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Guidelines may help U.S. Soccer's 2018 investigation into Dames's conduct surfaced several concerns about his interactions with players, but minimized the breadth and severity of these concerns and failed to protect players during the 16 months it took to complete the investigation. Until now, the only reported detail was that LaHue was the subject of a complaint filed under the leagues anti-harassment policy. Although the 16-month investigation found that Dames yelled excessively, targeted players, and behaved erratically, as a On September 20, 2020, the Royals placed Head Coach Craig Harrington on a leave of absence, which public reporting stated was related to "inappropriate comments of a sexual nature with staff." This investigation precipitated the chain of events leading to the later retaliation claims. In another example, Paulson recounted that when he spoke to Wahlke about the 2015 Thorns Investigation when U.S. Soccer was considering hiring Riley as a coach in 2019, Wahlke focused on the fact that the investigation had found no unlawful harassment. Another player also recalled hearing players say they "would be at [his] pool and drinking," but Riley would then "get mad" because he thought that the players should be training. The League is also part of a soccer ecosystem in which mistreatment of players is endemic one which affects not only the NWSL, but other professional leagues, both domestic and abroad, the report says. But the handling of this situation from all parties, and the future of a club suddenly back in a state of chaos, are worth exploring. Some clubs provide housing for both staff and players, and in some cases, staff and players lived in the same apartment complexes. The Joint Investigative Team considered the following factors when deciding whether to identify an individual who engaged in misconduct: whether (i) the misconduct was widely reported in major news outlets; (ii) the misconduct was severe; (iii) the misconduct was repeated; and (iv) there is a risk of substantial harm to NWSL players, youth players, or others if the individual is not identified. In the suite, he began touching her under her shirt and under her pants, and told her that for every pass she fucked up," he was going to touch her. The Courage understood Riley had denied this allegation. 66, also reported instances where clubs responded to player and fan conduct in a way that reflected insensitivity to LGBTQIA+ issues. Players and staff also reported that staff members engaged in a wide variety of unprofessional behavior that blurred professional boundaries, including staff: (i) drinking alcohol to excess with players; (ii) living in player apartment complexes; (iii) holding meetings with players in hotel rooms; (iv) organizing frequent social interactions with players; and (v) communicating in an unprofessional manner. Plush, the senior-most executive at the League, did not take any steps to ensure that the Flash, the Courage, and the players who would be coached by Riley were aware of the risks he posed. These aren't criminal issues, they're behavior issues." Garcia emailed Shim, stating that although Garcia "did not conclude that unlawful harassment had occurred," she concluded that policy violations had taken place. For example, Thorns owner Merritt Paulson said the Thorns shared everything with the League" and believed the League would further investigate and suspend former Head Coach Paul Riley from working in the League following the 2015 allegations against him. Although this investigation gathered substantial evidence, the Joint Investigative Team also encountered challenges. When the investigation concluded, Levine received and reviewed a copy of the 2015 investigative report and supporting documents, along with the Thorns's counsel's determination that the 2015 investigation revealed no unlawful harassment." She said that she chose to come forward about her experiences and was willing to be identified in this Report to help other players. Other players similarly reported that they feared retaliation from Burke, or otherwise held back from criticizing Burke, due to incidents in which Burke threatened to waive players who disagreed with him and due to the fact that he had unilateral control over player contracts. The NWSLPA, in collaboration with a group of players, then drafted an anti-harassment policy and advocated for its adoption. Pauw's presence at the same apartment complex created anxiety among players. The club immediately terminated the staff member for violating club policy. 3. Hendrix informed the Joint Investigative Team that she had subtly tried to prevent Holly from being alone with Simon. Many players who spoke with the Joint Investigative Team were not aware that they could report concerns about misconduct to SafeSport. 11 Through the better part of a decade, through four leagues, through tumultuous seasons and staff turnovers, LaHue made the organization her life and eventually rose to become the new General Manager, where she's steered the club through the early years of the NWSL era with grace . Some players said they thought the club should have been more direct with the players regarding the reason for Holly's termination, although two players stated they thought the club handled Holly's termination well and they believed the lack of information shared was to protect Simon's privacy. Johnson recalled Flynn describing the incident as "a moment of poor judgment. Johnson said he did not understand from the conversation with Flynn that the incident had played a role in Riley's departure from the Thorns; rather, Johnson understood from Riley and from media reports that Riley's departure was related to a team performance issue. 