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The NWSLPA regularly encouraged its members to share relevant information with the Joint Investigative Team. Rather, working closely with U.S. Soccer, she proceeded "stepwise" until she felt she had collected enough information to speak to Dames and Whisler. On September 30, 2021, The Athletic published the article regarding Riley, and the Courage publicly announced Riley's termination that same day. Riley's attitude changed during the early 2015 NWSL season, when he began texting Shim often, asking her to coffee during road trips, and inviting her to watch game film with him to identify areas for improvement, sometimes changing the location of film-watching to his apartment. Club ownership noted that the individual had "cleared" his background check and that they had planned to hire him, but that they ultimately chose not to hire him after the NWSL advised against it. 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. The Joint Investigative Team reached out to approximately 780 current and former NWSL players regarding the investigation. For much of the NWSL's history, the NWSL and many of its clubs did not employ any designated HR staff. However, the report ultimately determined, "The only result that is clearly called for by this external review is the establishment of standards for conduct by NWSL coaches and education on those standards, to resolve any uncertainty going forward." 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." Wilkinson told the Joint Investigative Team he learned of at least one occasion in mid-2015 in which Riley had been drinking socially with players. Though Shim had deleted many of the inappropriate communications she had received from Riley after Riley instructed her to do so, the report also included some text messages between Riley and Shim, some submitted to Garcia by Shim and some submitted by Riley. Players shared with former Sky Blue President and General Manager Tony Novo Johnson recalled Flynn describing the incident as "a moment of poor judgment. Johnson said he did not understand from the conversation with Flynn that the incident had played a role in Riley's departure from the Thorns; rather, Johnson understood from Riley and from media reports that Riley's departure was related to a team performance issue. Similarly, Levine reported that, prior to 2020, the League had only been involved in one or two investigations, and that no formal procedure for handling complaints had been developed. 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. Riley targeted Shim in other ways as well. One player for the Dash noted that the HR representative primarily worked for the MLS team and was unfamiliar with the reporting channels for the women's team. 3. In certain instances, these coaches justified their behavior by relying on the rationale that the behavior was "cultural" or by doubling down on claims that their behavior was oriented around fitness. The club fired LaHue in July 2021. 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. As U.S. Soccer General Counsel, Lisa Levine received Shim's September 2015 email containing allegations against Riley on the same day Shim sent the complaint, and Levine received updates about the Thorns's 2015 investigation regarding Riley from the outside counsel hired by the Thorns. On December 5, 2022, Whisler announced that he would sell the Red Stars. 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." On an away trip to another state, she asked Dames for permission to visit her parents, who lived in the state. First, the summary stated that Dames appear[ed] to need guidance on when and how often it is appropriate to text players and the best way to provide constructive feedback. Second, the summary noted that "Dames and Whisler should be concerned about the mere appearance" that Dames had an inappropriately close relationship" with one player. The Joint Investigative Team reviewed the USSF Dames Report, spoke to the lawyer who led the investigation and the lawyers at U.S. Soccer who directed it, and independently reviewed Dames's conduct as head coach. . The morale around the club seems higher than ever and fans are once again excited to get back into the seats of Yurcak Field. D. In September 2015, Gulati and Flynn received Shim's email containing allegations against Riley, and during the Thorns's investigation, they received some updates related to Riley and to the investigation from Levine. 9. C. One member of the NWSL community criticized the SafeSport trainings as not being interactive and consisting of lectures and short quizzes that participants are not required to pass before proceeding with the training. Insufficient HR Staff at the NWSL and Clubs Only two clubs' employee handbooks-the Spirit's and Gotham's-referenced the NWSL Anti-Harassment Policy. . The Thorns did not provide the Flash with a copy of the investigative report. The National Women's Soccer League on Monday permanently banned four former coaches from working in the league, in the wake of BigLaw probes that revealed a raft of sexual misconduct and toxic . OL Reign hired Farid Benstiti despite public evidence that Benstiti had engaged in weight shaming of Lindsey Horan, who had played for him at Paris Saint-Germain. According to the USSF Dames Report, Dames admitted that he used the term "thug" to refer to a