Washington Spirit Based on the considerable efforts made to identify and collect all reasonably available sources of information, the Joint Investigative Team is confident in the soundness of its findings and the factual basis for the matters discussed in this Report. Johnson said Flynn told him an allegation was made that Riley asked "a player to kiss another female," and that Riley had denied this occurred. A third player reported that Pauw's presence limited players' training routines, and that she could not use the apartment complex's weight room because Pauw prohibited players from lifting weights on the belief that it would make them "bulky. Paulson's and Wilkinson's accounts of the information shared with the Flash are inconsistent with a document the Flash prepared for the Joint Investigative Team's review summarizing the club's vetting and hiring of Riley. On December 5, 2022, Whisler announced that he would sell the Red Stars. The agreement prohibited the club from disclosing Holly's sexual misconduct, including to law enforcement, unless compelled by law. Players were confused about where to report misconduct, and the absence of clear guidance about reporting channels or designated personnel to receive reports compounded the problem. For example, players on multiple teams recalled either being chased down to be yelled at or watching their coach physically follow their teammates to berate them in a way that bystanders recognized as unacceptable. The group, including Thorp, went to Riley's apartment, though Thorp left shortly thereafter. 6. Shim told Garcia that she did not want Riley to coach anywhere in the NWSL, which is why she had alerted the NWSL commissioner, Plush. While the player denied that this text made her uncomfortable, another player reported that she found the text concerning. (The league has not always used that specific title. 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. Dames's boundary-blurring behavior is described in more detail below. During the conversation, Levine also noted that Riley was a "well-respected coach" in the NWSL. The player wondered, "Are you going to get a jokey type of day, or is he going to make your life hell that day?" Several Dash players expressed concerns with Clarkson serving as both coach and general manager, noting that players "[could not] talk to our general manager because he's our coach." The NWSL should advise clubs and coaches that if a coach has legitimate health or fitness concerns about a player's weight, that coach should speak privately with the club medical staff so that the medical staff can address the concern privately with the player. Another player said that Pauw was able to monitor players and would tell them they could not go to the pool in the afternoon. I. Players described how emotional misconduct affected their performance. After Press made her 2018 complaint regarding Dames's behavior, U.S. Soccer hired an outside law firm to conduct an investigation (the USSF Dames Investigation). The Courage never received a copy of the report or learned the full findings, which also discussed Riley's other serious misconduct. For example, the League's former interim CEO, Marla Messing, recalled multiple instances where, due to her experience in the soccer community, she was able to identify potential hires by clubs who were "terrible" or "abusive," but who had received clean background checks. d) Failure to Investigate Players reported Williams apologized to the team the day after the meeting, but players felt the club did not take action to address players' concerns after the meeting. The Joint Investigative Team recommended temporary suspensions only where it had a factual basis to believe that interim action was warranted to protect players from imminent harm, prevent retaliation, or prevent interference with the investigation. Maybe. In 2014, while U.S. Soccer was managing the NWSL, then-NWSL Executive Director Cheryl Bailey sent USWNT player survey results to Red Stars owner Arnim Whisler. Other players similarly reported that they feared retaliation from Burke, or otherwise held back from criticizing Burke, due to incidents in which Burke threatened to waive players who disagreed with him and due to the fact that he had unilateral control over player contracts. The club fired Harrington on November 9, 2020. She did not recall any concerns about Williams's treatment of players being raised at the August 2021 meeting, instead recalling that players shared concerns about the level of training and the team's poor performance. According to O'Connor, he informed players that a player made an allegation against Holly, the allegation was 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." Players were "aware that this league could go under. 5. He complied with her request for a little while, but his inappropriate behavior resumed soon after. Some players viewed this as defending stadium security staff. Dames told the investigator this was not retaliatory, though Dames said he understood why the player felt retaliated against. This team member said she had not experienced a similar situation in a professional environment. He told the player that the club had provided Benstiti the opportunity to resign as "the most immediate and least risky path" to removing him from the club. However, that position is inconsistent with other evidence, including an email from counsel for the Thorns and Plush's own prior communications with Sky Blue. Craig Harrington, the former Utah Royals F.C. On one occasion, when she informed LaHue that other players had asked why LaHue was so mean to her, LaHue responded, Tell them kids at the playground always pick on their crush., When the NWSL investigated the complaint last year, the investigations report says, multiple staff members reported that LaHue behaved differently around this player. D. The League's Unstable History and Players' Fear of Collapse Coordinate with Clubs and U.S. Soccer to Improve and Centralize Hiring Practices Furthermore, in at least one instance, players received potentially misleading information about the outcome of an investigation. In 2017, players in the League formed the NWSLPA to unite professional and amateur players on NWSL rosters who were not allocated to the League by the U.S. or Canadian national teams. U.S. Soccer, the NWSL, and Clubs Failed to Adequately Share Information Regarding Misconduct Clubs have