An independent investigation into the scandals that erupted in the National Women's Soccer League last season found that emotional abuse and sexual misconduct occurred systemically, affecting multiple teams, coaches and players.
"Abuse in the NWSL is rooted in a deep culture in women's soccer, starting in the youth leagues, that
normalizes verbally abusive coaching and blurs the lines between coaches and players
," the former acting US attorney general wrote. Sally Q. Yates in her investigative report released Monday.
US Soccer commissioned the investigation from Yates and the law firm King & Spaulding after former NWSL players Sinead Farrelly and Mana Shim filed decade-old allegations of sexual harassment and coercion involving former coach Paul Riley.
His account was published by The Athletic in September 2021.
Riley, who denied the allegations, was quickly fired as head coach of the North Carolina Courage, and NWSL Commissioner Lisa Baird resigned.
But it was clear that these kinds of situations were widespread.
Five of the 10 NWSL head coaches last season were fired or resigned amid allegations of misconduct.
“The verbal and emotional abuse that players describe in the NWSL
is not just 'hard' training
.
And the affected players do not shrink from anything.
They are among the best athletes in the world,” Yates wrote.
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The researchers interviewed
more than 200 people
.
More than twenty entities and individuals contributed documents.
US Soccer also provided documents and the company reviewed 89,000 that were considered likely to be relevant.
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US Soccer Federation President Cindy Parlow Cone called the findings
“heartbreaking and deeply troubling.”
"
The abuse described is inexcusable and has no place on any playing field
, in any training center or workplace," he said in a statement.
"As the national governing body for our sport, US Soccer is fully committed to doing everything in its power to ensure that all players, at all levels, have a safe and respectful place to learn, grow and compete."
The report made
numerous recommendations
to prioritize player health and safety.
Among them is the requirement that teams report instances of coach misconduct to the league and the football federation in detail to ensure that coaches cannot continue to work by changing teams.
It also requires a meaningful investigation of coaches and a timely investigation of allegations of abuse.
The investigation
focused on three former managers
, Riley, Racing Louisville's Christy Holly and Chicago Red Stars' Rory Dames.
It chronicles an April 2021 meeting between Holly and a player, Erin Simon, who is now playing in Europe.
Holly invited her to watch the game video with him and allegedly told her that for every pass she missed, he was going to tag her.
Simon told investigators that Holly "pushed her hands down her pants and up her shirt."
Simon, now with Leicester City, said
there are too many athletes who suffer in silence
because they fear not being heard.
Racing Louisville FC defender Erin Simon runs against the Washington Spirit during an NWSL Challenge Cup soccer game, Thursday, April 15, 2021, in Washington.Will Newton/AP
"I know because that's how I felt," the 28-year-old said in a statement.
“I went through many difficult days, in which only my faith sustained me and kept me going.
I want to do everything in my power to make sure no other player goes through what I went through.
This report allows our voices to finally be heard and is the first step in achieving the respectful workplace we all deserve,” she stated.
Holly was fired for cause, but Racing Louisville refused to publicly state why.
Yates' report noted that Racing did not provide investigators with details about Holly's employment, citing mutual non-disclosure and non-disparagement clauses.
Farrelly said the harassment she experienced began in 2011 when she was a women's professional soccer league player for the Philadelphia Independence of the Women's Professional Soccer League.
Riley was her trainer.
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She told The Athletic that Riley's abuse continued when she was with the Portland Thorns in 2014 and 2015. Shim, a former Thorns player, also said she experienced harassment.
None of the women are currently playing in the NWSL.
Portland Thorns said they investigated Riley in 2015 while he was with the team and reported the findings to the league.
They did not renew his contract, but they did not make the reasons public.
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The report said the Portland Thorns failed to disclose certain information and tried to prevent investigators from using the team's 2015 report.
“The Portland Thorns
interfered with our access to relevant witnesses
and presented misleading legal arguments in an attempt to prevent our use of important documents,” Yates wrote.
Riley went on to coach the Western New York Flash.
He then
moved to North Carolina and changed his name
from him.
When the scandal broke last year, former Thorns forward Alex Morgan posted on social media: “
The league was made aware of these allegations multiple times
and repeatedly refused to investigate the allegations.
The league must accept responsibility for a process that failed to protect its own players from this abuse."
Morgan also said that Shim and Farrelly asked the NWSL early last year for a new investigation into Riley's behavior, but this request was denied.
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