Black player but adamantly denied any racial intent. Simon said she told Holly that now that he was her boss, he would have to stop the inappropriate behavior, and he replied that he had until January 1, because that was when her contract started. Interviews Conducted He reiterated that she would not be allowed to leave. Holly then pulled down his pants and began masturbating in front of her. Texts between the player and Burke indicate Burke spoke to her supportively at one point in or around June 2020 about her The courses also apparently do not describe the process whereby participants can report misconduct. A third player reported that Riley called players "fucking idiots" while at the Courage, and another player recalled Riley calling an injured player "the clumsiest fucking player I've ever coached." Even before the Athletic article detailing Riley's misconduct was published, two Courage players had made complaints-one directly to the NWSL and one to the Courage (which was later reported to the NWSL)-that Riley had made inappropriate comments about players' weight and that he had required a player to report her weight to him daily for more than two months. ", - Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, more (U.S.). Riley-who is around 15 years older than Farrelly-began lowering professional boundaries with Farrelly during that time, including by focusing his attention on her during nights out drinking with the team, asking probing personal questions, and telling her she was "beautiful." The player described feeling shocked at the sudden threat because her teammate "[hadn't] done a thing and was harmless." 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. Farrelly emailed Wilkinson expressing discontent and concern that she was being traded so soon after the investigation into Riley's conduct. Riley also would tell players that he wanted "to see two women kiss," and made other statements that one player described as "homophobic." At least one player and a volunteer at the club corroborated that Holly treated Simon harshly. Eight different ownership groups and 15 individuals -- including some from the NWSL and U.S. Soccer -- come under detailed scrutiny in the latest report. D. Players recounted numerous instances in which club staff made inappropriate sexual and objectifying comments. Levine said after the player survey comments were shared with the club, the club moved Lines to a front office role. 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. 7. the Joint Investigative Team sent each club a document collection questionnaire to gather information about its organization, structure, and mechanisms for reporting complaints. The latter is presumably for each club and, perhaps in some cases, NWSL commissioner Berman to decide. "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. 12 The failure to fully share information between stakeholders in women's soccer was also an issue during the USSF Dames Investigation. 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. This report, along with text message and email exhibits, was shared with individuals at U.S. Soccer and the NWSL. Predmore said he told Benstiti that his comments were not appropriate and that he was not permitted to have a conversation with any players about diet, nutrition, or fitness under any circumstance. Gorden's boyfriend was prevented from entering an area where he could speak with her, and she said publicly that her white teammates were visiting family in the same area, but were not scrutinized. Many clubs' anti-harassment policies were too narrow because they only prohibited unlawful harassment. The 2022 Anti-Harassment Policy defines emotional misconduct as deliberate, noncontact behavior that has the potential to cause emotional or psychological harm to another person," including verbal, physical, or other acts that deny attention or support to or degrade, insult, sabotage, humiliate, belittle, berate, and/or single out, ignore, or reject an individual. In certain circumstances, NWSL personnel maliciously threatening to waive, bench, or trade 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. While the NWSL has recently improved its hiring practices and background check processes, background and reputational checks should be enhanced, and the NWSL should establish formal procedures to facilitate information-sharing among clubs. F. Additionally, players reported instances in which behavior by coaches, staff, or club leadership created a culture in which players feared retaliation. Many players across the NWSL said they did not know how to elevate concerns about club staff, including coaches, within their clubs or to the NWSL. The HR employee told the Joint Investigative Team that Levine conveyed that the matter was under control, had been investigated, and that Riley had been "cleared." These biases are central to any evaluation of misconduct in the League.. 