OL was supportive of the decision to hire Benstiti, who had been employed as a head coach for OL from 2001-10. First, the 2015 investigation conducted by the Thorns had several shortcomings.
Players also reported club staff inappropriately making comments about players' appearance and personal lives. 125, The N.W.S.L. Additionally, the policy requires each club to designate two individuals to receive reports of potential misconduct, at least one of whom must not be the club's Board of Governors representative or head coach. . The lack of clearly established responsibilities allowed individuals within these institutions to disclaim personal responsibility for player protection and to turn a blind eye or shift blame to other individuals and entities, while players were left exposed to further misconduct and unsafe environments.
In interviews with the Joint Investigative Team, both Levine and Duffy remembered that they paused the NWSL investigation at Wahlke's request. Players also reported that club staff, including coaches, were unhelpful to players who experienced mental health challenges. 39, good, making sexist, racist, abusive, and other prejudicial remarks to players. These background checks include education verification, employment verification, political exposure checks, and reviews of criminal and sex offender records, SafeSport records, civil litigation records, liens and judgments, bankruptcy records, and social media. While Whisler acknowledged receiving each of these complaints, he said he felt there was no "pattern" of complaints and wished he had received more information in order to take action earlier. Significant gaps exist in the NWSL's revised background check requirements. In one instance, the report dismissed concerns about Dames's racist comments as "not supported by recent examples," finding that "the three examples of alleged inappropriate remarks, if they were made, were insensitive and perhaps thoughtless, but not made with any apparent intent." c)
The club announced Holly's termination "for cause on August 31, 2021. Lack of Confidence in League Responses to Misconduct Complaints
Through counsel, the Thorns emailed Levine a copy of the report with its attachments. To that point, during this investigation, the Joint Investigative Team received reports of ongoing misconduct at more than half the League's clubs. (1)
Since U.S. Soccer did not adequately disseminate the findings to the NWSL, the NWSL did not take any disciplinary or corrective action toward Dames. While the League itself cannot dictate changes to settings outside its purview, such as youth soccer or other leagues, it can implement reforms to the policies and practices within its control, which will in turn allow the League to serve as a standard-bearer and blueprint for other institutions. As discussed above, after U.S. Soccer directed the League to hand over its investigation into Dames, the League was not briefed on the findings. investigation. 4. These players reported that Dames engaged in consistent patterns of behavior over his tenure as head coach, including frequent yelling, targeting certain players for harsher treatment, lodging personal insults, and blurring personal and professional boundaries.
The new report claimed it studied all reports of inappropriate conduct toward players in the league since its launch in 2012, reviewing over 200,000 documents and conducting over 200 interviews. At the end of the investigation, the Joint Investigative Team delivered this Report to the NWSL and NWSLPA. The cover email was not marked as privileged, or confidential, or as subject to any legal protection. Coaches also should not be in a direct supervisory position over club medical staff and should not be in a position to unilaterally terminate or otherwise impose disciplinary action on medical staff without consulting with the managers of the club. E. Enhance Reporting and Investigation Procedures
In March 2021, Morgan sent a letter representing 240 NWSL players to then-NWSL Commissioner Lisa Baird. Getting a massage." The second player expressed concern that even after players were told that Holly had been fired for cause, they knew he would be "going back to [their] apartments" to pack his things. 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. (2)
Sunil Gulati (U.S. Soccer, President, 2006-2018) and Dan Flynn (U.S. Soccer, CEO and Secretary General, 2000-2019)
As noted above, the Thorns asserted privilege over the report in responding to
c) Necessity of Additional Vetting
@sarahlgorden I'm so sorry for what happened to you & your loved ones. One player recalled that O'Connor informed players that Holly had been terminated due to an inappropriate relationship" with a player. Simon said there were certain questions she needed answered before she felt comfortable allowing Starr to give the club her name, like how the club would protect Simon. 3. He asked her what she was eating, told her she looked chubby, and told her she would need to lose 14 pounds before the game to keep her starting role, telling her, "I hope you know I'm doing this because I love you." 82, September 30, 2021, assistant coaches and any other club staff who would "regularly interact with the players" also became subject to NWSL vetting.
Malik later called her back and stated there had apparently been an incident involving two players kissing in front of Riley.
Another player recalled being hesitant to participate in prior investigations out of fear that her participation could be traced back to her and shared with club owners, the coach, or others. Another player also stated that the training environment was dangerous and that there was a lack of proper coaching. 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. One player described feeling anxious and upset after a coach was "almost screaming on top of [her], pointing his finger." Develop and Enforce Guidelines Addressing Appropriate Interactions Between Club Staff and Players.
The Flash also wrote to the Joint Investigative Team that the "only negative reference" made was that Riley did not mesh well with all of the personalities" in the locker room, and Wilkinson had said to get Riley if the Flash could. In April 2021, the NWSL adopted its first such policy, called the AntiHarassment Policy for a Safe Work Environment (the "2021 Anti-Harassment Policy").
The report summary further included the finding that [w]hile a few players described their belief that Dames inappropriately shares personal information they all appeared to be referring to the [same] incident." Gorden's boyfriend was prevented from entering an area where he could speak with her, and she said publicly that her white teammates were visiting family in the same area, but were not scrutinized. D.
