One player noted, It was really pushed into our brains, 'don't say anything."" A few hours after the report was released, LaHues lawyer, Kelly Hoffman, issued a statement. Require Separate Housing Accommodations for Players and Club Staff He said that he did not believe Kurtz was saying that she could not play for Riley, and did not believe that Kurtz was upset or emotional during the call. In most cases, witnesses were interviewed one at a time, although some interviews were conducted in small groups-for example, interviews of NWSLPA player representatives from certain clubs and of representatives from the Black Women's Player Collective, an organization founded by Black NWSL players to "advance opportunities for Black girls in sport and beyond." A GM actively pursuing a relationship with a player is not the same as an athletic trainer who was already married to a player joining the team. That news followed a report from Meg Linehan of The Athletic on Thursday that Paul Riley, who was fired by the North Carolina Courage, had inappropriate sexual relationships with players and made. As one staff member explained, there had "always been a high interest and attention" in this player by LaHue. The new investigation alleged that LaHue had a romantic interest in an unnamed player, and published text messages between LaHue and that player. In several instances, when announcing departures of coaches found to have committed misconduct, clubs released vague public statements that obscured the reason for the coach's departure. Clarkson denied making this comment to a player. Which duo has the most goal contributions in Europe this season? The Joint Investigative Team requested an interview of the Current owners, and Angie Long sat for an interview. The same article reported that Horan said Benstiti and his staff were just terrible about discussing fitness goals and told players, You need to lose weight, you need to get thinner, you need to run more." Holly complained to Simon about Hendrix and referred to Hendrix as a "cockblock." Prior to joining the NWSL, Riley had coached Farrelly on the Long Island Fury and on the Philadelphia Independence in 2012 and 2013, respectively. Share Findings of Misconduct with U.S. Soccer and Other Stakeholders In spite of this, there is no evidence that Levine provided the Flash with additional details about Riley's past conduct. On the evening of the announcement of LaHues firing from Gotham, a statement was provided by Kelly Hoffman, attorney for Alyse LaHue via Meg Linehan of The Athletic on Twitter reading: Ms. He shut the door and stood between Shim and the door, and she saw he was wearing only his underwear. She specifically denied receiving any complaints from Press regarding Dames. He also made other inappropriate comments, including calling one player trailer trash" and insinuating he found players attractive. LaHues behavior in connection with [the player] was improper and inappropriate, and a violation of league policies . The statement did not mention the investigation into Riley's conduct or his termination, and did not provide any reason for Riley's departure. Reis may not return to work until she has completed the mandatory training, acknowledged wrongdoing, and demonstrated a sincere commitment to modifying her behavior. Recently we have absolutely discovered and uncovered the areas [where the] NWSL lacked and the harm it has caused. Coaches would berate players about their weight in front of their teammates or speak disparagingly about a player's weight to people other than the player. Gotham FC fires general manager Alyse LaHue - The Athletic 3 Systemic bias disempowers women, people of color, and other historically marginalized groups. 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. Players reported that Spirit Head Coach Richie Burke used racial epithets, made jokes about race and ethnicity, and undermined activism on issues of race. In a written statement, Flynn stated that he did not recall personally reviewing the results or being made aware of concerns regarding the quality of coaching or abusive coaching tactics. It [did not] matter what kind of abuse and toxicity they [were] creating. If it's big enough to take it to the League . For instance, Garcia was told of Riley's close relationship with Farrelly and his negative, potentially homophobic commentary about Farrelly's relationship with another player on the team. The investigative teams evidence included inappropriate and suggestive text messages along with accounts of unwanted attention, even following pushback from the player. She further explained that national team players had a direct line" to Gulati, and he was the person who was in charge of the national team in terms of direct contact with players." - NWSL investigation finds 'ongoing misconduct,' details culture of abuse. The player told Predmore she understood. July 9, 2021 Alyse LaHue is fired as general manager of Gotham FC . Instead, both Temares and Smoot recalled only that Novo had raised concerns regarding Holly's potential relationship with Pearce Rampone. The USWNT has won medalsincluding four gold medalsin every Olympic Games except one since women's soccer was added as an event in 1996. The NWSL should consider requiring clubs to conduct exit interviews of players who depart the NWSL and to share these exit interview notes with the NWSL. U.S. Soccer. 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. A player for another club recalled that she had to take a break from the team to be with family due to anxiety, and when she returned, both her coach and the general manager informed her she would have to find her own housing because she had "made the choice" to go home temporarily due to mental health reasons. Gotham FC fires general manager Alyse LaHue after NWSL investigation In response to player requests for the improvement of conditions and resources at clubs, players were often reminded that they ought to be grateful, even when players sought benefits or allowances included in their contracts. 