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. 12, The League revised certain terms in the 2022 Anti-Harassment Policy to define different types of prohibited misconduct, and to make clear who is protected by the policy and who must comply with it. 111, Also in 2018, a player raised concerns to Duffy and Levine about Dames's behavior towards players.
A report organized by the league and its players union added yet more stinging information about how the league was mismanaged and how it mistreated its players. The NWSLPA also established a 24-hour anonymous reporting system through which players could report abuse, and invited reports directly to the NWSLPA, the Joint Investigative Team, or to the NWSLPA's counsel at Weil. Riley returned from the restroom and asked the women, who had been assigned by Riley to share hotel rooms on team road trips during the season, if they "hooked up" while traveling for games, a notion he had raised even before that night and something they denied doing. In addition to the lack of information at Sky Blue, NWSL personnel did not have a clear understanding of why Holly left Sky Blue. When Racing Louisville learned of Holly's sexual misconduct toward Erin Simon, the club acted quickly, firing him within hours of speaking to Simon, and in spite of a request from the NWSL that they pause to let the League investigate. During this meeting, Starr shared Simon's name. For instance, two players told the investigator they had left the Red Stars in part because of Dames's abuse. The NWSL should provide training and guidance to the clubs on the types of questions to ask.
Plush stated that he did not share additional information because the investigation was ongoing at the time. 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. Truth Be Told: The Fight for Women's Professional Soccer, stream on ESPN+. According to the report, one player recalled that players "felt forced to attend" social interactions with Dames, and if they did not, he "wouldn't look at [them] the next day at practice." The joint investigation details how LaHue sent inappropriate messages to a player, including some about the player being in her dreams, despite the player's request for those to stop and asking of LaHue to "accept that we are working together and nothing more." C.
The report also details Clarkson's handling of an incident in Houston back in April 2021, when stadium security questioned the boyfriend of then Chicago Red Stars defender Sarah Gorden. 18, Riley's subsequent hiring by the Flash would not speak with the Joint Investigative Team, including the Thorns's HR director who conducted the investigation, the former Flash vice president, and Riley himself. Until 2017, the NWSL front office had five or fewer full-time staff members, and it did not have a dedicated HR staff member for players, who are NWSL employees, until June 2019. 3. The League office cooperated fully with this investigation, provided all necessary resources, and granted the Joint Investigative Team full autonomy to follow the facts and evidence wherever they led. That player also said that Black players were uncomfortable because the club often placed the substantial burden of engaging in race and other culture-related activities on them. Shim reported that at his apartment, Riley offered her wine and placed his hand on her leg. I don't want her anywhere around the team." One player recalled that Riley held film sessions in a
6. 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." It established that Riley, Shim, Farrelly, and Thorp drank at a bar one night and ended up at Riley's apartment, where alcohol was made available. Multiple players described the fear and uncertainty that accompanied the constant threat of being traded to another team or waived. After WPS collapsed in 2012, U.S. Soccer, the official governing body of soccer in the United States, convened representatives from various semi-professional leagues to discuss the future of women's professional soccer in the United States. Nonetheless, the Courage were aware when they executed an employment contract with Riley of an allegation that Riley had suggested two players kiss while at his apartment after a night of drinking, and that an investigation into Riley showed he exhibited poor judgment.
Additionally, the investigation seemed focused on limiting the club's liability rather than
#11, hear from Alyse LaHue, the General Manager of NJ/NY Gotham FC of the NWSL. One player recalled her club expressing "over and over" in response to players' requests for improved conditions and more resources, "This is how it is. During the League's 2021 investigation into LaHue's conduct before her termination, multiple staff members reported that LaHue behaved differently around this player. Rutgers has been a great partner to us . Although the 16-month investigation found that Dames yelled excessively, targeted players, and behaved erratically, as a
On September 30, 2021, The Athletic reported that Courage Head Coach Paul Riley had sexually coerced players and made derogatory comments about players' weight and sexual orientation prior to and during his tenure as head coach of the Thorns. . The Joint Investigative Team reported regularly to the Oversight Committee on its progress and investigative strategy. For instance, when the Flash were vetting Riley, Wilkinson told the Flash that Riley was a good coach if not for the reason he had been terminated. F. Naming Criteria
The Thorns's handbook contains a similar Anti-Fraternization Policy which states that "[d]ating, romantic, and sexual relationships between players and staff and between managers and subordinates are prohibited." Dames yelled at players, targeted certain players for harsh treatment, made personal insults, and blurred personal and professional boundaries with players. A staff member for another club noted that "the whole team" lived in the same apartment building with some coaching staff.
