“Abuse in the NWSL is rooted in a deeper culture in women’s soccer, starting with the youth leagues, that normalizes verbally abusive coaching and blurs the lines between coaches and players,” the former attorney general wrote in her report on the investigation. of USA, Sally K. Yates. . US Soccer commissioned the investigation to Yates and law firm King & Spaulding after former NWSL players Sinead Farrelly and Mana Shim came forward with allegations of harassment and sexual coercion dating back a decade involving former coach Paul Riley. Their account was published by The Athletic in September 2021. Riley, who denied the allegations, was quickly fired as coach of the North Carolina Courage and NWSL commissioner Lisa Baird resigned. But it was clear that the problems were widespread. Five of the 10 coaches in the NWSL last season were either fired or resigned amid allegations of misconduct. “The verbal and emotional abuse described by players in the NWSL is not just ‘hard’ training. And the players affected are no shrinking violets. They are among the best athletes in the world,” Yates wrote. More than 200 people were interviewed by the researchers. About two dozen entities and individuals provided documents. US Soccer also provided documents and the company reviewed 89,000 deemed potentially relevant. U.S. Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone called the findings “heartbreaking and deeply troubling.” The report recounts an episode in 2013, when Parlow Cone was coaching the Portland Thorns, in which she experienced an inappropriate comment from a team official. “I’ve been a part of this game all my life, from youth to professional level and international level. So the women’s game is very important to me. And many of the players in this exhibition I know. Many of these I had coached,” Parlow Cone said. “It just seemed really crazy that the players had to go through that.” WATCHES | Olympic champion Erin McLeod on NWSL’s ‘systemic failure’:
Orlando Pride goalkeeper Erin McLeod on NWSL’s ‘systemic failure’ to protect its players
CBC’s Anastasia Bucsis sits down with Olympian Erin McLeod in the wake of Paul Riley’s sexual-coercion allegations to discuss how the league failed its players, the systemic issues that allowed the abuse and what’s next for the league.
Focus on 3 former coaches
The report made several recommendations to prioritize player health and safety. Among them is a requirement that teams accurately disclose misconduct by managers to the league and the Football Association to ensure that managers are not allowed to move between teams. It also calls for effective vetting of coaches and prompt investigation into allegations of abuse. The NWSL said it was in the process of reviewing the report. The league and the NWSL Players Association are also investigating. “We recognize the stress and mental strain these pending investigations have caused and the trauma that many, including players and staff, must relive. We continue to admire their courage in coming forward to share their stories and make an impact all the changes necessary to continue moving our league forward,” said NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman. “Building trust between the league, its players and other key stakeholders remains at the heart of the NWSL and we know we must learn and take responsibility for the painful lessons of the past in order to move the league forward into a better future.” Parlow Cone would not speculate on possible discipline for teams across the league. “This is really systemic, and so the league is going to do what it needs to do. USA Soccer, we’re going to do what we have to do. But overall, we have to make sure that no team, no organization, no individual, no executive is ever allowed to put players in the position they were put in,” Parlow Cone said. The investigation focused on three former coaches, Riley, Christy Holly of Racing Louisville and Rory Dames of the Chicago Red Stars. I want to do everything in my power to make sure no other player experiences what I did. This petition allows our voices to finally be heard.— Former NWSL player Erin Simon It recounts a meeting in April 2021 between Holly and a player, Erin Simon, now playing in Europe. Holly invited her to watch game film with him and allegedly told her that for every pass she messed up, he was going to touch her. Simon told investigators Holly “pushed his hands down her pants and lifted her shirt.”
The team mom explains the reason for Holly’s dismissal
Simon, now with Leicester City, said too many athletes suffer in silence because they fear they won’t be heard. “I know because that’s how I felt,” the 28-year-old said in a statement. “Through many difficult days, only my faith has sustained me and kept me going. I want to do everything in my power to ensure that no other player experiences what I did. This petition allows our voices to be is finally being heard and is the first step towards achieving the workplace respect we all deserve.” Holly was fired for cause, but Racing Louisville declined to publicly state the reason. Yates’ report noted that Racing did not provide investigators with details of Holly’s employment, citing mutual non-disclosure and non-disparagement clauses. Farrelly said the harassment she experienced began in 2011 when she was a player for the Philadelphia Independence of the Women’s Professional Soccer League. Riley was her coach. 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. No women currently play in the NWSL. The 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 did not make public the reasons. WATCHES | CBC Sports’ Brint It In panel discusses the Paul Riley scandal:
Breaking the NWSL – Paul Riley Scandal | Bring it
Morgan Campbell, Shireen Ahmed and Meghan McPeak discuss the NWSL scandal alleging Paul Riley engaged in abusive and sexual behavior while in charge of the North Carolina Courage and Portland Thorns. The report said the Thorns withheld certain information and tried to prevent investigators from using the team’s 2015 report.