86, attempt to address the issue themselves by confronting the employee engaged in misconduct, which could prevent the NWSL from investigating the offensive behavior and taking necessary corrective action. Nonetheless, the Joint Investigative Team faced a number of limitations throughout the investigation. While the organization cut back its spending in 2002 and 2003, it could not recover financially. 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. In September 2015, Gulati and Flynn received Shim's email containing allegations against Riley, and during the Thorns's investigation, they received some updates related to Riley and to the investigation from Levine. e) Insensitivity Toward Mental Health A text message conversation between Whisler and Dames confirms the player's concern. Over time, players' lack of trust in Holly led to a divide between Holly, Pearce Rampone, and the majority of the team. Rory Dames engaged in both verbal and emotional abuse and made racially insensitive and sexist comments to players. F. The NWSL began requiring background checks of prospective coaches and other club staff, and it has begun efforts to offer an anti-harassment training for players, coaches, and League and club staff. The annual anti-bullying training should provide examples and explain the meaning of bullying and emotional abuse as defined in the Anti-Harassment Policy. Strengthen Anti-Harassment Policies .. She explained that her job responsibilities were limited to coaching the national team, and she did not have a role in oversight of NWSL coaches. #11, hear from Alyse LaHue, the General Manager of NJ/NY Gotham FC of the NWSL. Although this investigation gathered substantial evidence, the Joint Investigative Team also encountered challenges. A PDF version of this document with embedded text is available at the link below: Report of the Long pointed to the fact that "he wasn't winning" as the reason for the change in Williams's role. Background checks and reputational vetting of player-facing club employees were not mandatory for much of the NWSL's existence. The 2022 Anti-Harassment Policy defines emotional misconduct as deliberate, noncontact behavior that has the potential to cause emotional or psychological harm to another person," including verbal, physical, or other acts that deny attention or support to or degrade, insult, sabotage, humiliate, belittle, berate, and/or single out, ignore, or reject an individual. In certain circumstances, NWSL personnel maliciously threatening to waive, bench, or trade On the basis of that legal advice, and despite his stated concerns, Plush did not facilitate further conversations, seek additional advice when the advice he received was inconsistent with the stated purpose of the Thorns's disclosure, or raise his concerns with the Board of Governors. Wilkinson told the Joint Investigative Team he learned of at least one occasion in mid-2015 in which Riley had been drinking socially with players. After several months, the staff member notified the club of the romantic relationship with the player and resigned. The Joint Investigative Team was comprised of Covington, as counsel for the NWSL, and Weil, as counsel for the NWSLPA. 50, The Joint Investigative Team encountered significant delays in its attempts to collect relevant documents from the Red Stars. As a result, players reported multiple instances in which they did not report concerns or misconduct. In fact, concerns about Dames's behavior were well known by that point. On August 14, 2019, outside counsel for U.S. Soccer emailed Wahlke stating Riley "was having a relationship with a Portland player. They warned Predmore that he [needed] to double check on Benstiti's comments to Horan and noted that they were "flagging it for him. Paulson noted that Wahlke kept coming back to the determination of no unlawful harassment. 9. The NWSL should not just list reporting channels in the Anti-Harassment Policy, but should email or otherwise share them with players, staff, and volunteers on a regular basis. Provide Mandatory Anti-Racism and Unconscious Bias Training F. @sarahlgorden I'm so sorry for what happened to you & your loved ones. Notable policies that will be established or revised include: a Non-Fraternization Policy that will create clear rules regarding romantic and/or sexual relationships and/or encounters between players and staff, and an Alcohol Policy to establish standards around alcohol-use in social settings where players and club staff are present., The league also promised that it would implement league and club minimum standards and staffing / reporting requirements with an emphasis on having clubs dedicate full-time employees to the Human Resources and General Manager positions, ensuring autonomy of the medical staff, and requiring clubs to designate their own Player Safety Officers to provide in-market support to the NWSL Player Safety Officer., In all, the report has specific allegations against eight NWSL teams, 12 former NWSL coaches or front-office leaders, three former top U.S. Soccer Federation employees including former president Sunil Gulati and three former NWSL commissioners or their equivalent. . . During this meeting, Starr shared Simon's name. Numerous individuals relayed that as a result, Cromwell and Greene stopped speaking to players who they believed had participated in the March Investigation and who did not show contrition in the aftermath. As noted, several current and former U.S. Soccer employees told the Joint Investigative Team that Riley was never seriously considered for the USWNT coaching position. The Joint Investigative Team made substantial efforts to contact individuals who might have information relevant to past and present misconduct in the NWSL, and did not refuse any witness's request to speak with the Joint Investigative Team during this investigation. Allowing Riley to continue coaching in the NWSL endangered NWSL players. 