In 2020 and 2021, James Clarkson emailed club staff, including the club president, in an effort to develop a mental health program to support players. The Courage learned nothing of the allegation that Riley had said players could avoid the suicide mile by kissing, or of the other clearly established 2. The misconduct of Riley, Dames, and Holly has been a focus of public reporting regarding the treatment of players in the League. Provide Leadership Training to Coaches 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. After Dames tendered his resignation, Whisler entered into a separation agreement with Dameseven though Dames was terminable at will. 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. 5 The teammate told her to put her phone away and not show the message to anybody. Greene also made comments to staff members about reporting, including that she was going to find out who started the March Investigation and "get to the bottom of it," and that staff members should bring issues to the coaching staff, rather than club management. Dames declined requests to be interviewed in this investigation. Baird suggested to Levine that they should set up a call with Farrelly, but Levine stated that they should email Farrelly first. The club did not take steps to determine if Riley's conduct extended beyond an isolated comment or to other players. One player said that after Holly learned she had experienced a personal loss, he encouraged her to meet with him late at night. The staff member said that a player told her that the team felt "if they ever said anything [negative about Dames], at the end of the season they would just get traded off." Simon said that during her first year playing at Sky Blue, nothing "out of the ordinary" happened. Moreover, investigations into allegations of misconduct should not be limited to assessing whether "unlawful harassment" occurred. He has denied all allegations against him. The relationship between the League and playersas employer and employees contributed to the confusion between clubs and the League about their responsibilities in addressing misconduct. Averbuch West became Gotham's general manager earlier in the year after the harassment-related firing of GM Alyse LaHue. At the end of the meeting, Simon was informed that the club planned to fire Holly that night. In 2019, several media outlets, including Yahoo! Captaincy chaos and Waldrum ultimatums - Will Nigeria be ready for World Cup? III. 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. In late 2020, the NWSLPA began advocating for the League to adopt an antiharassment policy. Whether or not Whisler received a clear, formal report from U.S. Soccer about the findings of the investigation, he learned of concerns that players had raised about Dames by participating in the investigation. On September 20, 2020, the Royals placed Head Coach Craig Harrington on a leave of absence, which public reporting stated was related to "inappropriate comments of a sexual nature with staff." The player heard that during the meeting, Wilkinson asked about Shim's March 2021 email to the NWSL and stated he could not believe Riley had been hired by The investigation found that Greene had engaged in conduct that gave the perception of favoritism and fraternization. After re-signing her in 2021, the club issued a public apology "to all those we have hurt, especially those within the LGBTQIA+ community, but stood by its decision, keeping Daniels on the team for the remainder of the season. Aline Reis did not fully cooperate with the retaliation investigation, including by pressuring players to share favorable information with investigators. Publicly, however, the club merely announced that it would not retain Riley for a third season, and then-Thorns General Manager and President of Soccer Gavin Wilkinson said, on behalf of the club, "I would like to thank Paul for his services to the club these past two seasons." Players also lacked uniform trainings addressing how to identify and respond to inappropriate conduct. The NWSL's Non-Fraternization Policy, adopted in 2018, 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 or conditions of employment he or she may influence." Rather, the allegations and findings against Riley were frequently downplayed, including by discussing only certain aspects of certain of the allegations against Riley and, as noted, by using the determination of no unlawful harassment to summarize the investigative findings. Numerous players reported that they experienced mental health challenges due to toxic and abusive working environments created by coaches' behavior and treatment of players. The report points out issues within the NWSLs infrastructure, including a historical lack of background check procedures for potential coach and front-office hires. Passion for Real Sociedad runs as deep as San Sebastian's love for Basque culture and cuisine, Top 10 greatest FA Cup shocks after Grimsby stun Southampton, Oral history: When Barcelona, Real Madrid played four Clasicos in 18 days back in 2011, Infighting of Women's World Cup faves Spain, France, Canada reveals big issues in the sport. Hammond told the Joint Investigative Team that he assured Kurtz that she was not chubby and told her that "sometimes, coaches choose their words poorly." On an away trip to Portland following the 2019 World Cup, Kurtz received a text message from Riley with a picture of a bar he was at, commenting that Kurtz would like the bar and that he wished she were there. Witnesses also reported that the coach attempted to get another player to dance with him and told her he did not care about her sexuality. 