Kurtz said that she found the text to be "weird" and was confused as to whether Riley was trying to invite her to the bar. 24, film sessions at his apartment with Shim, had dinner alone with Shim one night, sent inappropriate text messages to Shim, and deleted Shim's July email to him stating Riley's conduct was inappropriate without notifying his superiors about the email. This left players "confused about what [Riley] wanted from them," and whether the trip was "training or vacation." The anti-bullying, anti-harassment, anti-racism, and anti-retaliation trainings should remind players and staff of the reporting channels available to report misconduct, including law enforcement where appropriate. Establish Guidelines Addressing Appropriate Meeting Locations for Oneon-One Meetings Between Club Staff and Players
c) Inappropriate Player-Staff Relationships
Failures of the 2015 Thorns Investigation and Subsequent Communications
E.
The comments stated: "The head coach was disrespectful to players and created a hostile work environment. For example, in 2018, Horan wrote an op-ed about her time at PSG and stated what she "went through was almost like abuse emotionally and mentally," and "extremely intense." One player noted "bystander training" for players could be helpful so that players could help other players experiencing misconduct. . The NWSL Players Association ("NWSLPA") also demanded an independent investigation into abusive conduct. Many players across the NWSL said they did not know how to elevate concerns about club staff, including coaches, within their clubs or to the NWSL. 1. In these instances, U.S. Soccer, the League, and the Thorns shared incomplete and high-level information about Riley's misconduct, which underplayed the extent of his misconduct. Holly then declined to speak to the Joint Investigative Team.
The 2015 investigative report was never shared with either of the clubs that subsequently employed Riley. He said he shared with Johnson that Kurtz mentioned Riley calling her chubby, and understood that Johnson would talk to Riley about his choice of words. A club staff member said the relationship made players feel that they did not have anyone to talk to or anyone to trust." Alyse LaHue: The former Gotham FC general manager is reported to have engaged in inappropriate communications with players. Alyse LaHue (@alahue) September 23, 2019 So as much as LaHue has enjoyed coming into Manhattan for the AdWeek panel and then hanging around to talk about the upcoming game (and maybe. Sponsorship budgets reach farther than ever 4. 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. On December 5, 2022, Whisler announced that he would sell the Red Stars. In crafting this policy, the NWSL should be mindful that non-disclosure and non-disparagement agreements have been used to restrict clubs from criticizing or sharing information about a departing staff member. The NWSLPA stated that it expected the League to cooperate with the NWSLPA's independent investigation.
One player explained that it took her several years to realize that Riley's treatment of players on the Courage was manipulative, and that other coaches don't treat people this way." But at the same time, Wahlke was having internal discussions about Riley's prior misconduct. The background checks should continue to be conducted by professional employment services companies in a manner consistent with any applicable legal restrictions and guidelines. When Shim arrived, Riley opened the hotel door so that he was behind it, requiring Shim to step all the way inside. The prospective owner shared that he had learned of a relationship between an owner and a player at one club, and a coach and a player at another club.
Develop and Enforce Guidelines Addressing Appropriate Interactions Between Club Staff and Players
A former player stressed that "players married to staff members [and] coaches" is "an issue across multiple clubs." The New Jersey native is hoping to expand her horizons through overseas play. 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. As described in detail below, the Joint Investigative Team contacted and interviewed stakeholders representing a variety of perspectives, including current and former players, coaches and other club staff, NWSL employees and officials, U.S. Soccer officials, NWSLPA and U.S. Women's National Team Players Association (USWNTPA) leadership, and other members of the professional soccer community. At a team meeting the next day, players observed that Clarkson was visibly angry as he reprimanded the team at length, calling them selfish, disrespectful, and unprofessional by going out drinking prior to a game.
As one former player described, "It was almost like [the coach] was trying to break down [my teammate's] confidence so that she would not even be playing for the team. A Spirit player stated that rather than engaging in constructive criticism, Burke would "[go] at [her teammate] just to get her to cry." Former
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By January 2012, WPS suspended operations and announced it would be folding permanently in May 2012. The same day, The Athletic reported that the investigation was related to a violation of the NWSL's anti-harassment policy. 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. The NWSL also announced plans to launch a new position dedicated to player safety. The 2022 Anti-Harassment Policy applies an objective standard for emotional misconduct. NWSL staff began reviewing and compiling the results of 2020 player surveys, but they did not complete a comprehensive review of the responses. 52, Simon recalled that Holly once brought her into a suite in the Racing Louisville stadium for a film session, even though she had tried to hold it in a public place. One player reported that club staff observed Burke's mistreatment of players but did nothing, reinforcing players' view that raising concerns about Burke would be futile. Most prominently, on September 30, 2021, The Athletic reported that then-North Carolina Courage Head Coach Paul Riley had engaged in sexual misconduct during his tenure as head coach of Portland Thorns FC.
Though the club did not announce a reason for his termination, sources told The Salt Lake Tribune that Harrington "was placed on leave after players complained he was being 'verbally abusive."" b)
In August 2020, Holly was named head coach of Racing Louisville, and in November 2020, Holly selected Simon in the expansion draft.
In that interview, Farrelly did not discuss, and Garcia did not ask, about Riley's other misconduct towards her, which was not uncovered until later. The NWSL's Founding, Initial Success, and Challenges
The same player said that at another club, she saw players go to dinner with the coach all the time. A former player recalled that Dames would hang out with some players more often than others." Multiple players said that they felt they could not decline social invitations from coaches. 112
However, according to the report, three players had "provide[d] specific examples" of this behavior. One player remarked that rumors [got] around" because of the player-staff relationship, and a staff member said that while you could articulate a policy of "church and state . These considerations included the coaches' sudden fixation on and urgency in removing these players, the labeling of these players by Cromwell and Greene as "negative and not "bought-in," the decision to avoid interactions with these players and plan to exclude them from certain team activities following the March Investigation, and Cromwell's and Greene's shifting justifications for the intended transactions. Riley declined to respond to requests to participate in this investigation.