4. This may encompass disputes between players, or disputes between players and club staff. Ten days before the first game she expected to start, Riley Ultimately, WUSA announced it was folding on September 15, 2003, less than a week before the kickoff of the 2003 World Cup in the United States. This misconduct included sending the player inappropriate text messages that continued even after the player told LaHue to accept that they were working together and nothing more. . ), The actions of League and U.S. Soccer personnelfrom the Leagues founding, through its years under U.S. Soccer management, to the presentdemonstrate that misconduct does not announce itself, but requires proactive prevention and detection, the report says. Several players and staff described Clarkson's mood as unpredictable or hot or cold, leading players to feel like they were walking on eggshells around him or would not know what to expect in terms of his attitude on any given day. Two players had in fact described the same example of Dames sharing personal information, but one of the two players also provided a different example of when Dames's had shared information in a way that made her uncomfortable. Nearly every player who spoke to U.S. Soccer's investigator said that Dames targeted certain players, criticizing them more often and with more severity than others. 2. 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. Adequately Staff the NWSL HR and Legal Departments to Complete Investigations into Allegations of Misconduct Thoroughly and Promptly Throughout its 125 pages, the joint investigation repeatedly details how U.S. Soccer, the NWSL and specific clubs passed on responsibility for problems of the past to each other, with parties either claiming ignorance to specific information or stating that another party was responsible for reporting something. Despite learning this information, investigators and individuals kept apprised of the investigation, including the Thorns and Levine, did not probe further by interviewing other witnesses, requesting additional text messages or emails, or asking Riley about his relationship with Farrelly, among other things. First, the Joint Investigative Team found that the 2015 Thorns Investigation was inadequate in key ways. Other Inconsistencies Between the NWSL Anti-Harassment Policy and Club Policies Furthermore, comments made by individuals at the Thorns were favorable to Riley and had the effect of indicating to the Courage and the Flash that Riley had not engaged in misconduct while at the Thorns. The History and Culture of the League and its Member Clubs Discouraged Reporting of Potential Misconduct The League is also part of a soccer ecosystem in which mistreatment of players is endemic-one which affects not only the NWSL, but other professional leagues, both domestic and abroad. Cromwell and Greene may apply to the Commissioner for consideration only after they have successfully completed the mandatory training and coaching, acknowledged wrongdoing, and demonstrated a sincere commitment to modifying their behavior. The NWSL should provide clear guidance to players, club staff, and League staff addressing how to use the program and clear examples of disputes that are appropriate for the program. But the story had been percolating since June 28, when I reported via Twitter that Alyse LaHue was away from the team. Riley declined to respond to requests to participate in this investigation. The Joint Investigative Team further found that Goalkeeper Coach Aline Reis did not fully cooperate with the investigation, in violation of NWSL policy, including by pressuring players to share favorable information with investigators. After Dames tendered his resignation, Whisler entered into a separation agreement with Dameseven though Dames was terminable at will. A peek at LaHue's normally busy Twitter account suggests that things began to go south sometime around June 18, when her account last posted. Club statement. Predmore said he told Benstiti that his comments were not appropriate and that he was not permitted to have a conversation with any players about diet, nutrition, or fitness under any circumstance. Sports and The New York Times, published articles detailing her experience at PSG. . Trainings should also encourage players and staff to report bullying, harassment, discrimination, racist behavior, or other misconduct they experience or observe. According to Markgraf, Wahlke said that the Thorns had investigated the matter, and Markgraf understood from the conversation that Riley had been cleared and that his departure from the club was not related to the 2015 investigation. Racing Louisville entered into a severance agreement with Holly upon his departure, which provided for a severance payment to Holly of $14,000. However, it is far from the only misconduct experienced by players. Weil, Table of Contents When asked about this incident, Burke denied ever having yelled at a player who appeared to be experiencing a panic attack and explained that he always tried to make players laugh and feel comfortable before and during games. . As described in detail below, the Joint Investigative Team contacted and interviewed stakeholders representing a variety of perspectives, including current and former players, coaches and other club staff, NWSL employees and officials, U.S. Soccer officials, NWSLPA and U.S. Women's National Team Players Association (USWNTPA) leadership, and other members of the professional soccer community. The League received information about Riley's misconduct while at the Thorns, but the League allowed him to continue