On August 16, 2017, Sky Blue announced that Holly was "stepping down" as head coach, and the club said it had come to a mutual agreement with Holly" and that he left "on good terms." When the team arrived in Chicago, Dames "gave the team the entire weekend off." Instead, it stated only that [e]mployees, without fear of retaliation, have the responsibility to bring any form of intimidation, threats, and sexual or other harassment to the attention of any member of management." One player said, After games, you could find [Riley] at the bar with players buying drinks, which she felt crossed "a propriety line." The conclusion of the report similarly minimized players' concerns in favor of Dames's and Whisler's self-serving explanations. Whisler acknowledged the agreement and claimed that the non-disparagement clause was "standard. In several instances, when announcing departures of coaches found to have committed misconduct, clubs released vague public statements that obscured the reason for the coach's departure. Where players' clubs shared ownership or management with men's teams, players reported that their owners prioritized the men's teams, even in cases where the women's teams were more successful. For example, players reported that Dames would make comments about players' personal appearances. When the Joint Investigative Team interviewed her, Wahlke denied making such a request. Multiple clubs expected the League to take a more active role in addressing misconduct. Although Clarkson advocated for the development of a mental health program at the Dash, he also demonstrated insensitivity towards players' mental health in his interactions with them. Malik told the Joint Investigative Team that he thought at the time that Riley's drinking with players in 2015 was unacceptable" for a coach of the USWNT Alyse LaHue, General Manager of the NJ/NY Gotham FC Women's Football Team Lisa Ferkul, Director of Hockey Sponsorship at Scotiabank Andrew Sutherland, Vice President of Marketing, Creative and Original Content at Sportsnet What were the takeaways? While some players expressed doubt that the SafeSport trainings were helpful, one player recalled that the SafeSport training made her realize she was experiencing sexual harassment; however, the player also noted that the training did not provide any NWSL-specific resources to help players experiencing misconduct. North Carolina Courage defender Kaleigh Kurtz previously spoke publicly about Riley's body-shaming of her, and how the disgraced coach told her she had to lose 14 pounds in 10 days if she expected to start the next game. 36, findings about Riley's inappropriate behavior beyond that night. It did not expressly prohibit retaliation against anyone for engaging in Protected Activity. I never had the ability to quickly lose weight." In the early stages of the investigation, the Joint Investigative Team interviewed seven current and former players who described Clarkson as volatile, verbally abusive, and as not showing appropriate regard for players' wellbeing. The NWSL should also encourage players to reach out to the NWSLPA for additional support and guidance in navigating reporting misconduct. 91, The perceived absence of HR at the NWSL and its clubs meant that many players felt that they had no clear path to report misconduct they experienced. The report also indicated that Gotham was one of seven clubs where players indicated to the Joint Investigative Team that they were unaware of whether the club had HR personnel or otherwise did not know to whom they could report concerns at their club. The 2022 Anti-Harassment Policy prohibits discrimination and harassment on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression, yet players reported that coaches used offensive language and made offensive comments about players' sexual orientation. Garcia emailed Shim, stating that although Garcia "did not conclude that unlawful harassment had occurred," she concluded that policy violations had taken place. U.S. Soccer, the NWSL, and Clubs Failed to Adequately Share Information Regarding Misconduct .. Estes explained that Holly indicated this conduct "may have flowed over" from his time in New Jersey to his time as head coach of Racing Louisville. Alyse LaHue (Sky Blue and Gotham, Vice President, 20182019, General Manager, 2019-2021) Formation and Mandate of the Joint Investigative Team .. Simon told Starr that Holly would do "inappropriate things to her, even when Pearce Rampone was present but unaware. Players reported Williams apologized to the team the day after the meeting, but players felt the club did not take action to address players' concerns after the meeting. It was, 'You idiot. The NWSL should regularly remind club staff of their obligation to elevate information regarding misconduct to the NWSL HR Office or NWSL General Counsel. Additionally, club HR staff were not provided guidance from the NWSL on appropriate coaching behavior in a professional sports setting. The complainant explained that one night, Riley told two players that the team would not have to do fitness drills if they kissed. Riley told her he would do whatever he could do for her, adding, "You know I love you." The Joint Investigative Team found multiple flaws with both the summary and conclusion of the USSF Dames Report. 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 Spirit's policy stated that the club will "take all steps necessary to prevent and eliminate unlawful harassment" and contains a definition of "unlawful harassment." IV. Shim declined politely so as not to upset Riley, stating she had to prepare for a game the following day, and she walked out the door despite his attempts to persuade her to stay. Dames also texted certain players "all the time, including late at night. 