These failures created barriers to identifying and reporting misconduct, and bred distrust among players that reports would be handled appropriately by the League or clubs. Where necessary to protect the integrity of the investigation, the Joint Investigative Team recommended temporary suspensions of certain individuals pending the conclusion of the Joint Investigative Team's review. Players reported that by bringing players into a meeting with Holly, club management created a fear of retaliation which discouraged them from reporting further 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. During a break for West Ham in the summer of 2019, Simon returned home to New Jersey, where Holly lived about 20 minutes from her home. Separately, during a large group meeting with Baird and Levine, she told them about some of her experiences with Riley. During the 2019 season, Riley joined Kurtz as she was eating lunch outside the Courage practice facility. Leaders within U.S. Soccer and the NWSL, including the Board of Governors and club management, must lead the effort in building back trust with players and creating a safe working environment for all players. Plush eventually resigned as CEO of USA Curling nearly a month after the Yates report detailed his inaction and culpability in allowing Riley to continue coaching in the NWSL following Riley's 2015 sexual misconduct in Portland. Morgan and NWSLPA President Tori Huster also spoke on the phone with Baird and Levine about the issue. Gotham FC fires general manager Alyse LaHue - The Athletic However, the allegations once again were not responded to appropriately by the NWSL, including by Levine, who had read Shim's 2015 allegations against Riley as well as the 2015 investigative report. Prior to 2021, the NWSL did not have a formal policy prohibiting harassment, which includes sexual harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. 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. According to Garcia's interview notes, her interview with Farrelly lasted only 30 minutes, though Farrelly recalled it being even shorter. Malik told the Joint Investigative Team that he communicated with Plush at the NWSL, who suggested Malik speak with Paulson about hiring Riley, and with Gulati at U.S. Soccer, who told Malik to reach out to Riley's previous employers. 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. When asked to describe negative aspects of the team, one player responded, "[T]he head coach," and another responded [C]oaching staff. In the 2015 player survey, several players made negative comments about Flash Head Coach Aaran Lines. Players Lacked Effective Channels for Reporting Inappropriate Behavior.. Multiple players reported that there was an overlap between these players and those who had been vocal at the meeting. 120 In addition, the policy sets forth a general process for conducting investigations into potential violations and reporting the findings of such investigations. 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. One club's player representatives expressed frustration that those investing in Multiple players reported hearing that Williams referred to this player, a leader in the locker room, as "toxic." Investigators said after interviews that Burke did not acknowledge the offensiveness of his behaviors with the Washington Spirit, and that Clarkson "exhibited a lack of candor Clarkson denied ever raising his voice at players or losing control of his emotions, notwithstanding credible evidence to the contrary." Require Coaches to Adhere to Club Medical Staff's Decisions Regarding Player Health and Ability to Train and Play The player spoke to Levine and Duffy later that day to explain her concerns. After players spoke to club management about these concerns, management scheduled a joint meeting with both players and coaching staff, including Holly. While the NWSL did not specify the reason for the fines, multiple reports indicated that they were the result of Red Stars co-owner Sarah Spain and then-Gotham FC general manager Alyse LaHue expressing their support for Gorden publicly on Twitter after the league had asked team staff members to refrain commenting on the incident. Two players reported that Dames texted some players in a manner that felt "very different" from his communications with other players. Players at a number of clubs reported that staff members engaged in unprofessional communications with them. In the fall of 2021, the Joint Investigative Team asked clubs to produce their antiharassment policies, and this Report analyzes the policies received from that request, some of which were implemented only recently. Sky Blue FC's game at Red Bull was a success, but only the first step 110, D. The club issued a public apology stating that it had "wrongly focused on signage policy and procedures, instead of allowing the important meaning of the message." In explaining the transactions the club made before the next season, Williams said, "We needed to make a lot of changes-we were last [in the League]. It's across the League. 2. This player said that on another occasion, she did not really" want to visit Riley's Long Island home but "felt pressure to go." (The league has not always used that specific title. During this meeting, Starr shared Simon's name. In certain instances, the Joint Investigative Team determined that conduct did not violate the Anti-Harassment Policy or other relevant standards. 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. Two other players said they felt that Dames gathered information about their personal and romantic relationships and used the information he learned about their personal lives as a tool for manipulation. 