Inconsistencies Between Club Anti-Harassment Policies and the NWSL Anti-Harassment Policy . C. The article also noted Horan's observation that Benstiti's insistence on weight loss was "more [about] how you were seen and not how it was helping you play. An April 2019 Adidas commercial focused on Horan overcoming her negative experience with Benstiti. Instead, it should require clubs to notify and provide relevant factual information to the NWSL when a club terminates the employment of any staff member, regardless of job title, or takes other disciplinary action due to misconduct. 47, The stated purpose of the USSF Dames Investigation was "to understand the experience of the players and provide U.S. Soccer legal advice with respect to whether the alleged misconduct by Dames, to the extent that it occurred, is acceptable from the head coach of a National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) team from the perspective of U.S. And Levine, in spite of having been kept apprised of the Thorns's investigation in 2015 and having read the investigative report, did not take Shim's and Farrelly's 2021 complaints to the NWSL regarding Riley seriously; in fact, Levine drafted responses on which Baird-who had no prior familiarity with the 2015 investigation-relied to respond to Shim and Farrelly and essentially decline to inquire into Riley further. Alyse LaHue (Sky Blue and Gotham, Vice President, 20182019, General Manager, 2019-2021) Club owners, coaches, and general managers from Utah Royals FC, OL Reign, NJ/NY Gotham FC, the Washington Spirit, Racing Louisville FC, and later, the Chicago Red Stars departed their clubs following reports of misconduct towards players, including overtly racist conduct, verbal and emotional abuse, sexual harassment, and sexual assault. The investigator did not ask the players about this assertion or take other steps to determine the accuracy of the claim that the players wanted to return. Cromwell also sought to exclude the players she believed to have been involved in the March Investigation from her efforts to improve the locker room culture. Several coaches routinely relied on derogatory language and name-calling to shame or criticize players. On September 30, 2021, an article in The Athletic shared accounts by Shim and her former Thorns teammate Sinead Farrelly detailing not only Riley's 2015 misconduct towards Shim, but also his prior sexual misconduct-which the 2015 Thorns Investigation had not uncovered-towards Farrelly. The NWSL did not distribute these player surveys consistently: player surveys were distributed yearly from 2013 to 2017, and again in 2020. In late June 2015, Riley encouraged players to attend a Women's World Cup match in Vancouver. It also states that "[e]xceptions to this policy may be granted by ownership or the Chief Operating Officer if, in their sole discretion, it is determined that the close relationship is not likely to cause actual or perceived conflict or favoritism, which is inconsistent with the NWSL policy. Shim later stated, I'm just so grateful for this opportunity to get these bad people out of the League and really shine a light on this issue because it's so prevalent. In response to her request, Courage Assistant General Manager Bobby Hammond conveyed to Kurtz or her agent that the club was unable to find a trade for her, but that it could increase her salary by a "few thousand dollars." Kansas City Current Some witnesses also recalled that Riley would at times exert pressure to have injured players play, in spite of medical advice to the contrary. The staff member's account contradicts Predmore's claim that he was unaware of any issues with Benstiti until after Benstiti signed his contract on January 11, 2020. Riley directed According to an outline prepared by players before the meeting, their concerns included comments made during training, like I'm going to ream her ass," and "you are a pain in my ass," demeaning players' abilities, and telling players, "I do this [drill] with my 12 year-olds" and "I do this with my U14s," which players felt did not afford them respect as professionals. In many cases, a lack of separation between players' professional responsibilities and personal lives allowed staff members to exercise undue influence over players. The ability of individuals within the League to identify and report misconduct, and to receive sufficient responses to those reports, has also been hampered by a failure of stakeholders including U.S. Soccer, the League, and clubsto adequately share information. In another instance, a player reported that Clarkson angrily asked her, "How the fuck are you so unprofessional," when she had to come out of a game due to an injury. However, it is far from the only misconduct experienced by players. When traveling for another away game, Riley asked Shim to bring him a bag of chips from downstairs in the hotel up to his room. Trainings should also encourage players and staff to report bullying, harassment, discrimination, racist behavior, or other misconduct they experience or observe. There were also multiple process failures during the USSF Dames Investigation, which left notable gaps in its fact-finding. Gulati, who said