The N.W.S.L. and Players' Union Report on Women's Soccer Such policies can create veils of secrecy around the dismissal of some coaches and allow them to be rehired elsewhere despite their misconduct.
The Joint Investigative Team considered the following factors when deciding whether to identify an individual who engaged in misconduct: whether (i) the misconduct was widely reported in major news outlets; (ii) the misconduct was severe; (iii) the misconduct was repeated; and (iv) there is a risk of substantial harm to NWSL players, youth players, or others if the individual is not identified. The Thorns reversed their position in February 2022 after protracted discussions with the Joint Investigative Team about the validity of the privilege claim as to the report. In addition to the SafeSport Trained Core Course, players who are not minors are required to take a 30-minute SafeSport Training for Adult Athletes. Two prior leagues have." A former player stressed that "players married to staff members [and] coaches" is "an issue across multiple clubs." One player, asked to differentiate between a coach she considered abusive and one that she considered a tough coach, stated that the abusive coach had a "power-craving take on coaching." 119, financial support for players pursuing coaching licenses, with the long-term goal of hiring a greater number of qualified former NWSL players as coaches. The Joint Investigative Team also contacted all 12 active clubs in the NWSL in writing at the outset of the investigation. 3. It further stated that any employee "who believes they have been subject to or witnessed illegal discrimination, including sexual or other forms of unlawful harassment, is requested and enco couraged to make a complaint." Moreover, Riley continued his sexual and non-sexual misconduct towards players while coaching for the Courage, at least some of which was known to the club. During this conversation, he asked Holly, "How would you like to handle that?" The NWSL should develop and implement an annual anti-racism and unconscious bias training that, among other things, is designed to prevent the use of racially insensitive or antisemitic language and provides tools for how to recognize and intervene against microaggressions. Three players said that they heard Dames make racist remarks, including referring to black players as 'thugs and telling one Black player that she was acting like a gang member after a game in which [she] played aggressively." 4. The same is true of the Red Stars's hiring of Rory Dames as their head coach. As a result, the Joint Investigative Team was not able to fully question LaHue about her interactions with the player. One player recalled that she and her teammates were told by their club, "People would die to be in [your] shoes," and that if the players had issues with the club or the League, they don't have a problem waiving you." Two former staff members recalled reporting to Wilkinson concerns they had about Riley's treatment of players; one of the staff members said Wilkinson dismissed the staff member's concerns and told the staff member to "support the coaching staff." 5, Investigative Methodology
This information suggested that Riley might pose a danger to players, but the Courage did not take adequate steps to learn the findings of the investigation, reflecting a lack of appreciation for the power dynamics between players and coaches, and the Courage employed Riley despite knowing of this allegation. Kurtz reported that Riley shared details of his sex life and asked her probing questions about her relationship. c) Other Incidents of Retaliation
This includes harassment; sexual harassment; discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion, age, or any other protected status under federal, state, or local laws; bullying; sexual misconduct, including the use of coercion, force, intimidation, or certain power imbalances; emotional misconduct; physical misconduct; and retaliation.
The details could go too many different directions to even speculate. One player who witnessed this incident described that Dames's comments that had nothing to do with actually playing soccer" were constant." Hendrix recalled Holly would get mad if Simon did not respond to his messages. Long did not indicate that she was concerned about potential retaliation against the players who spoke up at the meeting. Cromwell's, Greene's, and Reis's conduct could discourage players and staff from reporting misconduct in the future, and their conduct, therefore, directly contradicted the 2022 Anti-Harassment Policy, which aims to detect and prevent misconduct, protect players and others from retaliation for engaging in Protected Activity, and create a safe working environment for players.