It has become more apparent that the influence and control coaches hold over players and their careers increase the risk that abuse will occur in the first placeand that if it does, players will fear the repercussions of reporting that abuse. Nonetheless, reasonable and thorough vetting remains a key piece of any efforts to identify and prevent inappropriate conduct. 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." With regards to Dames's treatment of players, one player recalled, "It wasn't like, 'Hey, bad pass.' The head coach notified club management and spoke with the assistant coach, reporting to club management that the conversation "didn't go well." On July 8, 2021, the Club was advised that the investigation determined that Ms. LaHue violated the leagues policy on harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. Recently we have absolutely discovered and uncovered the areas [where the] NWSL lacked and the harm it has caused. He told the player that the club had provided Benstiti the opportunity to resign as "the most immediate and least risky path" to removing him from the club. Over a year later, in September 2019, the law firm retained by U.S. Soccer completed its investigative steps and produced a draft report to U.S. Soccer (the "USSF Dames Report"). Williams, who was not at the meeting, reported being told by the Longs and a staff member that players were not happy because the team was not doing well. He also sent friendly emails to Lines, sometimes copying Riley or favorably discussing Riley; in one email, Paulson wrote to Lines, "Happy to see [the Flash] and Paul doing so well!!" Players also stated that Pauw commented on players' legs as being "bulky" and prohibited players from lifting weights based on her view that it would make them bulkier when she wanted players to be lean. 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. Malik published an open letter on October 6, 2021, stating that when the Courage bought the Flash, the Courage was made aware of a 2015 investigation into Riley but was "subsequently assured he was in good standing. Paulson also published an open letter on October 4, 2021, stating that once the Thorns received Shim's 2015 complaint, the club placed Riley on immediate suspension, conducted an investigation that led to Riley's termination, and shared investigative findings with the NWSL. "This process is the culmination of a wide-ranging collaboration among our fans, players, front office, and owners" said General Manager Alyse LaHue. c) Inappropriate Player-Staff Relationships It was not an official or recognized union; it had no full-time staff, and it was run by active players. The report indicates that LaHues counsel described the allegations as false claims., The report explains that the Joint Investigative Team found discrepancies in versions of an email exchange involving LaHue that was part of the file from the initial investigation done by the league in 2021. In January 2020, OL Reign hired Benstiti as their head coach, despite the availability of public reporting by multiple media sources that Benstiti harshly criticized Lindsey Horan's weight when he was her coach at the French club Paris Saint-Germain ("PSG") and told her she could not play until she lost weight. It should also provide examples of the types of personal attacks or degradation of players that are prohibited by the Anti-Harassment Policy. Players told the Joint Investigative Team that Dames threatened them, saying he would shred a player's contract or kick them off the team or out of practice if they made a mistake. I never had the ability to quickly lose weight." Each individual was invited to speak with the Joint Investigative Team. On several occasions, the NWSL or clubs did not investigate racially insensitive conduct or attempt to improve conditions for players of color until allegations of racism were brought to the public eye, or until players pushed for a response. The League should consider requiring that clubs certify that they have revised their anti-harassment policies to meet the baseline requirements of the League's Anti-Harassment Policy and that they have disseminated their policies and the League's policy to all staff and players. At the end of the investigation, the Joint Investigative Team delivered this Report to the NWSL and NWSLPA. The NWSL should consider requiring clubs to conduct exit interviews of players who depart the NWSL and to share these exit interview notes with the NWSL. The 2022 Anti-Harassment Policy clarifies that it applies to all "NWSL Personnel," which includes "certain individuals and entities not employed by NWSL," including team owners, team personnel, and team medical staff. Starr recalled feeling confused about what to do, in part because she knew Simon was afraid, and she did not want to destroy Simon's trust in her. players." While a short briefing of the investigation's findings was provided to the club, the Joint Investigative Team understands that U.S. Soccer did not share the nature of the complaints or conclusions of the investigation, including whether the reports against Dames were corroborated. E. Players Lacked Effective Channels for Reporting Inappropriate Now, league leadership must make meaningful changes: sources tell ESPN that the NWSL board received the report at the same time as it was released to the public, but in terms of timing, some of the report's recommendations could well be in place before the start of the 2023 season. 