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. 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. Against this backdrop, some players reported misconduct anonymously through player surveys conducted by the NWSL. F. Those who had known Dames for a long time acknowledged that his "behaviors ha[d] improved," but the review stressed the importance of "consider[ing] the severity of the starting point as context for growth in behavior." 112 The results of all background checks should be shared with the League office and copies maintained for at least five years, subject to any applicable legal restrictions. Starr recalled that the NWSL volunteer chaplain coordinator "didn't know what to do," and had never navigated a similar report of abuse. Simon recalled being scared and noted that Holly lived in her apartment building, so she wanted to know how the club could keep her safe and make sure Holly did not come to her apartment after he was fired. Hammond recalled telling Kurtz in a phone call that the Courage were not able to find a trade for her. 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. While the club discussed with Simon the possibility of a severance agreement, there is no evidence that the club sought Simon's input on these terms. 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." Moreover, even if there were support for this assertion, clubs investigating allegations of misconduct should not limit their assessment to whether "unlawful harassment" occurred. The article also noted Horan's observation that Benstiti's insistence on weight loss was "more [about] how you were seen and not how it was helping you play. An April 2019 Adidas commercial focused on Horan overcoming her negative experience with Benstiti. 97 The head coach emailed club management, stating that the assistant coach wanted clarification on what 'likes' on Twitter are racist or offensive," and the club president replied, I'll handle w[ith] HR. Later that day, the head coach told club management that, The players are fine, emotions are high but they do not have any problem with [the assistant coach]." 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. Remind Players, Staff, and Volunteers of Reporting Channels Available to Report Misconduct A. In early January 2018, a prospective purchaser of a club reached out to the League's Managing Director Amanda Duffy with concerns about relationships of this type. But at the same time, Wahlke was having internal discussions about Riley's prior misconduct. . A majority of the players who participated in the investigation raised the concern that "Dames would get close to players, learn personal information about them, and then use the information he gained . In February 2016, Plush expressed concern in internal emails about the fact that the Flash were planning to hire Riley. He reiterated that she would not be allowed to leave. Riley and Holly were not the only club staff members reported to have made unwanted sexual advances toward players. Predmore confirmed that during the 2020 Challenge Cup, he was informed by a staff member that Benstiti made comments to a player about the quantity and type of food the player was eating during a team meal. The NWSL should provide training and guidance to the clubs on the types of questions to ask. 2. A few days after Farrelly's complaint to the NWSL, on May 3, 2021, an anonymous complainant emailed the NWSL Office and NWSL HR Office email accounts to report sexual harassment by Riley against Thorns players during Riley's time with the Thorns. . These updates were provided under a common interest agreement, which restricted Levine's ability to share what she learned in those conversations. Subscribers toThe Equalizer now receive 50% offtheirsubscription toThe Nextfor 24/7 coverage of womens basketball. The NWSL should contact an applicant's former employers and, where feasible, former colleagues. One of these players said that the dual head coachgeneral manager role was "a nightmare." She felt that he had been grooming her and identified his conduct as abusive. Clarkson was described by many players in the report as unpredictable and temperamental, which "created a culture of anxiety." Former On one occasion, Holly took her upstairs and began showing her film and discussing soccer, but then he searched for and showed her pornography. The world of professional soccer, and professional sports more broadly, presents unique questions about what constitutes inappropriate conduct by coaches and other staff. 108, 1. Multiple clubs expected the League to take a more active role in addressing misconduct. Despite reports from players that club staff and ownership were aware of Burkes mistreatment of players, the Spirit did not launch an investigation into Burke until the club learned that a Washington Post article would publicly reveal allegations that Burke verbally and emotionally abused players and made racially insensitive comments. That survey still contained questions about the prior topics, but also included more detailed questions about the NWSL, including player satisfaction with the contract and trade processes. According to an external review conducted by the Red Stars in 2021, players described Dames "as 'condescending', manipulative', 'aggressive', 'insulting', [and] an intimidator."" a) Definition of Retaliation Many players told the Joint Investigative Team that they defaulted to viewing the NWSLPA as the most trustworthy channel to receive and respond to player complaints. So far, the league and club have done a fine job keeping the details under wraps. Players reported that the relationship between Williams and the owners made