21, not done with other deleted emails. Players recalled being confused after this meeting and not understanding exactly why Holly had been fired. While the player surveys asked players to rate the knowledge and skill set of certain club staff, including coaching staff, the surveys did not ask specific questions about any misconduct the players experienced or observed. Riley also held club events for players at his Long Island home, where players reported that they drank with him during their stay. C. mentally" and could not perform at her best for the rest of the year. 27, Lines discussed Riley with Wilkinson, the decision to hire Riley had already "effectively been made." Kaleigh Kurtz reported to the club that Riley made her uncomfortable and called her "chubby," and the club responded by telling Riley that he should speak to players about fitness," not "weight." The league will work with the players association to ensure that the results of these team and league reviews will serve as a road map to ensure safe environments for players and staff." Most critically, when the investigation was completed, U.S. Soccer did not communicate the results of the investigation to the players, the Red Stars, or the NWSL on the basis of attorney-client privilege. 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. Novo responded, "My answer is that Christy [Holly] has a very good and fair relationship with our players . . At an end-of-season meeting in 2019, she asked Riley for a trade. 22, b) In certain instances, the Joint Investigative Team determined that conduct did not violate the Anti-Harassment Policy or other relevant standards. In fact, multiple players reported that they did not consider the League as an option to report misconduct and did not know of anyone at the League to whom they could report concerns. She recalled trying to leave Holly's house, but as she rounded a corner to go downstairs to leave, Holly grabbed her arm. In September 2015, Sky Blue, an NWSL club now known as NJ/NY Gotham FC, expressed an interest to the NWSL and the Thorns in speaking with Riley regarding a coaching position. 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. Harrington then stated that the player may have contacted him via WhatsApp or may have just flagged [him] down" in the hotel lobby. However, interviewees reported that Clarkson on occasion failed to recognize or appreciate his effect on players. 8. An individual affiliated with the USWNTPA described former U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati as a puppeteer overseeing the League and recalled Gulati exerting authority over proposed player trades. The Flash, the predecessor club to the Courage, began speaking with Riley regarding the head coach position in January 2016, around a month after Aaran Lines stepped down as head coach and became vice president of the Flash. The annual anti-bullying training should provide examples and explain the meaning of bullying and emotional abuse as defined in the Anti-Harassment Policy. In some of these texts, Riley had noted that his messages to Shim "get a bit riskee [sic]," and he complained that he never saw Shim alone, telling her, "[Y]ou avoid me like the plaque [sic]." In addition to background checks, the NWSL should conduct reference checks for all prospective owners, coachesincluding volunteer coachesand club staff who may interact with players. 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. Levine gave the HR employee the impression that Riley was a "respected coach and the "players [were] trying to get him out." On other occasions, Riley texted Kurtz about being at bars. That January, the Courage made Riley their first head coach. Observations and Findings D. He stated that the club sought to address Simon's concerns through the severance agreement, including by securing Holly's removal from his apartment in a complex shared by Simon and requiring that Holly not disparage players or the club. Limitations and Challenges In a public tweet the day of Holly's departure, the club wrote, "You were always an amazing asset to Sky Blue FC, and words cannot ever express how much we appreciate everything that you did for us." The Joint Investigative Team created an email address and phone number for individuals to confidentially provide information. According to Garcia's interview notes, her interview with Farrelly lasted only 30 minutes, though Farrelly recalled it being even shorter. The Thorns selected a lead investigator who was relatively inexperienced in conducting sensitive investigations. Another player recalled Holly unexpectedly screaming at a teammate that her poor performance during a practice drill would "prevent [her] from being on the national team, and later in the season asking her to do one-on-one film sessions with him, saying, "I can help you get onto the national team." Additionally, the club put out a statement via Twitter addressing the report as a whole. For example, Burke told