he had never received the 2015 investigative report, said that although he could not remember clearly, he surmised that he was given legal advice by Levine not to disclose or discuss information regarding the allegations and investigation by the Thorns. In another example, Dames told the investigator that he revoked the media credentials of a player's boyfriend because he concluded that the boyfriend's presence was "not positive" based on a conversation with a USWNT coach. However, the Joint Investigative Team found no evidence that they, or others at U.S. Soccer, shared information or ensured information was shared with the Flash regarding the 2015 allegations or investigative findings against Riley. Misconduct against players has occurred at the vast majority of NWSL clubs at various times from the earliest years of the League to the present.". Instead, these conversations occurred on an ad hoc basis and were left to individual clubs. 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. In the report's summary, which preceded the conclusion, the investigator flagged as problematic three additional issues beyond Dames's three undisputed behaviors." At some clubs, the players and club staff reported that they live in the same clubprovided housing during the season. At the time, the NWSL was addressing a number of other issues with Sky Blue, unrelated to misconduct against players, and Duffy recalled "being confused" about how to handle Holly's relationship with Pearce Rampone and how Holly's departure fit into other concerns with the club. Clarkson was described by many players in the report as unpredictable and temperamental, which "created a culture of anxiety." The day Racing Louisville fired Holly, players received a text message to meet at the training facility that evening for an "emergency meeting. Another player said she felt that Whisler had "loyalty" to Dames and did not hear" players' concerns. The training should be engaging and interactive. Former NY/NJ Gotham FC general manager Alyse. In each instance in which a report of misconduct was referred to another entity, the NWSL and the NWSLPA were consulted and agreed to the referral. This league, eventually named the National Women's Soccer League, began play in April 2013. U.S. Soccer's failure to exercise its power as manager in this regard contributed to widespread confusion across the League, clubs, and players, as to which entity was tasked with preventing and addressing misconduct. Mishandling of Paul Riley's Misconduct by U.S. Soccer, the NWSL, and the Portland Thorns USWNTPA Executive Director Becca Roux, who helped Press bring her complaint, told the Joint Investigative Team that Wahlke "called [her] and said nothing was fireable offense, but she received no factual findings from the investigation until November 2021. 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. Multiple players described the fear and uncertainty that accompanied the constant threat of being traded to another team or waived. He stated that the non-disparagement clause was mutual, in that it required that the club not disparage Holly. The lead investigator selected by the Thorns was inexperienced in conducting sensitive investigations, and player interviews-particularly Farrelly's-were not of the duration and scope appropriate for an investigation into serious allegations of sexual misconduct. For example, the NWSL engaged a third-party investigator specializing in workplace investigations to conduct investigations into former Royals owner Dell Loy Hansen in 2020, Dash stadium security in 2021, and LaHue in 2021. Hendrix said Simon shared Holly's comment with her, and Holly's "nonchalant response to Simon asking him to stop touching her made them wonder if he was "doing something to someone else." "The club has a tremendous history and. Additionally, the investigation seemed focused on limiting the club's liability rather than The player stated that Burke's lack of emotional control was "very regular." Other misconduct, which this Report discusses in detail below, has not received as much, if any, public attention. In a follow-up interview, the lawyer said the alterations were not made by Ms. LaHue, and did not provide any further details. Recalling the club's mindset at the time, Red Stars owner Arnim Whisler explained that a check was not considered, as Dames was a well-known figure within the soccer community. 28, Investigative Team that he surmised that U.S. Soccer and the NWSL received legal advice from Levine that there was nothing they could formally do to stop Riley from coaching elsewhere in the NWSL. "Our biggest goal as a staff, when I took over, was that we needed to rebuild the trust with fans. Simon eventually deleted Snapchat from her phone because she did not want Holly to continue sending her inappropriate photos, but Holly would ask her why she had deleted the application or encourage her to download it again. Multiple players reported instances of club staff, including coaches, using racial epithets, making derogatory comments, using negative stereotypes, and making jokes about race and ethnicity. Sexual misconduct, as used in this Report, is a broad term intended to encompass