Similarly, the players were left in the dark about the findings of the investigation. a) Reports of Misconduct in Survey Comments Both Gulati and Flynn said they never reviewed the Thorns's 2015 investigative report prior to its October 2022 public disclosure by U.S. Soccer. Prior to the event, he forwarded Shim an email containing his hotel reservation-one room with a king bed-and asked Shim to stay with him. One player recalled Riley demanding that she lose 10 to 15 pounds in a month. For instance, two players told the investigator they had left the Red Stars in part because of Dames's abuse. The relationship also created problems among the players. Baird, again using language drafted by Levine, responded that the initial complaint in 2015 had been investigated to conclusion." Anonymous results from an annual NWSL player survey conducted in 2014, and described in greater detail below, also indicated similar misconduct by Riley. Cromwell's, Greene's, and Reis's conduct could discourage players and staff from reporting misconduct in the future, and their conduct, therefore, directly contradicted the 2022 Anti-Harassment Policy, which aims to detect and prevent misconduct, protect players and others from retaliation for engaging in Protected Activity, and create a safe working environment for players. I have no idea." The comments stated: "The head coach was disrespectful to players and created a hostile work environment. As discussed above, in early 2022, counsel for the Pride conducted an investigation into reports of inappropriate conduct by Head Coach Amanda Cromwell and Assistant Coach Sam Greene. This assessment of Whisler failed to acknowledge the report's own statement that "four of the players with the most significant concerns did not, for various reasons, believe Whisler [was] willing to address those concerns." In November 2012, U.S. Soccer announced that it would manage a new women's professional soccer league, to begin play in 2013. Based on the findings of the external review, Whisler told Dames that he should offer his resignation or he would be terminated that day. One owner said, "I came on as a passive investor. Ultimately, WPS terminated magicJack's franchise rights in October 2011. Malik later called her back and stated there had apparently been an incident involving two players kissing in front of Riley. Simon said she moved away from Holly when he touched her and told him he was "insane." A club staff member said the relationship made players feel that they did not have anyone to talk to or anyone to trust." Create a Diversity Advisory Committee Dedicated to Implementing DEI Initiatives Wilkins similarly recalled O'Connor or Estes stating that Holly had a potentially inappropriate relationship with a player. b) In a written statement, Wilkinson denied this account of his discussion with Lines. 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. When asked about this, the lawyer who led the investigation for U.S. Soccer said the issue of whether to take intermediary action "was not discussed with [her]." Paulson said that he did not recall speaking with Malik about Riley when the Courage were vetting Riley, though he said he spoke with Amanda Duffy, then the NWSL's Managing Director of Operations, and told her to make sure the Courage were aware of Riley's prior misconduct. Additionally, the club put out a statement via Twitter addressing the report as a whole. 4. Holly also verbally abused players and retaliated against those who raised complaints about him. On the Monday night before the game, four Dash players had dinner at a Pumas player's apartment and returned to their hotel around midnight. The banned coaches engaged in sexual misconduct, verbal and emotional abuse and made sexist and racist remarks to players, a 14-month investigation found. Players at the Dash told the Joint Investigative Team that they were unsure where to report misconduct by James Clarkson because they believed that he and club President John Walker were "best friends." In some instances, players felt that the lack of boundaries made it difficult for them to differentiate between appropriate behavior and misconduct. Despite the discussions between U.S. Soccer, the NWSL, and both the Thorns and Courage regarding Riley's unsuitability to coach the USWNT, no steps were taken to remove or prevent him from coaching NWSL players. 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. Farrelly said she felt coerced by Riley into having sexual intercourse on several occasions thereafter. The same player recalled that Dames would discuss another player's boyfriend frequently in the locker room and would make it known that he hated the boyfriend. Multiple players and staff shared that they have witnessed behavior from coaches that confirmed in their minds that coaches, staff, or club leadership would retaliate if they raised complaints. In another instance, according to the report summary, the investigator determined that "players provided very little detail about specific, inappropriate comments made by Dames about their personal appearance." "We've grown out of a college environment at this point. He made a comment along the lines of, "I don't know if it's because your girlfriend is world famous and you can't handle her fame." Players credibly reported that Harrington drank with players at bars, and two players reported that on one occasion, after drinking to apparent intoxication, Harrington, accompanied by another player and two staff members, attempted to enter two players' hotel room. Club Statement on NWSL/NWSLPA Report pic.twitter.com/ATZPBk1pxc, The Philadelphia Inquirer published a statement they received from LaHues lawyer, Kelly Hoffman following the release of the Joint Investigative Report on Wednesday. Two former staff members recalled reporting to Wilkinson concerns they had about Riley's treatment of players; one of the staff members said Wilkinson dismissed the staff member's concerns and told the staff member to "support the coaching staff." Another Spirit player pointed out the disconnect between Burke's verbal attacks and constructive performance improvement: Burke "would pick on someone, and then he would see they were playing worse because he was picking on them, and pick on them more. The caveat, "if they were made," ignores the undisputed fact that Dames admitted to calling a Black player a "thug." During the League's 2021 investigation into LaHue's conduct before her termination, multiple staff members reported that LaHue behaved differently around this player. Subsequently, on more than one occasion, Holly held doors open for Simon and grabbed her buttocks as she passed by him. One player recalled that O'Connor announced there were allegations made against Holly, an investigation was conducted, and there was an "overwhelming