the team they were having a Holocaust" when performing poorly; put a surgical mask-used to protect against COVID-19-on his head to simulate a yarmulke and sang a Jewish song" (which Burke told the Joint Investigative Team was Adam Sandler's "The Chanukah Song"); and called a passing drill the "Jew star." Require Certification of the Completion of Mandatory Trainings and Closely Track Compliance 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. Also no, it's not a double standard. It's not just this coach. Players raised multiple concerns about him to club management. During this time, Duffy, who had recently become NWSL president, and Levine, who had transitioned to the role of NWSL general counsel, worked with NWSL communications staff to prepare a draft public statement (which was never publicly released) related to the handling of sexual harassment complaints and the Riley investigation. In the fall of 2022, Kurtz decided to share Riley's misconduct with the Joint Investigative Team. In March 2016, Paulson emailed Alex Sahlen congratulating the Flash on hiring Riley and stating that he had a lot of affection" for Riley. In the 2020 survey, a player for the Spirit wrote that Burke was "unprofessional in his communication with certain players, that he play[ed] major psychological games with certain players, and that he used demeaning language." When one player opened the door, she told Harrington that she and her roommate did not want to go back out for drinks. Formation of a Players' Union Despite the discussions between U.S. Soccer, the NWSL, and both the Thorns and Courage regarding Riley's unsuitability to coach the USWNT, no steps were taken to remove or prevent him from coaching NWSL players. After experiencing weight-shaming by Pauw and Riley, witnesses reported that players developed eating disorders and sought mental health treatment. "Our biggest goal as a staff, when I took over, was that we needed to rebuild the trust with fans. Though his candidacy never became serious, the report alleges that then-NWSL president Amanda Duffy and general counsel Lisa Levine worked with NWSL communications staff to prepare a draft public statement (which was never publicly released) related to the handling of sexual harassment complaints and a 2015 investigation by the Thorns when he coached that team. Dames was not the only coach who resorted to critiques of players' parental status: a player described Riley "berating [one player]" through an entire game and blaming the loss on her infant son." Another player recalled hearing about and witnessing the same behavior. LaHue denies the allegations made against her and will make no further comment.. Sexual misconduct, as used in this Report, is a broad term intended to encompass a range of conduct, including conduct that could be described as sexual assault, sexual abuse, and sexual harassment. Harrington denied making these comments, and he stated that he never made comments about players' physical attractiveness and never "sexualized" players. At the same time, the Thorns claimed legal privilege over the very information that would be responsive to such inquiries, creating barriers for the NWSL and U.S. Soccer to disclose what the investigation revealed about Riley's misconduct. According to this player, in her experience, the film sessions were professional rather than social; players would go to Riley's hotel room to review film, and then leave. As discussed in further detail below, players have reported misconduct throughout the League's history. Multiple current and former players shared their belief that clubs' vetting practices have been insufficient. In November 2012, U.S. Soccer announced that it would manage a new women's professional soccer league, to begin play in 2013. Players, fans, and the public expressed anger that the NWSL and its member clubs had failed to protect players while shielding perpetrators from public humiliation or the loss of job opportunities. II. Hendrix, who knew about the abuse, also stated she and Simon did not report to the club's HR, because they did not realize that's the person you would talk to about sexual abuse," and they did not know the HR employee well enough to feel comfortable talking to her about the abuse. Witnesses to body-shaming by both Pauw and Riley reported that "players developed eating disorders and sought mental health treatment." Instead, according to the conclusion, Dames [had] made great strides in the last few years and improved tremendously as a coach," and "Whisler [had] taken demonstrable steps toward eliminating the stressors that may have contributed to Dames's bad behaviors." Indeed, after Riley was fired on September 30, 2021, Kurtz disclosed additional misconduct by Riley, and another player told the club that Riley had been verbally abusive and created a "culture of fear" in which players could not express opinions, and that other coaches had allowed Riley to engage in this behavior. E. Players Lacked Effective Channels for Reporting Inappropriate The League has committed to communicating and consulting with the NWSLPA in player-involved investigations as part of these procedures. Multiple players reported instances of club staff, including coaches, using racial epithets, making derogatory comments, using negative stereotypes, and