14 2. The investigator did not ask the players about this assertion or take other steps to determine the accuracy of the claim that the players wanted to return. One player provided multiple examples of instances in which she felt Dames had used personal information against players. Garcia, who conducted all of the interviews and collected and reviewed documents and text messages from individuals she interviewed, is not a lawyer and lacked experience in conducting sensitive investigations. Within one day of learning of the players complaint, the matter was escalated to the NWSL pursuant to league policy. Hansen's and Harrington's departures in 2020 presaged a wave of departures in 2021. For instance, players reported that Dames mistreated one player in part because of "issues [he] had with her boyfriend," and the U.S. Soccer report detailed two incidents which players felt were indicative . At the same time, certain behaviors that have been normalized as "tough" coaching, such as screaming in players' faces, are slowly but increasingly recognized as inappropriate and abusive. He stated it was included because, in Estes's view, no one would sign a unilateral non-disparagement provision. Kurtz alleges that in 2019, Riley shared detailed information about his life, including preferred sexual positions, and persistently tried to obtain more details about her romantic life in the weeks and months that followed. "A review of the available investigative reports related to all historical complaints of discrimination, harassment, or abuse (physical, emotional, or sexual) in the NWSL, and where necessary, a reopening of the respective investigation, or the initiation of a new adjudication process. Other players also pointed to the developments of the past two years, and in particular, the implementation of the NWSL AntiHarassment Policy, as positive signs of a cultural change. They represented the two Level Two . Players reported that they felt confused by the information shared with them and did not understand exactly why Holly had been fired. On October 10, 2022, the NWSL publicly announced that the Joint Investigative Team found that Cromwell and Greene engaged in retaliation and attempted retaliation, in violation of NWSL policy, against Pride players whom Cromwell and Greene believed had made or supported earlier misconduct allegations against them, and that Reis violated NWSL policy by not fully cooperating with the retaliation investigation. Long pointed to the fact that "he wasn't winning" as the reason for the change in Williams's role. The Management Agreement executed between the NWSL and U.S. Soccer on December 12, 2012, established U.S. Soccer as the manager of the NWSL. According to Garcia's interview notes, her interview with Farrelly lasted only 30 minutes, though Farrelly recalled it being even shorter. Those findings will remain confidential and the league will not comment further on individual club personnel matters.. A. Consider Creating an Alternative Complaint Resolution Program During this conversation, he asked Holly, "How would you like to handle that?" 29, In a written summary prepared for the Joint Investigative Team, the Courage stated that Chief Soccer Officer Curt Johnson and Malik vetted Riley, including by speaking with leadership at the Flash and with some of Riley's players at the Flash, who provided positive feedback. Plush responded to Shim acknowledging receipt, and he forwarded the complaint to then-personnel at U.S. Soccer, which at the time managed the NWSL, including U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati, CEO and Secretary General Dan Flynn, General Counsel Lisa Levine, and Chief Financial Officer Eric Gleason. Over time, she felt that Dames was learning details of her personal life" from these players and felt the need to "distance herself" from them. Riley also engaged in other inappropriate behavior during his tenure on the Thorns, and he surrounded himself with staff members who were not likely to speak out against him. She also asked him not to speak to one player implicated in the complaint about the complaint until the League had the opportunity to call that player, but Whisler refused to comply, saying that th[e] situation has the potential to destroy team chemistry." When one player opened the door, she told Harrington that she and her roommate did not want to go back out for drinks. 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. The Committee could be comprised of League staff, club staff, club owners, and players. 3. 5. This player sensed that Riley "wanted to keep [her] feeling like [she] owed him and would do favors for him. 2. But public reporting around misconduct against NWSL players has increased in recent years. 39, good, making sexist, racist, abusive, and other prejudicial remarks to players. The club did not contact Novo as part of its vetting process, even though Novo was the person most knowledgeable about the circumstances of Holly's departure. Revise the Anti-Harassment Policy to Define Retaliation More Clearly Consistent with the CBA, the NWSL should require coaches to adhere to medical staff's decisions for a player to train, play, or return to play. Before retaining Riley, the Courage spoke to numerous people who knew Riley. Require Coaches to Adhere to Club Medical Staff's Decisions Regarding Player Health and Ability to Train and Play U.S. Soccer, as governing body and NWSL manager, failed to ban coaches and staff who resigned or were fired because of misconduct, or to apprise the League and club owners of such misconduct, which allowed these individuals to move to other clubs within the NWSL. He noted, for instance, that if Chicago Red Stars owner Arnim Whisler quit the League, the League would fail. 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. At the time, the NWSL was addressing a number of other issues with Sky Blue, unrelated to misconduct against players, and Duffy recalled "being confused" about how to handle Holly's relationship with Pearce Rampone and how Holly's departure fit into other concerns with the club. Players also recalled that the club requested players keep what was discussed at the meeting confidential. Days later, the assistant coaches told her that they had never complained about her attitude. At least one player and a volunteer at the club corroborated that Holly treated Simon harshly. In some instances, players felt that the lack of boundaries made it difficult for them to differentiate between appropriate behavior and misconduct. Shim emailed a complaint, with a narrative describing Riley's inappropriate conduct, to Garcia, Riley, Wilkinson, and Thorns owner Merritt Paulson.