to coach, first at the Flash and then at the Courage. The report did not make any recommendations, noting instead that recommended actions for the Thorns to take would be determined by Paulson and Wilkinson. The NWSL did not distribute these player surveys consistently: player surveys were distributed yearly from 2013 to 2017, and again in 2020. The overlap of the two reports also proved problematic in some cases. At the conclusion of its investigation, the Joint Investigative Team determined that Clarkson's actions constituted emotional misconduct. And while the coaches offered some purported legitimate, non-retaliatory Sunil Gulati (U.S. Soccer, President, 2006-2018) and Dan Flynn (U.S. Soccer, CEO and Secretary General, 2000-2019) It's not just this team. However, many players were troubled by the way the Dash handled the situation. Burke also discouraged player activism for racial equity. 11 It was not until August 2022, after seven months of requests, that U.S. Soccer provided the Joint Investigative Team with a copy of the USSF Dames Report. Dames's behavior to U.S. Soccer's investigator. Players, fans, and the public reacted with outrage. D. Angie Long did not recall many details of discussions regarding these player transactions. During the meeting, Holly was reportedly fidgeting and "fumbling over his words." On today's episode of the Dynamic Leaders Podcast, Colin is joined by Alyse LaHue. Shim told the Joint Investigative Team that it would be an easy thing for Riley to claim that her performance had decreased to justify the drop in playing time. Angie Long recalled that players raised concerns about how training and practices were being conducted, but did not recall the players raising any concerns about how Williams interacted with players on the team. The NWSL's predecessor leagues-the Women's United Soccer Association ("WUSA") and Women's Professional Soccer ("WPS")-both buckled under financial pressures. Alyse LaHue, former vice president and general manager of NJ/NY Gotham FC (formerly Sky Blue FC), allegedly made unwanted sexual advances towards a player according to the joint investigative report released by the National Womens Soccer League and the NWSL Players Association on Wednesday. Kurtz earned playing time while a more senior member of the Courage was competing with the USWNT, and she recalled Riley encouraging her with the news that Jill Ellis, then-Head Coach of the USWNT, was considering her for a spot on the team. The club also wrote to the Joint Investigative Team that Johnson and Malik spoke with Plush from the NWSL, with Gulati and Flynn from U.S. Soccer, and with Paulson from the Thorns. Press's complaint was not the first time she had raised concerns about Dames's treatment of players to U.S. Soccer leadership and staff. It provides a successful (albeit anonymous) example of this working in late 2021. For instance, the Courage credibly recounted that the club was only informed that players went to Riley's apartment after drinking with Riley in a nearby bar, and that someone stated that Riley had suggested they kiss. The Joint Investigative Team also recognizes that NWSL players and other key stakeholders are looking to this Report to identify the individuals and entities who should be held responsible for acts of interpersonal misconduct directed at players and for the failures of institutions connected to women's professional soccer to prevent and address this misconduct. This phenomenon is not unique to this investigation or the NWSL: interpersonal misconduct, and particularly sexual misconduct, is generally underreported. The NWSL should also ensure that its HR staff responsible for receiving player reports are accessible, visible, and familiar to players, and that players are aware that they can report concerns to the League office. Former NWSL President Amanda Duffy recalled hearing that Holly stepped down and believed his relationship with Pearce Rampone "may have been part of [the reason]" that he left. Two other players recalled that Benstiti mentioned Horan by name. Days later, Shim emailed Baird to ask if the NWSL would take further steps in connection with her 2015 complaint, considering the apparent failure of the NWSL to take any action to protect players" in response to that complaint. Another player explained, "We are still in a growing league, and that's not lost on players." For example, the interviews of Shim and Farrelly were conducted at the Thorns's stadium-rather than a neutral locationwhere Shim and Farrelly may have been seen by club personnel or other players. Misconduct within the NWSL-and a failure to adequately investigate allegations of misconduct and take measures to prevent further misconduct-has contributed to players' lack of trust and confidence in U.S. Soccer, the NWSL, and its member clubs. When he spoke to the investigator, Whisler indicated that he was aware of players' concerns even before Press's complaint. Finally, in certain instances where players reported concerns publicly, including on social media or in statements to the press, or have otherwise authorized the Joint Investigative Team to use their names, this Report identifies those players where appropriate. Shim declined politely so as not to upset Riley, stating she had to prepare for a game the following day, and she walked out the door despite his attempts to persuade her to stay. Whisler also wrote, "The senior [US]WNT players absolutely want this league to shut down so they don't have as much competition for their spots and so they can make more money overseas." New subjects include details on why former Gotham FC general manager Alyse LaHue was fired in July of last year. According to the USSF Dames Report, one player said that Dames "was constantly putting her down, diminishing her self-worth, and making it clear he had the power and control and she did not."