making jokes about race and ethnicity. Players told the investigator that Dames (i) yelled excessively; (ii) singled certain players out for constant criticism; (iii) behaved unpredictably; (iv) failed to maintain professional boundaries; and (v) used personal information against players. One player explained that Holly demoted her to training with reserve players. Wilkins, Estes, O'Connor, and outside legal counsel met with Holly later that day and terminated his employment. Shim also forwarded the complaint to then-NWSL Commissioner Jeff Plush. . Gotham subsequently terminated the GMs employment. These sentiments, in combination with the downplaying of the allegations and findings against Riley, contributed to the Flash's and Courage's limited understanding of the events of 2015. In the commercial, she discussed a time when she beat all of her teammates in a physical fitness test but her coach said, in front of the whole team, Lindsey, you're not going to play in any games until you lose more weight." As one player explained, Dames would make "mean" comments and call people names rather than say things like bad pass." Before retaining Riley, the Courage spoke to numerous people who knew Riley. According to Novo, after his conversation with ownership, he met with Holly and told him it was "time to move on." Two overlapping trends factor into why there are two major reports on systemic abuse in the NWSL: a lack of trust in reporting systems, and a lack of accountability among those in positions of power. Ultimately, decisions about whether to share information about misconduct was left to the individual's discretion. Simon shoved Holly's hands away, and in response, she felt that Holly looked at her like it was a "challenge." One assistant coach recalled another coach making comments about players' weight and once telling a player at a restaurant, You can't eat this. The player spoke to Levine and Duffy later that day to explain her concerns. Inappropriate Sexual and Objectifying Remarks to Players 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!!" Black Women's Player Collective representatives told the Joint Investigative Team that they experienced racial microaggressions on their teams. 41, During the USSF Dames Investigation, multiple players reported similar concerns about Significant gaps exist in the NWSL's revised background check requirements. Christy Holly (Sky Blue, Assistant Coach, 2013-2015 and Head Coach, 2016-2017; Racing Louisville, Head Coach, 2020-2021) 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." Players at the Dash reported that they had heard that the club had hired an HR representative in 2021, but that players did not have much contact with her. He said that Kurtz seemed accepting of this news, but she mentioned in passing something about Riley calling her chubby." As for the players, there is a hope that with this report finally coming out, all eyes can turn toward the future of the league. Ten days before the first game she expected to start, Riley For example, while Whisler told the Joint Investigative Team that he had not uncovered any red flags regarding Dames before his hire, two players expressed that concerns about Dames were known in the soccer community. The Joint Investigative Team found no support for this conclusion, and the Thorns continue to assert attorney-client privilege over the advice they claim they received on this point. 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. The League should request mutual cooperation and informationsharing from U.S. Soccer and other organizations to ensure the League is made aware of findings of misconduct concerning candidates seeking employment in the NWSL. As another example of a coach targeting a player's personal attributes, according to a staff member, Holly criticized a player by wondering aloud why he had "wasted a draft pick" on her after a stress test revealed she had a medical condition. She did not consider reporting Holly to the NWSL or U.S. Soccer, in part because she did not know who to contact or how to make a report. He told the Joint Investigative Team, "We're all adults. Gulati asked the group to meet the next day to discuss the matter. Another player, when describing a time her teammates requested that their club help them wash their uniforms, recalled that the club administrator responded, Be grateful you're even able to play for a team, getting paid for this . She said he told her, "Let's meet and talk," and, "If you're up really late, you can come talk to me." LaHue is supportive of the ongoing reforms that are taking place in the NWSL. Hendrix also heard from a teammate that Holly had been speaking negatively of her to club staff. The NWSL's 2022 Anti-Harassment Policy contains this same language, and it further clarifies that the NWSL prohibits discriminatory and harassing conduct in any form, regardless of whether it rises to the level of a legal violation. 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. Another veteran player commented on her early years in the NWSL: "I couldn't even have told you who was the president of the League at that time. The Flash also wrote to the Joint Investigative Team that the "only negative reference" made was that Riley did not mesh well with all of the personalities" in the locker room, and Wilkinson had said to get Riley if the Flash could. ", Among the specific incidents detailed about Clarkson was a 2022 preseason trip to Mexico. 