The League “refused to investigate many times”
“The Portland Thorns interfered with our access to relevant witnesses and advanced bogus legal arguments in an attempt to block the use of relevant documents,” Yates wrote. Riley went on to coach the Western New York Flash, which later moved to North Carolina and was renamed. When the scandal broke last year, former Thorns forward Alex Morgan posted on social media: “The league has been made aware of these allegations multiple times and has repeatedly refused to investigate the allegations. The league needs to take responsibility for a process that failed to protect its own players from this abuse.” Morgan also said Shim and Farrelly asked the NWSL earlier last year for a new investigation into Riley’s conduct, but were denied. The US Women’s National Team Players Association issued a statement: “All players and employees deserve to work in an environment free of discrimination, harassment and abusive behavior. The USWNTPA commends the courage of the survivors, current players and former players who have come forward to speak out against the abusive practices that have become too normalized in the NSWL and women’s football in general. “At the same time, the USWNTPA is disappointed that some NWSL clubs and USSF staff have obstructed the investigation; those who have not should cooperate fully with the ongoing NWSL/NWSLPA investigation immediately.” US Soccer said the board and a leadership team will immediately begin implementing the report’s recommendations. “US Soccer and the entire soccer community must do better, and I believe we can use this report and its recommendations as a turning point for any organization charged with ensuring player safety,” said Parlow Cone. “We have important work to do and we are committed to doing that work and driving change across the football community.”
title: “Nwsl Investigation Finds Systemic Emotional Abuse Sexual Abuse Affecting Many " ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-23” author: “Arthur Layne”
“Abuse in the NWSL is rooted in a deeper culture in women’s soccer, starting with the youth leagues, that normalizes verbally abusive coaching and blurs the lines between coaches and players,” the former attorney general wrote in her report on the investigation. of USA, Sally K. Yates. . US Soccer commissioned the investigation to Yates and law firm King & Spaulding after former NWSL players Sinead Farrelly and Mana Shim came forward with allegations of harassment and sexual coercion dating back a decade involving former coach Paul Riley. Their account was published by The Athletic in September 2021. Riley, who denied the allegations, was quickly fired as coach of the North Carolina Courage and NWSL commissioner Lisa Baird resigned. But it was clear that the problems were widespread. Five of the 10 coaches in the NWSL last season were either fired or resigned amid allegations of misconduct. “The verbal and emotional abuse described by players in the NWSL is not just ‘hard’ training. And the players affected are no shrinking violets. They are among the best athletes in the world,” Yates wrote. More than 200 people were interviewed by the researchers. About two dozen entities and individuals provided documents. US Soccer also provided documents and the company reviewed 89,000 deemed potentially relevant. U.S. Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone called the findings “heartbreaking and deeply troubling.” The report recounts an episode in 2013, when Parlow Cone was coaching the Portland Thorns, in which she experienced an inappropriate comment from a team official. “I’ve been a part of this game all my life, from youth to professional level and international level. So the women’s game is very important to me. And many of the players in this exhibition I know. Many of these I had coached,” Parlow Cone said. “It just seemed really crazy that the players had to go through that.” WATCHES | Olympic champion Erin McLeod on NWSL’s ‘systemic failure’:
Orlando Pride goalkeeper Erin McLeod on NWSL’s ‘systemic failure’ to protect its players
CBC’s Anastasia Bucsis sits down with Olympian Erin McLeod in the wake of Paul Riley’s sexual-coercion allegations to discuss how the league failed its players, the systemic issues that allowed the abuse and what’s next for the league.