a range of conduct, including conduct that could be described as sexual assault, sexual abuse, and sexual harassment. e) Emails show that Paulson, Wilkinson, and Thorns President of Business Mike Golub were included in conversations with Garcia surrounding the investigation and that Paulson and Wilkinson edited some of Garcia's outreach to players. Multiple club staff reported that on an away trip, Holly sat at an airport gate with Pearce Rampone, while the rest of the team sat together at a different gate. In other cases, clubs knew of and allowed the staff member and player to continue their romantic relationship, particularly where the relationship preexisted their time at the club. At the Spirit, a player reported that issues she had raised about Spirit Head Coach Richie Burke to the club's then-owner, Steve Baldwin, who players perceived to be a longtime friend of Burke's, always seemed to get back to [Burke] no matter what." He frequently texted Shim, even though she did not always reply, sometimes asking her to come to his apartment or turning the conversation to her sexual orientation. Plush's email summarized Lines's report of a conversation with Wilkinson, in which Wilkinson brought up what he referred to as the human resource issue, said Wilkinson felt Riley "was put in a bad position by the player," and said Wilkinson would hire [Riley] in a heartbeat. According to Plush's email, Lines had spoken with Riley, who told Lines, "I shouldn't have put myself in that situation." Two people used the phrase Jekyll and Hyde" to describe Holly. Holly was an assistant coach at the U-23 camp, which Simon did not know until a couple of days prior to the start of the camp. More than one individual used the phrase "Jekyll and Hyde" to describe Holly, who exhibited patterns of hot and cold behavior that caused anxiety and uncertainty for players. It then describes the Joint Investigative Team's observations and findings based on specific incidents and evidence obtained during the investigation, and summarizes findings of misconduct relating to key individuals and entities. In addition, some clubs did not historically offer anonymous reporting channels for players, which resulted in players not coming forward out of fear of retaliation. In addition, Shim's complaint identified Farrelly as a target of Riley's misconduct, but Farrelly was not treated as a potential target of misconduct; her interview was brief and focused on Shim's allegations and on whether Farrelly had told anyone about them. Riley told Kaleigh Kurtz that he could "see the cellulite on [her] legs and that in order to retain her starting position, she needed to lose 14 pounds in 10 days. Since its inception, the NWSL and clubs have failed to provide clear guidance to players regarding what constitutes misconduct. As manager of the League until December 31, 2020, U.S. Soccer was tasked with providing the "NWSL with all management, governance, operational, administrative, and advisory services." It provides a successful (albeit anonymous) example of this working in late 2021. After Riley joined the Thorns in 2014, he brought on assistant coaches who had worked for him in the past and who, according to multiple accounts, appeared loyal to Riley. Paulson told the Joint Investigative Team that he described to Wahlke the incident involving the coerced kiss between Farrelly and Shim, and they discussed the investigative findings and the fact that Riley had been terminated. 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 Women's Soccer League and the NWSL Players Association on Wednesday. New Jersey Alyse LaHue has brought real change to Sky Blue FC. 111, VI. Estes, O'Connor, and Wilkins attended this meeting with players. For example, as reported in The Washington Post, Dames criticized one player's communication skills by screaming at her, "If you can't even talk on the field, what kind of mother are you?" The 2020 survey also asked several questions about NWSL tournaments and schedules. Conduct Background Checks on All Prospective Club Owners, Staff, and Volunteers Who May Interact With Players Farrelly reported to the Joint Investigative Team that she did not go into the interview with Garcia planning to disclose that history and instead planned to respond to the specific questions asked. Racing Louisville entered into a severance agreement with Holly upon his departure, which provided for a severance payment to Holly of $14,000. The head coach would ask questions about players who were dating women, and another coach would contrast players who were dating women with players who were not, implying that the team should consider players' sexual orientations when making roster decisions. Predmore confirmed that during the 2020 Challenge Cup, he was informed by a staff member that Benstiti made comments to a player about the quantity and type of food the player was eating during a team meal. Formation and Mandate of the Joint Investigative Team In the 2014 player survey, several players for the Thorns shared negative comments about the coaching staff, including Riley. Gotham FC cooperated in all respects with the NWSL investigation.
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