Paulson told the Joint Investigative Team that he believed the NWSL could and would convey information about Riley's misconduct to the Flash. Similarly, the players were left in the dark about the findings of the investigation. The Joint Investigative Team found multiple flaws with both the summary and conclusion of the USSF Dames Report. The NWSL should share with all clubs when a club employee is removed from a club due to a finding of misconduct under the Anti-Harassment Policy. Craig Harrington, the former Utah Royal F.C. The location of Shim's and Farrelly's interviews-the Thorns's stadium-was not an appropriate setting for such a sensitive conversation and contributed to Shim feeling uncomfortable and concerned that staff would see her being interviewed. Additionally, club HR staff were not provided guidance from the NWSL on appropriate coaching behavior in a professional sports setting. Flynn noted that U.S. Soccer personnel only "periodically" attended NWSL board meetings as a show of support." Novo explained that before this happened, players approached him and requested a meeting to share concerns about Holly. However, the NWSL did not implement relevant policies until years later; the NWSL's anti-fraternization policy was implemented in January 2018, and its anti-harassment policy was implemented in April 2021, after a push by NWSL players. The NWSL should establish rules prohibiting an individual from occupying more than one of the following positions at a club: principal owner, general manager, and head coach. First, many players were hesitant to share information with the Joint Investigative Team. Riley declined to respond to requests to participate in this investigation. D. The League should consider requiring that clubs certify that they have revised their anti-harassment policies to meet the baseline requirements of the League's Anti-Harassment Policy and that they have disseminated their policies and the League's policy to all staff and players. The calendar crisis explained. According to Novo, after his conversation with ownership, he met with Holly and told him it was "time to move on." . After the HR employee sent this response, Levine informed the employee that Baird would respond directly to Farrelly, which the employee communicated to Farrelly. Consider Establishing Guidelines Regarding Socializing Between Players and Individuals with Supervisory Authority According to one former Sky Blue player, Holly told a player in the weight room that when he saw her squat, he wanted to grab her ass. He also asked this player if she preferred boxers or briefs. Finally, NWSLPA Executive Director Meghann Burke said she warned Baird in July 2021 that Baird would receive a complaint against Riley and that Baird should take the complaint seriously. An investigation commissioned by the National Women's Soccer League and its players union found "widespread misconduct" directed at players dating back to the beginnings nearly a decade ago of the Witnesses to body-shaming by both Pauw and Riley reported that "players developed eating disorders and sought mental health treatment." This former player said a few players were kind of being weirded out" by Dames's invitations, because they felt he was "always asking" them "to go get food" or to "hang out" with him. WPS's problems compounded in 2011, when Dan Borislow, the owner of the WPS club magicJack, became embroiled in a series of conflicts over his violations of WPS procedures. He said that he did not believe Kurtz was saying that she could not play for Riley, and did not believe that Kurtz was upset or emotional during the call. One player recalled that Holly "suddenly exploded" during the meeting. It defines harassment as "unwelcome conduct, whether verbal, physical or visual, that is based upon a person's race or any other protected status." She recalled feeling like she was being punished by them for her mental health struggles and for choosing to be home with her family during that time. In addition to the lack of information at Sky Blue, NWSL personnel did not have a clear understanding of why Holly left Sky Blue. Players were aware not only of the NWSL's uncertain future, but also of the precariousness of their own individual futures within the NWSL. Some players said that they only realized that they were in emotionally abusive or manipulative environments after the fact. A consultant who assessed Riley's email account as part of the 2015 Thorns Investigation concluded that Riley had deleted the message from his inbox, and then further selected it for permanent deletion from the deleted items folder, which he had The attitude that women's sports are not professional, or not as valued as men's sports, gave players the impression that they were less valued and that their concerns would not be addressed. The club announced that Holly was terminated "for cause," but the announcement did not specify that the "cause" was sexual misconduct. After re-signing her in 2021, the club issued a public apology "to all those we have hurt, especially those within the LGBTQIA+ community, but stood by its decision, keeping Daniels on the team for the remainder of the season. A former player told the Joint Investigative Team she believed the investigation was "inconclusive because no action was taken." Dames told the investigator this was not retaliatory, though Dames said he understood why the player felt retaliated against. 2. This investigation precipitated the chain of events leading to the later retaliation claims. The player reported that when her teammate had approached the owner about mistreatment by Burke, Baldwin "did nothing about it." 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. Whisler said he believed that Dames might still be able to assist with the draft or contribute to the club in other ways, and wanted to "preserve the option in the agreement. But public reporting around misconduct against NWSL players has increased in recent years. Courage owner Steve Malik said when he learned of a complaint that Riley made inappropriate weightrelated comments, he did not follow up with the player; instead, he presumed the League would respond to [the] complaint" because he was told the complaint went to the League. . The Committee could be comprised of League staff, club staff, club owners, and players. 