players feel that any complaints raised to ownership would get back to Williams. One player, asked to differentiate between a coach she considered abusive and one that she considered a tough coach, stated that the abusive coach had a "power-craving take on coaching." VI. The 2022 NWSL Anti-Harassment Policy contains a similar provision that "[s]upervisors in NWSL, including supervisors affiliated with or employed by Teams, are required to report promptly all complaints or reports of misconduct (including incidents of workplace discrimination, harassment, or bullying that they experiences, witness, or receive information about, whether or not reported as formal complaints) and all other potential violations of this policy to the NWSL HR Manager." The training should advise that the NWSL does not tolerate inappropriate jokes that are sexist, racist, antisemitic, homophobic, bigoted, or that target any protected characteristic. Aside from Lines, Levine told the Joint Investigative Team that she could not recall any specific follow-up by the League or U.S. Soccer based on survey results. V. Summary of Inappropriate Conduct Where necessary to protect the integrity of the investigation, the Joint Investigative Team recommended temporary suspensions of certain individuals pending the conclusion of the Joint Investigative Team's review. Lack of Uniform Training Racing Louisville did not appropriately respond to players' reports about Holly's conduct as the club's head coach. When one player asked Williams during a game how the team should adjust their positioning after a player was removed from the game due to a red card, Williams screamed, "Are you fucking serious? 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 Hansen's and Harrington's departures in 2020 presaged a wave of departures in 2021. A text message conversation between Whisler and Dames on June 13, 2018, indicates that Whisler informed Dames of the complaint shortly after speaking to Levine. In 2019, when Riley was under consideration for the USWNT head coach position, Wahlke received a copy of the Thorns's 2015 investigative report regarding Riley, and she participated in discussions regarding his suitability for the position. In 2017 and 2019, the NWSL hired a law firm to conduct an inperson anti-harassment training for all players and a separate anti-harassment training for all club staff, though according to former NWSL General Counsel Lisa Levine, one club declined to participate in 2019. 32, and that for this reason, Riley would be disqualified from consideration. Players pinpointed instances in which it appeared that coaching staff were trying to humiliate and sabotage players, rather than help them improve. 16, the League come with the mentality of doing you a favor." Historically, clubs have not always conducted background checks on coaches and other club staff before hiring them. Around August 2019, U.S. Soccer was considering Riley for the position of head coach for the USWNT, though several current and former U.S. Soccer employees stated that Riley was never in serious contention for the role. D. The reasons for Alyse LaHue's termination as NJ/NY Gotham FC general manager in July 2021 are also now clear following 1 years of silence from the club on the issue. .82 The policy prohibits harassing conduct, regardless of whether it rises to the level of a legal violation. One club staff member stated that Dames would give the team three days off, but would not inform them until the day before, leaving the team "stuck [and] not able to get out of Illinois. The staff member said, I don't know if that's him being controlling, but also noted that it felt like Dames didn't like people leaving market." One former player recalled that her college goalkeeper coach and assistant coach were both married to former players. No information about the investigation or Riley's termination was made public until the release of the Athletic article on September 30, 2021. * The NWSL and U.S. Soccer in multiple instances did not investigate or address comments from player surveys stating that club staff engaged in misconduct. In the USSF Dames Report, Whisler explained Dames's behavior towards players as "a stress moment," and argued that Dames's yelling was "not derisive or demeaning, it's frustration." Making recommendations on discipline for individuals or organizations was outside the scope of the Joint Investigative Team's work. In one instance, Clarkson suspected that players had been drinking alcohol the night before a game, so he convened the players and reprimanded them in a manner that left multiple players feeling scared and attacked. 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. Plush stated that he was advised by counsel that such information was "confidential" and could not be shared by the League. Greene also made comments to staff members about reporting, including that she was going to find out who started the March Investigation and "get to the bottom of it," and that staff members should bring issues to the coaching staff, rather than club management. Given the pervasive fear of retaliation in the NWSL, the absence of an anti-retaliation provision is particularly problematic. Another player noted the need for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training, and specifically, anti-Black racism" training. The statement called on the NWSL to (i) open an independent investigation into the issues described by The Athletic; (ii) suspend any staff accused of violating the anti-harassment policy; and (iii) disclose how Riley was hired within the NWSL after leaving another club following an investigation into his misconduct.

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