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. . Estes explained that Holly indicated this conduct "may have flowed over" from his time in New Jersey to his time as head coach of Racing Louisville. Levine told the Joint Investigative Team that she did not second guess this determination or come to her own conclusion on this issue based on her review of the facts laid out in the final report. In evaluating professional coaching standards, the Joint Investigative Team reviewed and considered professional and academic literature on verbal and emotional abuse in sport. The Spirit suspended Burke pending an investigation initiated shortly after the Washington Post article was published, and the club fired him on September 28, 2021, following the completion of that investigation. a But at the same time, Wahlke was having internal discussions about Riley's prior misconduct. For example, and as discussed in detail above, when Riley was separated from employment with the Thorns and subsequently hired by the Flash, neither the Thorns nor the League informed the Flash of the precise issues or investigative findings against Riley. 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. Months before that, in July 2017, Whisler had also texted Dames that he was "trying to think of a buyer" who would purchase both the Red Stars and Eclipse. Players also emphasized that Dames often focused his yelling on fringe players, who started in some games but not all. This investigation followed. 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. The evidence suggests he also discussed with Levine and with U.S. Soccer's outside counsel that Levine should give Sky Blue certain information about the allegations of sexual harassment against Riley, the circumstances of Riley's termination from the Thorns, and conclusions from the 2015 investigation. The club did not take steps to determine if Riley's conduct extended beyond an isolated comment or to other players. Players and staff members alike were often unsure of whether behavior rose to the level of misconduct and, even if they were able to identify behavior as misconduct, where to report it. On one occasion, Dames called her into his office in the presence of his two assistant coaches and said that the two assistant coaches had told him she "had a really bad attitude" and was a bad teammate. One player noted "bystander training" for players could be helpful so that players could help other players experiencing misconduct. In January 2020, Simon left West Ham and signed with the Dash. LaHue's inappropriate messages continued even after the player told LaHue that it felt like LaHue was acting like a jealous girlfriend," and asked LaHue to "accept that we are working together and nothing more. The player explained that although she repeatedly pushed back against LaHue's inappropriate Players told the Joint Investigative Team that Dames threatened them, saying he would shred a player's contract or kick them off the team or out of practice if they made a mistake. 104, B. Reis may not return to work until she has completed the mandatory training, acknowledged wrongdoing, and demonstrated a sincere commitment to modifying her behavior. Trainings should also explain that even if there are other reasons for taking an adverse action against a player or staff member, if retaliation is a motivating factor for taking an adverse action, the adverse action is retaliatory and a violation of the Anti-Harassment Policy. Wilkinson responded that the trade was "purely a player move that made sense." 1. In the course of 2021 alone, six of the League's then-existing ten clubs fired or accepted the resignations of general managers or head coaches due to misconduct, in some cases misconduct that had persisted for years. 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. .8 For example, when Racing Louisville hired Holly as its new head coach in August 2020, it conducted a narrow criminal background check, in addition to speaking with former employers. At the end of the investigation, the Joint Investigative Team delivered this Report to the NWSL and NWSLPA. A report detailing the results of the year-long investigation was published Wednesday, a little over two . Insufficient HR Staff at the NWSL and Clubs SafeSport produces over a dozen "abuse awareness and prevention courses, and all NWSL employees (including players) and club employees are required to participate in at least one training course developed by SafeSport. During the 2022 preseason, the Dash traveled to Mexico City for preseason games against the Mexican club Pumas. When contacting former employers, the NWSL should not just verify employment, but should inquire into any past incidents of misconduct. Two people used the phrase Jekyll and Hyde" to describe Holly. 7. the Joint Investigative Team sent each club a document collection questionnaire to gather information about its organization, structure, and mechanisms for reporting complaints. However, Gulati told the Joint Investigative Team that he did not tell Dorrance anything about the 2015 allegations or investigation of Riley. The public revelation of Riley's misconduct and the systemic issues it exposed prompted outcry and action. Even players who were more supportive of Dames said that he was "definitely very unpredictable and that players [did not] know what kind of Rory [they would] get at practice. He told Kurtz, I hope you know I'm doing this because I love you." We must make the necessary changes based on the unprofessionalism and carelessness in the past in order to pave [the way for] a more mature and harmless future.. 