National Women's Soccer League: Report reveals abuse in US top flight was 'systemic'
An independent investigation into the scandals that erupted in the NWSL last season found emotional abuse and sexual misconduct were systemic in the sport, impacting multiple teams, coaches and players
Tuesday 4 October 2022 19:09, UK
Abuse and misconduct in the United States' top-flight National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) "had become systemic", an independent investigation has found.
US Soccer said it would move immediately to implement reforms.
NWSL was forced into a reckoning a year ago as a report from The Athletic outlined allegations of sexual abuse by former North Carolina Courage head coach Paul Riley, after speaking to more than a dozen players he had coached since 2010. The Athletic said Riley denied "the majority" of the allegations.
The fallout engulfed the league, prompting the departure of former commissioner Lisa Baird and demands for reform, while half of the NWSL teams parted ways with their head coaches over player complaints before the end of the 2021 season.
- FIFA investigates allegations of sexual misconduct against English-born NWSL coach
- NWSL coach Riley fired after sexual misconduct allegations
US Soccer brought on Sally Q. Yates and King & Spalding LLP to conduct the independent inquiry and released the full findings.
"Our investigation has revealed a league in which abuse and misconduct - verbal and emotional abuse and sexual misconduct - had become systemic, spanning multiple teams, coaches, and victims," the Yates' report said.
"The verbal and emotional abuse players describe in the NWSL is not merely 'tough' coaching. And the players affected are not shrinking violets. They are among the best athletes in the world."
The report made numerous recommendations to prioritise player health and safety. Among them is the requirement that teams accurately disclose coach misconduct to the league and the soccer federation to ensure coaches aren't allowed to move between teams. It also calls for meaningful vetting of coaches and timely investigation into allegations of abuse.
US Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone called the investigation's findings "heartbreaking and deeply troubling."
She said: "I found the whole report challenging to read. Obviously, this is near and dear to my heart. I've been a part of this game all my life, from the youth all the way up to the professional level and an international level, so the women's game is really important to me.
"And many of the players in this report I know. Many of them I coached. I found the whole report shocking. I just found it really maddening that players had to go through this."
The NWSL said it would immediately review the findings. A joint investigation between the league and its players' association is ongoing.
"We greatly appreciate our players, staff and stakeholders' cooperation with both investigations, especially during the ongoing season," the league said in a statement.
"We recognise the anxiety and mental strain that these pending investigations have caused and the trauma that many including players and staff are having to relive."
A joint statement from former NWSL players Sinead Farrelly, Mana Shim and Erin Simon, who currently plays for Leicester City said: "There have been too many years of inaction and too many empty promises made while players suffered at the hands of the league. No one involved has taken any responsibility for the clear role they played in harming players - not the teams, not the league, and not the federation. They chose to ignore us and silence us, allowing the abuse to continue.
"It is time for action, accountability, and change. Owners who have driven a culture of disrespect, who are complicit in abusing their own players, have no place in this league and should be removed from governance immediately. This will be the first of many necessary steps to finally hearing our voices and keeping our players safe."