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 same player said that Holly told her she should send a photo to someone she had planned to meet for a date but who did not show up for the date. She also detailed how Riley questioned her about her dating life and discussed his own sex life with her, sharing his preferred sexual positions. For most of its history, the NWSL did not require clubs to perform background checks when hiring coaches or other player-facing staff. 81 votes, 27 comments. While the investigation into Clarkson was ongoing, players submitted an additional formal complaint and again reached out to the Joint Investigative Team to raise both related and additional concerns about Clarkson's treatment of players, expressing fear that Clarkson would retaliate against them if he learned they had raised complaints. Instead, the vetting of player-facing club employees including whether background checks were conducted and what those background checks included-was left entirely to the clubs' discretion. "The continuation of ongoing investigations initiated under the NWSL's current antiharassment policy, and the recommendation of sanctions where appropriate." When confronted by the team's captains about his response, Clarkson said that the players "should be scared.". Club anti-harassment policies generally provided reporting channels for employees who believe they were subjected to or witnessed discrimination or harassment; however, none of these policies listed the NWSL HR Office as a reporting channel. And we have to do something about it." 63, 6. Reis acknowledged encouraging players to speak with investigators, but she denied telling them what to say. Inadequate individual and institutional responses to this misconduct can further normalize and perpetuate the underlying bias, and dissuade reporting. The training should be engaging and interactive. NJ/NY Gotham FC, having put in the past the ghosts of their former Sky Blue FC selves and all the baggage that came with it, have been thrust back into a state of uncertainty. Listen to Alyse's thoughts on why women's soccer is on the rise the United States, the story behind re-branding Sky Blue FC's to NJ/NY Gotham FC, and how Alyse is leveraging the power of Gotham's fans to inform th After the group returned to the hotel, Harrington came upstairs to two players' hotel room. Another Racing Louisville staff member did not recall any conversations at the club about reporting Holly to SafeSport. professionalism. 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. NJ/NY Gotham FC parts ways with general manager Alyse LaHue 1. Given the scope of the Joint Investigative Team's work, the Team considered it appropriate to evaluate historical misconduct under the 2022 Anti-Harassment Policy, which reflects the NWSL's current approach to these issues. The Joint Investigative Team hopes that this Report will inform and contribute to the continued change necessary to ensure that players in the League are safe, secure, and empowered. In January 2020, Simon left West Ham and signed with the Dash. 8 When one Spirit player tackled a teammate during practice, Burke went off out of nowhere," calling the player a "fucking asshole" and a cheat." Those discussions should be focused on how to improve the player's performance and should not include any jokes, insults, or other unconstructive comments about players' weight, appearance, or eating habits. manipulate them."" Interviews Conducted In deciding whom to name, the Joint Investigative Team considered both the need for public accountability as well as the potential impact on player confidentiality. Another NWSL employee expressed concern that criminal background checks are insufficient: "None of the issues we had last year with our coaches would have been discovered unless a reputation check had been conducted before they were hired. 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. 36, findings about Riley's inappropriate behavior beyond that night. The NWSL should consider engaging with the NWSLPA on the role and parameters of such a program to ensure that it is responsive to player needs and concerns and that it is developed and implemented in a player-centered way. On October 26, 2015, the Thorns announced that they were trading Farrelly to the Breakers, a now-defunct NWSL club. One player recalled that the men's team was allowed to train on better practice fields, and the women were asked to train on inferior fields despite the availability of better fields near where the men practiced, apparently because the men's team found it distracting to practice near the women. Novo responded, "My answer is that Christy [Holly] has a very good and fair relationship with our players . One player reported that Williams stopped communicating with her, would ignore her when greeting other players, and made efforts to avoid her. a) Perceptions of Bias and Cronyism Commissioner of the NWSL, detailing numerous instances of sexually inappropriate conduct by Riley during the 2015 season. Temares did not recall Novo coming to him with this question and rather remembered being surprised because he heard about Holly's departure after the fact. The NWSL should implement a responsible drinking policy stating that excessive consumption of alcohol at NWSL or club events, including during travel for games, is not tolerated and will result in disciplinary action. Discussing the National Women's Soccer League and all things women's soccer in the US These recommendations are organized thematically and not in order of priority. When one person holds both coaching roles and general manager roles, players have fewer avenues to report misconduct and may fear that reporting misconduct will lead to retaliation. 