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. The NWSL should require annual written certifications from all NWSL and club staff and players certifying they have completed all mandatory annual trainings and that they have reviewed, understood, and agree to abide by the Anti-Harassment Policy. As one player said regarding the owner of her team, He made it seem like his players were his kids-which, if you had the owner of the Knicks saying that to one of his players, that's weird. 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. As noted above, Riley called Mana Shim "hot" and "sexy." However, that position is inconsistent with other evidence, including an email from counsel for the Thorns and Plush's own prior communications with Sky Blue. Players told the Joint Investigative Team that the assistant coach was away from the team for a few days, before returning without any warning to them. D. The player stated that Burke's lack of emotional control was "very regular." Even within the soccer world, the player explained, a tone appropriate for the field would not be appropriate in other settings, such as locker rooms, team dinners, or one-on-one meetings with players. 16, the League come with the mentality of doing you a favor." 1. That news followed a report from Meg Linehan of The Athletic on Thursday that Paul Riley, who was fired by the North Carolina Courage, had inappropriate sexual relationships with players and made. The conclusion mentioned none of these concerns. to any third-party that denigrates, disparages, criticizes, When Shim arrived, Riley opened the hotel door so that he was behind it, requiring Shim to step all the way inside. On October 14, 2021, the club announced that Baldwin, along with owner Bill Lynch, would sell their shares in the club to Kang. 28, Investigative Team that he surmised that U.S. Soccer and the NWSL received legal advice from Levine that there was nothing they could formally do to stop Riley from coaching elsewhere in the NWSL. The NWSL should establish and enforce a policy that provides clear guidance to clubs on their use of non-disclosure and non-disparagement agreements in circumstances involving alleged or substantiated misconduct under the Anti-Harassment Policy. When he was not yelling, players felt that Dames was emotionally manipulative" and would use information he knew about them against them. Burke used the N-word in recounting a story to a Black player, made jokes and racially insensitive remarks about Black Lives Matter, and used antisemitic language in comments to the team. amounted to verbal and emotional abuse." Within a few months, investors had spent what was originally expected to sustain the league for three to five years. In written responses to questions posed by U.S. Soccer and provided to the Joint Investigative Team, Flynn During this meeting with Novo, players shared that Holly had screamed at and verbally abused players. Additionally, Farrelly was not treated as someone who was also targeted by Riley, and her interview-which lasted only 30 minutes at most-focused on Shim's allegations against Riley and whether Farrelly had told anyone about the incidents; the interview did not probe deeply into Farrelly's own negative experiences with Riley. When reflecting on his jokes related to Jewish people, Burke said that he did not know there had been Jewish people on the team. The Joint Investigative Team requested an interview of the Current owners, and Angie Long sat for an interview. 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. 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. The League should require that any non-disclosure or non-disparagement provisions allow the League and clubs to share information consistent with disclosure requirements set forth in the AntiHarassment Policy and any other requirements that may be implemented to promote transparency and player safety. Club policies only listed club personnelincluding supervisors, club presidents, other members of club management, and club HR departments-as potential reporting channels. The summary also stated that the allegation was "credibly denied by Whisler," but he in fact did not explicitly deny the allegation. 