Focus on 3 former coaches
The report made several recommendations to prioritize player health and safety. Among them is a requirement that teams accurately disclose misconduct by managers to the league and the Football Association to ensure that managers are not allowed to move between teams. It also calls for effective vetting of coaches and prompt investigation into allegations of abuse. The NWSL said it was in the process of reviewing the report. The league and the NWSL Players Association are also investigating. “We recognize the stress and mental strain these pending investigations have caused and the trauma that many, including players and staff, must relive. We continue to admire their courage in coming forward to share their stories and make an impact all the changes necessary to continue moving our league forward,” said NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman. “Building trust between the league, its players and other key stakeholders remains at the heart of the NWSL and we know we must learn and take responsibility for the painful lessons of the past in order to move the league forward into a better future.” Parlow Cone would not speculate on possible discipline for teams across the league. “This is really systemic, and so the league is going to do what it needs to do. USA Soccer, we’re going to do what we have to do. But overall, we have to make sure that no team, no organization, no individual, no executive is ever allowed to put players in the position they were put in,” Parlow Cone said. The investigation focused on three former coaches, Riley, Christy Holly of Racing Louisville and Rory Dames of the Chicago Red Stars. I want to do everything in my power to make sure no other player experiences what I did. This petition allows our voices to finally be heard.— Former NWSL player Erin Simon It recounts a meeting in April 2021 between Holly and a player, Erin Simon, now playing in Europe. Holly invited her to watch game film with him and allegedly told her that for every pass she messed up, he was going to touch her. Simon told investigators Holly “pushed his hands down her pants and lifted her shirt.”
The team mom explains the reason for Holly’s dismissal
Simon, now with Leicester City, said too many athletes suffer in silence because they fear they won’t be heard. “I know because that’s how I felt,” the 28-year-old said in a statement. “Through many difficult days, only my faith has sustained me and kept me going. I want to do everything in my power to ensure that no other player experiences what I did. This petition allows our voices to be is finally being heard and is the first step towards achieving the workplace respect we all deserve.” Holly was fired for cause, but Racing Louisville declined to publicly state the reason. Yates’ report noted that Racing did not provide investigators with details of Holly’s employment, citing mutual non-disclosure and non-disparagement clauses. Farrelly said the harassment she experienced began in 2011 when she was a player for the Philadelphia Independence of the Women’s Professional Soccer League. Riley was her coach. 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. No women currently play in the NWSL. The 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 did not make public the reasons. WATCHES | CBC Sports’ Brint It In panel discusses the Paul Riley scandal:
Breaking the NWSL – Paul Riley Scandal | Bring it
Morgan Campbell, Shireen Ahmed and Meghan McPeak discuss the NWSL scandal alleging Paul Riley engaged in abusive and sexual behavior while in charge of the North Carolina Courage and Portland Thorns. The report said the Thorns withheld certain information and tried to prevent investigators from using the team’s 2015 report.
The League “refused to investigate many times”
“The Portland Thorns interfered with our access to relevant witnesses and advanced bogus legal arguments in an attempt to block the use of relevant documents,” Yates wrote. Riley went on to coach the Western New York Flash, which later moved to North Carolina and was renamed. When the scandal broke last year, former Thorns forward Alex Morgan posted on social media: “The league has been made aware of these allegations multiple times and has repeatedly refused to investigate the allegations. The league needs to take responsibility for a process that failed to protect its own players from this abuse.” Morgan also said Shim and Farrelly asked the NWSL earlier last year for a new investigation into Riley’s conduct, but were denied. The US Women’s National Team Players Association issued a statement: “All players and employees deserve to work in an environment free of discrimination, harassment and abusive behavior. The USWNTPA commends the courage of the survivors, current players and former players who have come forward to speak out against the abusive practices that have become too normalized in the NSWL and women’s football in general. “At the same time, the USWNTPA is disappointed that some NWSL clubs and USSF staff have obstructed the investigation; those who have not should cooperate fully with the ongoing NWSL/NWSLPA investigation immediately.” US Soccer said the board and a leadership team will immediately begin implementing the report’s recommendations. “US Soccer and the entire soccer community must do better, and I believe we can use this report and its recommendations as a turning point for any organization charged with ensuring player safety,” said Parlow Cone. “We have important work to do and we are committed to doing that work and driving change across the football community.”