amount of evidence to prove the allegations were correct." As a result, when Racing Louisville hired Holly in 2020, individuals they spoke with at Sky Blue and the NWSL lacked the information necessary to provide a complete answer about Holly's departure from Sky Blue. In spite of this, the evidence shows that neither club that subsequently hired Riley was given a full understanding of the extent of Shim's allegations and the full investigative findings against Riley. According to the USSF Dames Report, Dames admitted that he used the term "thug" to refer to a Black player but adamantly denied any racial intent. h[ad] meetings in their hotel rooms and held these meetings with [the] door closed." Pauw lived in the same apartment complex as players -- an issue the report flags as a too-common problem around the league -- and allegedly attempted to control their diets and prevent them from weight training for fear they would be too "bulky.". Arnim Whisler confirmed considering a similar plan for Dames at the Red Stars, even after Whisler learned that a majority of the players on the team believed Dames created an environment of fear and expressed concerns about retaliation. If the NWSL determines that information revealed as part of a reference check is a barrier to that applicant's hire, the NWSL should maintain that information should the applicant be considered for positions at other clubs in the future. 113, players and those in supervisory roles over players is strictly prohibited, even if the relationship is consensual. Several coaches routinely relied on derogatory language and name-calling to shame or criticize players. One player reported that Williams stopped communicating with her, would ignore her when greeting other players, and made efforts to avoid her. One of these players said that the dual head coachgeneral manager role was "a nightmare." 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. Shim later recalled that during the interview, Garcia appeared focused on whether Riley had engaged in unlawful harassment, and Garcia expressed that Shim did not have a legal claim because she was not able to provide corroborating evidence. LaHue denies the allegations made against her and will make no further comment.. In 2017, Daniels had withdrawn from a USWNT camp so as not to wear an LGBT pride jersey, and according to an article in The Athletic, "repeatedly made homophobic statements on her public social media." 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. Guidelines may help a) Definition of Retaliation Many of the coaches and individuals who engaged in misconduct and who are discussed in this Report were not appropriately vetted by their clubs. Several witnesses noted that speaking to a coach's former players or employers about the coach's behavior could surface issues that would not be uncovered in a traditional background check. The club announced that Holly was terminated "for cause," but the announcement did not specify that the "cause" was sexual misconduct. It has become more apparent that the influence and control coaches hold over players and their careers increase the risk that abuse will occur in the first placeand that if it does, players will fear the repercussions of reporting that abuse. Sponsorship budgets reach farther than ever Many players reported that they feared instability both in terms of their own careers and the viability of the League, that they were advised to feel grateful to have the chance to play the game at all, and that they felt a personal responsibility to sustain the existence of the NWSL by keeping their heads down and their complaints unvoiced. 5. When the NWSL kicked off its fourth season in 2016, it became the first professional women's league in the United States to play more than three seasons. players." Players reported that Pauw's comments affected a teammate struggling with an eating disorder. She recalled that her interview for the role was conducted at U.S. Soccer, by U.S. Soccer employees. Reflecting on the prevalence of player-staff relationships, one player asked, "Has the policy changed? In a Tweet late Friday afternoon, the National Women's Soccer League club announced that LaHue had, as of July 9 - a week ago today - was no longer employed by the team. Misconduct on any level cannot be tolerated, and clear reporting lines along with proper vetting must be enshrined in NWSL policies. The player said it later struck her as "weird" that Riley held these sessions in his hotel room rather than using a meeting room. 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. A technicality but a distinction. Paulson told the Joint Investigative Team that prior to sending this message, he had told Malik over the phone that the Thorns had fired Riley based on Shim's complaint. 34, another club following the 2015 investigation. This player felt "the lines [were] blurred," and she never knew whether the invitations were inappropriate or if he "just genuinely care[d] about [her]." Some coaches would also explicitly wield their power over players' career success, including consideration for the USWNT, to manipulate players or bring them in line. This actually isn't okay. Olympique Lyonnais LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of the OL Groupe ("OL), was set to buy the Reign ahead of the 2020 season, so Predmore updated OL throughout the hiring process. The changes we made were to become a better soccer team." He began by making dirty or sexual jokes; however, his behavior escalated. The response from League leadership to 2015 survey results regarding Aaran Lines stood in stark contrast to the response to the survey results regarding either Riley or Dames. NEW YORK Sky Blue FC has restructured its leadership, announcing Wednesday the arrival of a new minority owner in Ed Nalbandian and a new role for Tammy Murphy, the New Jersey First Lady. 16, the League come with the mentality of doing you a favor." They were also informed that players had come to Riley's apartment after drinking at a nearby bar and that an allegation was made that Riley had suggested two players kiss. Following the meeting in which Clarkson requested player apologies, at players' prompting, a Black club staff member led a presentation discussing racial injustice at another club meeting. to any third-party that denigrates, disparages, criticizes, Out of concern for Simon's anonymity, the NWSLPA and Racing Louisville players released a statement acknowledging the media and public's interest in transparency, while underscoring that "player safety will always be at the forefront and affirming that they stand behind Racing Louisville in the handling of the Club's recent matter and ask everyone to please trust and stand with us at this time."
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