5. By the time U.S. Soccer's investigator contacted the complainant to interview her, the Red Stars had already traded her. Documents Collected and Reviewed 6. As Equalizer has reported, the highly-anticipated report contained detailed findings of an investigation into numerous allegations of misconduct across the league. One night in May 2015, members of the Thorns went to a bar in Portland following a home game. Texts between the player and Burke indicate Burke spoke to her supportively at one point in or around June 2020 about her The misconduct of Riley, Dames, and Holly has been a focus of public reporting regarding the treatment of players in the League. However, the club did not share enough information about the reason for Holly's termination, leaving both players and the public uncertain about why he was fired. Two players said they sought therapy. Hammond said that Kurtz's agent had requested a trade, and Hammond reached out to teams to try to find a trade for Kurtz. "The continuation of ongoing investigations initiated under the NWSL's current antiharassment policy, and the recommendation of sanctions where appropriate." . He often invited certain players to have lunch or dinner with him, taking one small group of players out to dinner on a regular basis. One player provided multiple examples of instances in which she felt Dames had used personal information against players. To learn more about player experiences in the NWSL, the NWSL should consider administering annual player surveys that include questions addressing misconduct, awareness of and accessibility of reporting channels, and team culture. d) Frequent Social Interactions and Controlling Players' Social Lives It stated that Riley danced with Shim at the apartment and that Shim and Farrelly kissed that night, which Shim claimed (and another player corroborated) was done to avoid the suicide mile. 17, 1. c) Necessity of Additional Vetting "We existed because [our owner] wanted a soccer team for his daughter. For example, the Courage's policy did not contain an anti-retaliation provision. Following WUSA's collapse in 2003, the United States was without a professional women's soccer league until WPS began play in March 2009. For example, the Courage re-signed Jaelene Daniels in 2021, after her brief retirement. These threats, or even the perceived risk of waiver for raising concerns or expressing disagreement with clubs and coaches, signaled to players that they were dispensable. The documents should be kept confidential and shared only with individuals who need them to investigate and make determinations regarding investigation outcomes and discipline. 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. "Our biggest goal as a staff, when I took over, was that we needed to rebuild the trust with fans. Bailey also noted to Whisler that the player survey results were shared with Flynn and Gulati, and Whisler emailed both Flynn and Gulati regarding the survey results. 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. This may encompass disputes between players, or disputes between players and club staff. This was despite Shim and Farrelly both indicating in their 2021 communications that they were dissatisfied with the NWSL's response to the 2015 complaint and investigation, and Farrelly providing additional information regarding Riley that should have been of interest to the NWSL. Until 2022, the League also had no free agency for any players, meaning a single club retained the rights to the player even if the player was not under contract. .17 Starr recalled that the NWSL volunteer chaplain coordinator "didn't know what to do," and had never navigated a similar report of abuse. Another player described the way Riley spoke disparagingly about players' weight to another coach, in the open, where other players overheard. She pushed his hands away, crossed her legs, and turned away from him, but Holly told her to lighten up" and have fun. Hendrix said Simon told her about this incident right after it happened, and she recalled Simon crying. He also recalled being told that players were concerned about the amount of training given to non-starters. Our players respect what Holly does as a coach and how he treats other players, coaches, and staff." He asked her what she was eating, told her she looked chubby, and told her she would need to lose 14 pounds before the game to keep her starting role, telling her, "I hope you know I'm doing this because I love you." 1. By the time Levine and Duffy spoke to the two players they interviewed other than the complainant, Whisler had already spoken to both of them. The morale around the club seems higher than ever and fans are once again excited to get back into the seats of Yurcak Field. In August 2019, a Thorns staff member emailed a draft public statement (which was never publicly released) to Paulson and Golub for review. At the conclusion of its investigation, the Joint Investigative Team determined that Clarkson's actions constituted emotional misconduct. Kurtz recalled Hammond responding, You're a professional athlete; I hope you know you're not chubby. According to Kurtz, Hammond did not ask follow-up questions about why she felt uncomfortable around Riley. 5. The message internalized by these players was that the institutions of which they were a part were at constant risk of failure and that by rocking the boat, they could single-handedly cause that failure. A different player explained that "a lot of coaches . However, many players were troubled by the way the Dash handled the situation. The report, however, acknowledges that "a majority of players expressed the view that Clarkson's treatment of players did not rise to the level of abuse or misconduct.
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