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. The League should discourage clubs from entering into non-disclosure and nondisparagement agreements that restrict their ability to disclose alleged misconduct under the Anti-Harassment Policy to the NWSL, clubs, or members of the public. The conclusion mentioned none of these concerns. Following the survey responses, Whisler wrote in an email, I can tell you that Rory offered his resignation to me last night because of the embarrassment he thought it caused the organization. According to Whisler's email, after seeing the comments, Dames "offered his resignation because of the embarrassment he thought it caused the organization," but Whisler didn't accept." The new report expands on many of those topics, though only relating specifically to occurrences in the NWSL era. One veteran player, recounting her years of experience in the NWSL, explained, You didn't have HR in place or anyone running the show [at the NWSL] there was no structure in place, there was nothing that said what the line was or when lines were crossed, or if something happened, where you would go to report things." Rather, working closely with U.S. Soccer, she proceeded "stepwise" until she felt she had collected enough information to speak to Dames and Whisler. The player in question denied calling Harrington to ask for his help and noted Harrington "was never the one called to come assist." Several witnesses noted that speaking to a coach's former players or employers about the coach's behavior could surface issues that would not be uncovered in a traditional background check. Some of these players reported feeling significantly affected by Clarkson's conduct; some reported that it affected their performance during games; and two players reported that they sought therapy. D. disparagement language in the agreement included a caveat, which allowed Holly to "provide his honest assessment of players on the Club team, solely as it relates to their performance as soccer players." In a Tweet late Friday afternoon, the National Women's Soccer League club announced that LaHue had, as of July 9 - a week ago today - was no longer employed by the team. The player said she and the others felt like "[they were] never going to play again." Craig Harrington, the former Utah Royal F.C. According to Malik, Paulson told him in 2019 that the Thorns did not terminate Riley, but that Riley's contract was not renewed. Players also expressed concerns that Williams, whom they believed had engaged in retaliation towards players who complained about him, was moved into a position where he was involved in decisions on player trades and other transactions; Williams acknowledged being involved in player transaction decisions during this time, but said the general manager finalized such decisions. Instead of addressing players' concerns, Whisler repeatedly downplayed them and protected Dames throughout his tenure. Following the 2015 Thorns Investigation, Farrelly saw one of her fears coming true; within less than a month after Paulson and Wilkinson received the report detailing Farrelly's account to the Thorns's investigator, Wilkinson informed Farrelly she was being traded. One interviewee reported that some clubs that had HR departments historically [could not] use them because of the single-entity structure [of the NWSL]." Formation and Mandate of the Joint Investigative Team 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. In addition to the lack of information at Sky Blue, NWSL personnel did not have a clear understanding of why Holly left Sky Blue. These sorts of threats were most frightening to fringe players, who felt that Dames had complete control" over their career prospects. Starr also recalled Simon showing her text messages she had received from Holly, including messages g) Consequences of Inaction When Holly was let go-not for his mistreatment of players but for a reported relationship with a player-Sky Blue publicly framed Holly's departure as a mutual agreement, did not acknowledge Holly's misconduct, and expressed gratitude towards him. Based on his conduct, she assumed he was leaving the Red Stars and was surprised when he returned the next season. Later that night, Bates texted Starr informing her he spoke to Racing Louisville Executive Vice President James O'Connor and Racing Louisville President Brad Estes about the sexual harassment, and they needed to know who the player was. Novo said club leadership told him to give Holly "the opportunity to step away if he wants to." Plush, the senior-most executive at the League, did not take any steps to ensure that the Flash, the Courage, and the players who would be coached by Riley were aware of the risks he posed. The NWSL began the roll-out of training by the U.S. Center for SafeSport in January 2021. 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. 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. Some within the NWSL held the misconception that SafeSport deals with misconduct against youth athletes and does not investigate misconduct against professional athletes.
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