64, beliefs and goals as a player. A. This concern was well-founded. And after players reported concerns about Aaran Lines through the NWSL's player survey, the club removed him from his coaching position and installed him in the front office. Previously, Alyse spend five years as the GM of the Chicago Red Stars. During her interview-which was two hours long (more than twice as long as any other interview conducted at the time)Shim recounted the instances she had described in her complaint. 8. Levine suggested in a February 2016 email that she would prepare letters to Riley and to the owner of the Flash reminding them that coaches must remain professional, but the Joint Investigative Team did not find evidence that any such letters were written or sent. It was not until August 2021 that the league implemented a process requiring clubs to submit head coaching candidates to the league for vetting and approval. 81 votes, 27 comments. Levine forwarded this email to Plush in September 2015. In spite of this, there is no evidence that Levine provided the Flash with additional details about Riley's past conduct. Interviewees reported that the performance staff told Clarkson that the player was dealing with altitude sickness (Mexico City is over 7300 feet above sea level). to discount the impact of his behaviors." 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. Both before and after the NWSL implemented its Non-Fraternization Policy in 2018, clubs responded inconsistently to player-staff relationships. Multiple players recalled former Thorns Head Coach Paul Riley informing players that he could influence their national team call-ups. 55 names revealed for FIFA FIFPro Women's World11 2019 . If [a player] gets [an] injury we still need [her.]" While the Joint Investigative Team considered the findings of the USSF Report, and identified lines of inquiry that merited further investigation, the objective of this Report is to summarize the work of the Joint Investigative Team, rather than to comment on, or respond to, the USSF Report. Players Lacked Clear Guidance Regarding What Constituted Misconduct .. Some players reported feeling that the incident left them feeling attacked, scared, and on edge. Players Experienced an Array of Interpersonal Misconduct, and Reports of That Misconduct Were Mishandled Since the training in 2019, the NWSL has not offered a League-wide antiharassment training. Coupled with the fact that Clarkson served as both head coach and general manager, this perceived close relationship led players to feel like they had no avenues to report their concerns and that no one was monitoring Clarkson's conduct to ensure that it was appropriate. The team tried to fit into a rented van to return to their hotel, and team members sat on each other's laps. 5 WUSA, the first women's professional soccer league in the United States, began play in April 2001. Players explained that this dynamic can be exacerbated for bench players or newer players who might not feel empowered to speak up, or who might feel that their position on the team is not sufficiently secure. 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. In November 2012, U.S. Soccer announced that it would manage a new women's professional soccer league, to begin play in 2013. For a number of players and fans, the spark behind this new era is interim general manager Alyse LaHue, whose can-do, laser-focused attitude towards implementing positive changes has led to Sky Blue setting and reaching new goals. The report indicates that LaHues counsel described the allegations as false claims., The report explains that the Joint Investigative Team found discrepancies in versions of an email exchange involving LaHue that was part of the file from the initial investigation done by the league in 2021. While traveling for an away game in June, Riley pressured Shim over text message to have a drink with him in his hotel room. 3. A PDF version of this document with embedded text is available at the link below: Report of the In a statement shared by her attorney, LaHue said she is supportive of reform in the NWSL but takes issue . Dames would "hang out with some players more often than others," and a player remembered hearing that some players felt Dames "always want[ed] to hang out," in a way that made them uncomfortable. It also appears Shim's and Farrelly's interviews were not conducted in a trauma-informed manner. 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." The NWSL should advise clubs to offer players the opportunity to speak candidly about their views on prospective coaches or staff and should guard vigilantly against any potential retaliation or breach of confidentiality associated with players sharing their views. to any third-party that denigrates, disparages, criticizes, Its low operating budget, a response to the overspending of WUSA, left WPS to run on thin margins. Provide Mandatory Annual Anti-Bullying Training In some instances, players felt that the lack of boundaries made it difficult for them to differentiate between appropriate behavior and misconduct. We felt like charity," one player explained. .88 We discussed them at length in his interview." She further explained that national team players had a direct line" to Gulati, and he was the person who was in charge of the national team in terms of direct contact with players." 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." At the conclusion of its investigation, the Joint Investigative Team determined that Clarkson's actions constituted emotional misconduct. Multiple players and club staff reported that in 2017, while Holly was head coach of Sky Blue, he began dating Pearce Rampone. Both Williams and Angie Long recalled the club trying to find a trade within the NWSL for one player, but being unable to find a trade partner.
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