also at times failed to share critical information about certain applicants with other clubs, which resulted in clubs hiring coaches accused of misconduct without sufficient information about the allegations. Another player described being yelled at by another coach to the point where the player could feel [the coach's] spit almost in [her] face. A player at another club described a coach getting "really close" to her face during a game and screaming and cursing-conduct she had observed the same coach repeat with another player. coach, and Alyse LaHue, the former general manager of Gotham F.C., each received two-year suspensions from the league. A. Likewise, a current general manager expressed that background checks "only catch[] so much" and explained that for this reason, her club also relied on input from players when hiring. With regards to Dames's treatment of players, one player recalled, "It wasn't like, 'Hey, bad pass.' According to the course description, this course trains medical staff on how to "[r]ecognize types and signs of abuse and misconduct, [c]reate safer, abusepreventative spaces and policies for training and treatment, [r]espond to abuse and disclosures and recognize barriers to reporting, [i]ncorporate a trauma-informed approach into [their] practice," "[s]afely reintegrate athletes who have been harmed back into sport," and "[c]reate and promote a culture that prioritizes athlete safety." The overlap of the two reports also proved problematic in some cases. Levine told the HR employee not to worry about the email from Farrelly because a third party had already investigated the allegations and found no fault, and Riley had been hired by another club following the investigation. The report made clear that certain facts were not disputed. The complainant explained that one night, Riley told two players that the team would not have to do fitness drills if they kissed. One club's player representatives expressed frustration that those investing in None of the club policies referenced the 2021 Anti-Harassment Policy provision requiring supervisors, managers, coaches, and all general managers to report all potential violations of the policy to the NWSL HR Manager. 1. This disclosure should be made in a manner that protects the confidentiality or anonymity of anyone who has experienced or has reported misconduct. Develop and Enforce Guidelines Addressing Appropriate Interactions Between Club Staff and Players. The League and its Clubs Often Have Not Sufficiently Vetted Coaches and Staff Players recalled being confused after this meeting and not understanding exactly why Holly had been fired. Accordingly, she cooperated in the first, second, and third investigations into alleged conduct from April 2020 reported in June 2021. Already a member? Multiple players voiced concerns to the Joint Investigative Team regarding vague public statements that obscured the reason for departures, mainly for coaches. Alyse LaHue, General Manager of the NJ/NY Gotham FC Women's Football Team Lisa Ferkul, Director of Hockey Sponsorship at Scotiabank Andrew Sutherland, Vice President of Marketing, Creative and Original Content at Sportsnet What were the takeaways? "Our biggest goal as a staff, when I took over, was that we needed to rebuild the trust with fans. 5. A third player recalled that during trips for away games, the team would "go to the bar together and Riley would "be there buying players . Shim believed Riley would try to pressure her to have sex with him during the trip, so she made sure she was never alone with him. 2. In a recent interview with The Inquirer, LaHue made it clear that the team intends to leave Yurcak at the end of this season. At the same time, Clarkson was suspended in April amid an ongoing investigation, but until Wednesday, no reasons were provided publicly. She recalled Riley's behavior oscillating between positive comments about her performance and tearing her down-she had positive experiences with Riley in 2018, but recalled Riley spiraling [everything] back to [her]" and leaving meetings with him in tears" in 2019. Other clubs in the NWSL pursued Riley after it became known that the Thorns would not retain him and in the absence of any public information indicating that he had been terminated for cause. When Simon told Holly he had to stop touching her because it was messing with her, he began treating her poorly on the field, yelling at her and taking her out of games regardless of her performance. The 2022 Anti-Harassment Policy prohibits discrimination and harassment on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression, yet players reported that coaches used offensive language and made offensive comments about players' sexual orientation. Dames yelled at players, targeted certain players for harsh treatment, made personal insults, and blurred personal and professional boundaries with players. Angie Long did not recall many details of discussions regarding these player transactions. 83, required NWSL vetting, and this person raised concerns that clubs may not have been submitting all hires for screening. As one player said regarding the owner of her team, He made it seem like his players were his kids-which, if you had the owner of the Knicks saying that to one of his players, that's weird. 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. The policy provides multiple options for players to report concerns, including via an anonymous text hotline, or by emailing, calling, or writing to the NWSL HR office. One player reported that Riley ripped" a player for being too fat during a halftime speech. 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. The 2022 NWSL Anti-Harassment Policy contains a similar provision that "[s]upervisors in NWSL, including supervisors affiliated with or employed by Teams, are required to report promptly all complaints or reports of misconduct (including incidents of workplace discrimination, harassment, or bullying that they experiences, witness, or receive information about, whether or not reported as formal complaints) and all other potential violations of this policy to the NWSL HR Manager." To be eligible for future employment in the NWSL, Cromwell and Greene must participate in mandatory training regarding retaliation, discrimination, harassment, and bullying, and must participate in mandatory executive coaching.
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