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. coach, and Alyse LaHue, the former general manager of Gotham F.C., each received two-year suspensions from the league. A former player told the Joint Investigative Team she believed the investigation was "inconclusive because no action was taken." These vague public statements contributed to the failure to adequately share information between U.S. Soccer, the League, and clubs regarding coaches who committed misconduct. Some players reported feeling that the incident left them feeling attacked, scared, and on edge. Clarkson was suspended in April amid an ongoing investigation, but until Wednesday, no reasons were provided publicly. Third, Thorns leadership, U.S. Soccer, and the NWSL were not transparent with other NWSL clubs regarding the allegations and findings against Riley in the 2015 Thorns Investigation. Many of the coaches and individuals who engaged in misconduct and who are discussed in this Report were not appropriately vetted by their clubs., Nor are the leagues current protocols sufficient, the report says: Significant gaps exist in the NWSLs revised background check requirements., READ MORE: Joanna Lohman was fooled by Paul Riley in Philadelphia, where he allegedly coerced her teammates. Numerous individuals reported that Cromwell and Greene stopped speaking to players who they believed had supported the allegations under investigation and who did not apologize to Cromwell and Greene for their participation in the March 2022 investigation. One player recalled that six players spoke during the meeting; only one returned for the next season. The power of players' voices to call attention to and combat misconduct is evident; the steps the League has taken, including commissioning this joint investigation with the NWSLPA, have already had a meaningful impact. When LaHue was named GM in April, her first big goal was to re-establish a relationship with the fanbase, which had been very vocal about ousting former Sky Blue president and GM, Tony Novo. 105, Soccer and the NWSL that the 2015 investigation did not reveal "unlawful harassment" but merely "poor judgment, and provided no explanation for this characterization, including how it squared with the contents of the report or the decision to fire Riley because his conduct violated multiple provisions of his employment agreement. The Athletic recounted the experiences of two former players, Mana Shim and Sinead Farrelly, and reported that Riley sexually coerced players, provided alcohol to players and drank excessively with them, and made derogatory comments about players' weight and sexual orientation. A few weeks later, on October 2, 2014, then-NWSL Executive Director Cheryl Bailey shared a version of the USWNT players' comments with the Red Stars. 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." In the wake of that public disclosure, Spirit CEO and managing partner Steve Baldwin resigned, but players called for him to sell his share of the team to minority owner Michele Kang. These behaviors undisputedly occurred and are still occurring." The Courage and the Spirit listed an anonymous reporting hotline whereby employees could make complaints, but no clubs referenced the NWSL RealResponse hotline in their policies. As a result, several players felt that they needed to apologize for participating in or failing to stop the March Investigation. 48, lack of information sharing deterred players from speaking out and left players with the impression that Dames's conduct was appropriate. The Joint Investigative Team conducted a review to assess the allegations against Riley and to analyze the 2015 Thorns Investigation and the response by the Thorns, NWSL, U.S. Soccer, and other stakeholders. At the same time, certain behaviors that have been normalized as "tough" coaching, such as screaming in players' faces, are slowly but increasingly recognized as inappropriate and abusive. 9. Aside from Lines, Levine told the Joint Investigative Team that she could not recall any specific follow-up by the League or U.S. Soccer based on survey results. Holly complained to Simon about Hendrix and referred to Hendrix as a "cockblock." The NWSL began planning for a 2021 anti-harassment training, but the training did not happen before the crises that emerged in the fall of 2021. The NWSL should consider working with the NWSLPA to establish additional affinity groups, and develop similar partnerships with those affinity groups to improve the NWSL experience for all players. According to the report, Gotham was one of two clubs in the league that even references the NWSL Anti-Harassment policy in their policies, stating that the club will also adhere to the National Womens Soccer Leagues Anti-Harassment Policy. However, Gothams own anti-harassment policy contained a provision stating that employees who witness offensive behavior in the workplace whether directed at them or another employee are encouraged, though not required, to immediately address it with the employee whose behavior they found offensive. The report states that this provision puts an unfair burden on employees experiencing misconduct by suggesting they should confront the employee engaging in the misconduct. 10 In May 2018, U.S. Soccer's investigator spoke to Press regarding her complaint that Dames "verbally and emotionally abuse[d] . On July 16, 2021, Gotham announced that General Manager Alyse LaHue was terminated following an investigation into a complaint that she had violated NWSL policy. b) Plush responded to Shim acknowledging receipt, and he forwarded the complaint to then-personnel at U.S. Soccer, which at the time managed the NWSL, including U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati, CEO and Secretary General Dan Flynn, General Counsel Lisa Levine, and Chief Financial Officer Eric Gleason.