55 names revealed for FIFA FIFPro Women's World11 2019 . From the early days of the League, they were told to be grateful, loyal, and acquiescent, even as they were not afforded the resources or respect due to professional athletes. 101, When players reported concerns about Dames or resisted his social invitations, they experienced retaliation. Alyse LaHue joined the Chicago Red Stars eight years ago as an intern under Peter Wilt and then-GM Marcia McDermott. Starr recalled that a couple of weeks later, she met with Simon again, and Simon informed her that the abuse had been "going on for a while." The Joint Investigative Team collected documents and other materials from a variety of sources, including the NWSL, its member clubs, the NWSLPA, U.S. Soccer, and various individuals. A player on another team recalled that a general manager, when asked by a player about hotel room arrangements, screamed at the player for several minutes and accused the player of "trying to get inside information about who was going to be traded." 123, F. Sky Blue FC general manager Alyse LaHue reinforced her reputation as a draft-day wheeler-dealer on Wednesday night. . While the report singles out individuals and clubs for alleged misconduct or mishandling of situations, investigators chose to make recommendations that are "forward-looking, systemic in nature; rather than recommending discipline as to specific individuals or entities." The conclusion of the report similarly minimized players' concerns in favor of Dames's and Whisler's self-serving explanations. The Courage fired Riley hours after the Athletic article was published. During the 2017 season, Simon recalled players learning that Holly had been dating another player, Christie Pearce Rampone. The close timing between the March Investigation and the proposed player transactions creates a reasonable inference that the decisions were motivated in part by retaliation. Although Racing Louisville's vetting of Holly was not atypical for clubs at the time, it did not go far enough in assessing his treatment of players. In fact, multiple players reported that they did not consider the League as an option to report misconduct and did not know of anyone at the League to whom they could report concerns. For example, multiple players on the Red Stars reported that players were concerned that the club would fold if it received negative press. Despite receiving players' reports of verbal and emotional abuse by Dames, she took no action to suspend Dames or otherwise prevent further misconduct during the investigation. Burke acknowledged much of this conduct to the Joint Investigative Team, though he expressed that he did not view his conduct as problematic and claimed that some of the instances had been mischaracterized. Some players reported the interactions made them uncomfortable, but they felt like they had to tolerate the behavior because they were concerned they would face retaliation, including loss of playing time or being cut from their team, if they raised any concerns. Riley told her to get on his hotel bed to go over film, though she saw there was no film on the television. One assistant coach described how Holly would "ream out two Black players on the team and how he described them as lazy. The assistant coach noted Holly's description was both inaccurate and racially insensitive. As with former acting U.S. Attorney General Sally Q. Yates recent investigation for the U.S. Soccer Federation, this report did not hold back in its allegations. to any third-party that denigrates, disparages, criticizes, defames, or is derogatory of the other." On June 28, 2021, a player reported Benstiti's comments to Predmore, who suspended Benstiti from interacting with players the next day. Another player echoed these concerns, saying that Dames "sometimes ma[de] statements suggesting he found players attractive, but she felt these comments had "cooled off" after Dames's daughter was born. On December 5, 2022, Whisler announced that he would sell the Red Stars. Holly complained to Simon about Hendrix and referred to Hendrix as a "cockblock." Develop and Enforce Guidelines Addressing Appropriate Interactions Between Club Staff and Players. He complied with her request for a little while, but his inappropriate behavior resumed soon after. Which duo has the most goal contributions in Europe this season? Dec 15, 2022, 07:04 AM EST. To effectuate lasting change, the League must commit to the long-term, critical, incremental work of systemic cultural and structural transformation. "I think historically, some leagues have focused too much on the children factor of our games," LaHue said. Plush also reported that the Flash were "comfortable with the situation at [that] point." This actually isn't okay. Conclusion The NWSL should consider expanding and further supporting formal pipelines for former and current players who are interested in coaching and support those players in their pursuit of coaching positions, beyond the current Sports and The New York Times, published articles detailing her experience at PSG. In the course of the investigation, the Joint Investigative Team investigated not only historical misconduct by coaches and other club staff, but also ongoing concerns of misconduct raised by players and staff regarding current player-facing personnel in the NWSL, including concerns that were raised for the first time after the investigation commenced.
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