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. @sarahlgorden I'm so sorry for what happened to you & your loved ones. Consider Creating an Alternative Complaint Resolution Program Background checks should also be conducted on prospective owners of NWSL clubs, including prospective owners of expansion clubs or investors who are candidates to acquire majority or significant minority stakes in existing clubs. She said that she chose to come forward about her experiences and was willing to be identified in this Report to help other players. 1. In interviews with the Joint Investigative Team, both Levine and Duffy remembered that they paused the NWSL investigation at Wahlke's request. The NWSL should strictly enforce the 2022 Anti-Harassment Policy's requirement that complaints or reports of potential policy violations be elevated to the NWSL within 24 hours of receipt to ensure the NWSL is equipped to investigate promptly and immediately take interim measures to protect players as needed. Days later, the assistant coaches told her that they had never complained about her attitude. 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. . Following the survey responses, Whisler wrote in an email, I can tell you that Rory offered his resignation to me last night because of the embarrassment he thought it caused the organization. One player recalled Riley repeatedly calling a teammate that he considered chubby "Chips" in front of the entire team. b) Failures of Background Checks These protocols mandated that all coach, general manager, and president hires had to be approved by the NWSL and that such employees had to complete a New Hire Certification, complete an NWSL-directed background check, and have certain language included in their contracts. These players explained that coaches would target players they perceived as overweight, even if their strength and fitness levels were on par with their teammates', and even if the coach lacked the expertise to make such judgments. Despite the 2014 and 2018 complaints and a formal investigation in which players reported a wide range of concerns corroborating Press's account, the Red Stars, the NWSL, and U.S. Soccer failed to address Dames's conduct. 34, another club following the 2015 investigation. The 2022 Anti-Harassment Policy applies an objective standard for emotional misconduct. Key individuals involved in the 2015 Thorns Investigation and Some of these remarks were not necessarily targeted toward specific players but were made openly in the presence of other club staff and/or players and created an unwelcome working environment, especially for players of color. face allegations of misconduct. The Thorns's public announcement merely stated that Riley would not be retained as head coach for the 2016 season, without mentioning the investigation or termination, and without providing any reason for Riley not being retained. Based on the evidence obtained during this investigation, the Joint Investigative Team makes the following observations and findings. An owner of a club emphasized that one of the problems with having a coach and a general manager who are the same person" was that it meant "one less channel of communication that you have" to report concerns. 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. . The player recalled that a staff member who lived in her apartment complex "would offer to come over" to her apartment to give [her] a massage or help [her] with things like hanging [her] blinds." While some players expressed doubt that the SafeSport trainings were helpful, one player recalled that the SafeSport training made her realize she was experiencing sexual harassment; however, the player also noted that the training did not provide any NWSL-specific resources to help players experiencing misconduct. This aspect of the training also should be interactive and should provide opportunities for questions. The 2015 Thorns Investigation into Riley was mishandled, and the Thorns, U.S. Soccer and the NWSL consistently failed to treat the allegations and findings against Riley seriously and to be transparent about them. At OL Reign, CEO (and for much of the club's history, the principal owner) Bill Predmore also managed HR. After Benstiti's hiring, Predmore instructed Benstiti not to discuss player weight or nutrition" with players, and "specifically forbade him from talking about "anything related to food." The players were not told which complaints had been substantiated and were told only that the "club has taken and will continue to take certain follow up actions as necessary to address these issues, whether real or perceived." 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. 4. Players who preferred to remain anonymous were invited to contact the Joint Investigative Team anonymously by calling or emailing a hotline maintained by Covington. The player reported that Dames had texted one player at night to tell her he liked her outfit, and that he had "a tendency to 'pick on weak willed players and . However, there is substantial work to be done. Coaches and Club Staff Shim had joined the Thorns during the NWSL's inaugural 2013 season, prior to Riley's hiring. Players reported that by bringing players into a meeting with Holly, club management created a fear of retaliation which discouraged them from reporting further and Players Union Report on Womens Soccer. Dames's explanation relied on his communications with another staff member, but the investigator did not attempt to speak to this staff member or otherwise corroborate Dames's explanation. Hammond came away from the call with the understanding that Kurtz was uncomfortable with what Riley said, and he did not recall asking follow-up questions about the circumstances or any other concerns about Riley. Kurtz continued to struggle with Riley as her coach, and described her experience of the 2019 season as "hellfire."