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The National Women’s Soccer League’s underlying culture created “fertile ground for misconduct to go unreported,” according to new research, which found the league’s financial instability and unbalanced power dynamics opened the door to rampant abuse on multiple teams and involving multiple coaches and trainers. team administrators
The investigation is the second high-profile investigation into abuse in the world of women’s soccer, this one at the behest of the NWSL and the players’ union. The 125-page report, released Wednesday, included a new account of abuse against former Portland Thorns coach Paul Riley and previously unreported details about the firing of former NY/NJ Gotham FC general manager Alyse LaHue and the suspension of the Houston Dash. coach and general manager James Clarkson.
Similar to a report by US Soccer, which was released in October, the NWSL investigation details Riley’s misconduct; Rory Dames, the former coach of the Chicago Red Stars; and Christy Holly, the former Louisville Racing coach. But the NWSL report also singles out half a dozen other coaches and focuses on mistakes and mismanagement by the league’s teams and team owners, including the conduct of eight teams that ignored or mismanaged the complaints and the warning signs of abuse.
“This report clearly reflects how our league systematically failed to protect our players,” NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman said in a statement Wednesday. “On behalf of the Board and the league, above all, let me sincerely apologize to our players for these failures and they deserve, at the very least, a safe and secure environment to participate at the highest level in a sport that they like, and they have my unwavering commitment that delivering that change will remain a priority every day.”
In addition to the cases of sexual abuse and manipulation, which have been revealed in previous media reports and the US Soccer investigation, the NWSL investigation found that “personnel in positions of power made sexually inappropriate comments to players, mocked players’ bodies, pressured players into unhealthy weight loss, crossed professional boundaries with players, and created volatile and manipulative working conditions. They used derogatory and insulting language toward players, showed insensitivity to players’ mental health and engaged in retaliation against players who tried to report or reported their concerns.”
US Soccer ‘failed’ female players, report says, as new abuse claims emerge
According to the new report, “misconduct against players has occurred at the vast majority of NWSL clubs at various times from the early years of the League to the present day.”
“The players were often reminded of the fragility and financial instability of the League. From the early days of the League, they were told to be grateful, loyal and acquiescent, even if they weren’t given the resources or respect that professional athletes were given,” the report said. “Players went tell the joint investigation team that this environment deterred them from reporting misconduct. Compounding this effect, the League lacked training, policies and other resources on harassment, abuse and other forms of misconduct.”
The report was the product of a joint investigation by two law firms: Covington & Burling, on behalf of the league, and Weil, Gotshal & Manges, hired by the NWSL Players Association. The researchers reviewed 200,000 documents and interviewed about 100 current and former NWSL players, as well as more than 90 current and former club employees.
The investigation began in October, shortly after the Washington Post and The Athletic reported allegations of abuse at several clubs, prompting players to demand action from the sport’s stakeholders. US Soccer hired Sally Q. Yates, the former acting attorney general, to conduct an independent investigation at the same time. Following this report, Portland Thorns owner Merritt Paulson announced he was selling the club, team administrators were fired, and coach Rhian Wilkinson resigned. Chicago Red Stars owner Arnim Whisler relinquished day-to-day control and announced earlier this month that he was selling the team. In all, eight of the league’s 10 coaches have lost their jobs, and NWSL commissioner Lisa Baird resigned.
The NWSL report details many of the same abuses, goes into some detail and looks at why the misconduct was allowed to persist. Many cases involved authority figures who failed the players, and in some cases were at the heart of the problem.
Perspective: Another ‘report’ on abuse in women’s sport. When is enough?
LaHue, Gotham’s general manager from 2019-21, “made unwanted sexual advances toward a player,” according to the report, sending inappropriate text messages, questioning the player’s interactions with others and pressuring the player for more attention She sent the player text messages that read: “You were in my dream last night. Getting a massage” and “I don’t see us as friends.”
The club fired LaHue last July. According to the report, LaHue denied the allegations. His attorney did not immediately return a message seeking comment Wednesday.
The report says the NWSL did not wait to act on the investigators’ findings. Orlando Pride coaches Amanda Cromwell and Sam Greene were fired in October for retaliation against players; Houston’s Clarkson was suspended.
According to the NWSL’s report, Clarkson “communicated with players in a manner that created anxiety and fear among several players.”
“In one instance, Clarkson suspected that players had been drinking the night before a game, so he summoned the players and berated them in a way that left several players feeling frightened and attacked.” the report states. Clarkson was suspended in April and the club said at the time that a final decision on his status would be made once the NWSL’s investigation was complete.
Shortly after the report was released Wednesday, the Dash announced it would not renew Clarkson’s contract, which expires at the end of the month. “We apologize to the players, current and former, who were the subject of misconduct by James Clarkson,” the team said in a statement. “…Our vision to build and maintain a culture of excellence on and off the field of play begins with cultivating a respectful and healthy work environment.”
Across the league, the report found a deeply entrenched culture in which players did not feel empowered to raise grievances and the lines between players and coaches were often blurred.
“Players from marginalized backgrounds, or with the least job security, were often the targets of misconduct,” the report states. “At the same time, these players faced the greatest barriers to speaking out or getting compensation for what they experienced.”
The report details for the first time the experience of Kaleigh Kurtz, who played for Riley with the North Carolina Courage. She told investigators she didn’t initially report Riley’s behavior for fear of being labeled a “troublemaker.” The report describes Riley’s manipulative and volatile behavior, and Kurtz told investigators she felt she was being set up for sexual abuse.
At one point, Riley demanded Kurtz lose 14 pounds to maintain his starting position, telling him, “I hope you know I’m doing this because I love you.” Kurtz called for a change, which the team couldn’t execute. Riley was fired by the Courage in September 2021, after The Athletic reported abuse allegations stemming from his time coaching in Portland, which he has denied. He did not meet with NWSL investigators and was not immediately available for comment Wednesday.
Rory Dames was accused of misconduct decades ago. Anyway, he coached his way to prominence.
NWSL report lays blame on US Soccer. The coach’s misconduct was “inadequately investigated or addressed,” he says, and coaches were allowed to seek new jobs across the league even after complaints were substantiated.
“U.S. Soccer leaders shied away from taking responsibility for systemic failures to protect players, claiming decision-making authority and responsibility for addressing misconduct rested with the NWSL and club owners,” says the report.
US Soccer has embarked on a series of reforms in the wake of the Yates report.
“It’s been more than two months since the release of the Yates report, and we’ve already seen it have big impacts on our game,” U.S. Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone said this week. “As hard as it is to read the report, the report has done it and we will continue to improve our sport. Participant safety is our highest priority, and Yates’ report gave us a roadmap to make the changes we are diligently working on.“.
The organization intends to publicly share its action plan to implement Yates’ recommendations by Jan. 31. He has hired Mana Shim to chair a player safety task force. Shim was one of the first players to speak out publicly about the abuse and misconduct she endured while playing for Riley in Portland, and now plays a key role in crafting policies that will help current and future players.
“We’re making progress,” he said this week. “… I feel empowered and excited about what we’re doing.”
Although many of the coaches named in the two investigations no longer work for the league, the NWSL report makes a number of far-reaching recommendations for league officials. They include the review of the anti-harassment policy; establish clear guidelines for appropriate meeting places; consider guidelines for supervisors socializing with players; providing written guidance that makes clear comments and jokes about a player’s weight are unacceptable; require separate housing for players and club staff; and…