multiple players described outsized, angry reactions to innocuous questions or requests. The annual training should be interactive, with opportunities for participants to ask questions and receive feedback. 9 Paulson told the Joint Investigative Team that he believed the NWSL could and would convey information about Riley's misconduct to the Flash. 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. He also made other inappropriate comments, including calling one player trailer trash" and insinuating he found players attractive. According to an outline prepared by players before the meeting, their concerns included comments made during training, like I'm going to ream her ass," and "you are a pain in my ass," demeaning players' abilities, and telling players, "I do this [drill] with my 12 year-olds" and "I do this with my U14s," which players felt did not afford them respect as professionals. One player remembered that there was "casual drinking throughout the day while players stayed at his home, and it felt like the alcohol was a gateway" for Riley to "wiggle his way in" with players. He stated that the non-disparagement clause was mutual, in that it required that the club not disparage Holly. The staff member's account contradicts Predmore's claim that he was unaware of any issues with Benstiti until after Benstiti signed his contract on January 11, 2020. Cromwell's, Greene's, and Reis's conduct could discourage players and staff from reporting misconduct in the future, and their conduct, therefore, directly contradicted the 2022 Anti-Harassment Policy, which aims to detect and prevent misconduct, protect players and others from retaliation for engaging in Protected Activity, and create a safe working environment for players. One player who witnessed this incident described that Dames's comments that had nothing to do with actually playing soccer" were constant." When Stanton started "bawling [her] eyes out," Dames told her, "Your response is making me feel better about the accusation." Before the season, Holly invited Simon to his home on two occasions to watch film, telling her that Pearce Rampone would be there. For example, the report summary stated, "The players broadly described how Dames did not maintain professional boundaries, was too close to certain players, and tried to gather information to get close to others. The Joint Investigative Team heard different accounts regarding exactly what information was shared with players at this meeting. The relationship was widely known by club management. Nonetheless, the Joint Investigative Team faced a number of limitations throughout the investigation. Paul Riley engaged in sexual misconduct towards Sinead Farrelly and Mana Shim. This player felt "the lines [were] blurred," and she never knew whether the invitations were inappropriate or if he "just genuinely care[d] about [her]." In discussing the player surveys, Flynn also noted he could "not remember any concerns that were ever brought to [his] attention by USSF personnel that specifically related to the quality of coaching or any abusive coaching tactics." Riley went on to be named head coach for two other NWSL clubs, the Western New York Flash and the Courage, in 2016 and 2017, respectively. Not resign."" Unwanted Sexual Advances Toward Players Misunderstandings resulting from the way the findings were conveyed contributed to the development of substantial tension and divisiveness within the locker room. He noted, for instance, that if Chicago Red Stars owner Arnim Whisler quit the League, the League would fail. 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. At the time of LaHues firing, limited information was provided to the public. The individual incidents and recurrent practices detailed in this Report reflect the experiences of players, not only in isolated moments but also more broadly, as women playing soccer in a league historically owned and run by men. 121, 6. One player said that "everything" players told Pearce Rampone "went back to" Holly. It was not until August 2022, after seven months of requests, that U.S. Soccer provided the Joint Investigative Team with a copy of the USSF Dames Report. In addition to the lack of information at Sky Blue, NWSL personnel did not have a clear understanding of why Holly left Sky Blue. For example, when Racing Louisville hired Holly as its new head coach in August 2020, it conducted a narrow criminal background check, in addition to speaking with former employers. The Joint Investigative Team understands that the staff member did not remain with the club after members of the NWSL office shared with the club that the coach was known in the soccer community to be abusive. In 2019, as the national team players departed for the World Cup, Kurtz expected to have opportunities to start for the Courage. Contrary to the assertion that the allegations were largely unsupported by specific examples," the report's own findings included multiple examples of the ways in which players felt Dames did not maintain professional boundaries. 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. 68, Coaches can also engage in verbal misconduct when they target players for personal attributes or immutable characteristics, such as their appearance, parental status, medical condition, or socioeconomic and educational background. One player referred to the environment as dehumanizing and dangerous. b) Club Policies Inconsistently Addressed Romantic Relationships The NWSL's Non-Fraternization Policy states, "No person in management or a supervisory position with a Team or the League shall have a romantic or dating relationship with a League or team employee whom he or she directly supervises or whose terms and conditions of employment he or she may influence (for example, roster decisions, promotion, termination, discipline, and compensation). Most clubs do not address romantic relationships between club staff, or between club staff and players, in their employee handbooks. B. Riley and Holly were not the only club staff members reported to have made unwanted sexual advances toward players. Predmore said he did not know about Benstiti's weight-shaming before deciding to hire Benstiti and remarked that "by the time it came out[,] Farid had signed his contract." The sale was finalized in March 2022. 11 To effectuate lasting change, the League must commit to the long-term, critical, incremental work of systemic cultural and structural transformation. Riley made shaming, non-performancerelated remarks about Kurtz's weight and appearance. Cromwell also sought to exclude the players she believed to have been involved in the March Investigation from her efforts to improve the locker room culture. It's across the sport. In mid-August 2021, Starr told the NWSL volunteer chaplain coordinator that a player shared that Holly had touched her inappropriately, though Starr did not share Simon's name. She also did not share the findings or conclusion from the investigation with players. .125, Introduction Aline Reis did not fully cooperate with the retaliation investigation, including by pressuring players to share favorable information with investigators. Players and club staff also described observing or learning of derogatory comments, negative stereotyping, and jokes about race and ethnicity by several other club coaches and leaders. . Prioritize DEI Initiatives to Create a More Inclusive Environment for All Players and Staff "The lack of clearly established responsibilities allowed individuals within these institutions to disclaim personal responsibility for player protection and to turn a blind eye or shift blame to other individuals and entities, while players were left exposed to further misconduct and unsafe environments. 7. 97 NEWARK, NJ - After years of bad press, Phil Murphy's Sky Blue soccer team was. After his hire, OL Reign CEO Bill Predmore told Benstiti he was not allowed to discuss diet or weight with players. Founded in 2009 in Chicago. 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. For example, Racing Louisville player Erin Simon observed that former Racing Louisville Head Coach Christy Holly, discussed at length below, would inappropriately put his hands on players "all the time in training, and a rookie teammate went along with his inappropriate touching because she was a bench player and feared being cut from the team. 9, instead, the Joint Investigative Team conducted a holistic assessment in determining which individuals to name in this Report. Representatives appointed by each of the 12 NWSL club owners comprise the League's Board of Governors, which acts on behalf of the League.