She also feared Holly would ruin her career. . One player opined that in the past, players had an innate instinct to put up with" problematic behavior and to protect a nascent, unstable league. 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. This misconduct included sending the player inappropriate text messages that continued even after the player told LaHue to accept that they were working together and nothing more. Whether or not Whisler received a clear, formal report from U.S. Soccer about the findings of the investigation, he learned of concerns that players had raised about Dames by participating in the investigation. You moron.' The club fired Harrington on November 9, 2020. 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. In the 2022 Anti-Harassment Policy, the NWSL made several efforts to increase the number of reporting channels across all clubs: First, the 2022 Anti-Harassment Policy lists several channels that facilitate the reporting of misconduct directly to the NWSL, including contacting the NWSL HR Office and texting or calling an anonymous RealResponse hotline. While Simon's parents gave Pearce Rampone a tour of the home, Holly grabbed Simon's buttocks and felt her over her leggings. LaHue expressed an emotional reliance on the player, repeatedly questioned the player's interactions with another individual, and pressed the player for more attention. Further, he told the investigator that Dames "ha[d] a hard side, that he had heard players describe Dames "as a bully," and that he had "no doubt" Dames would "ride a player during practice." Later that day, NWSL Commissioner Lisa Baird resigned. Farid Benstiti (OL Reign, Head Coach, 2020-2021) Holly then pulled down his pants and began masturbating in front of her. However, Gulati told the Joint Investigative Team that he did not tell Dorrance anything about the 2015 allegations or investigation of Riley. It was mean." When Simon told Holly he had to stop touching her because it was messing with her, he began treating her poorly on the field, yelling at her and taking her out of games regardless of her performance. However, many players were troubled by the way the Dash handled the situation. Historically, there was no established process for sharing information about misconduct complaints or investigation findings among U.S. Soccer, the League, and clubs. And the report ties those biases to issues in the sport as a whole. Leadership training and coaching could provide coaches with skills to better communicate with players and other staff, motivate players, collaborate with other staff, and resolve conflicts within the team. Holly sent Simon a picture of his penis over WhatsApp. 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. Despite receiving updates on the investigation, U.S. Soccer failed to follow up on evidence that suggested Riley may have had a more extensive relationship with Farrelly. The Joint Investigative Team's recommendations are forward-looking and systemic in nature; rather than recommending discipline as to specific individuals or entities, the Joint Investigative Team's recommendations seek to improve the NWSL's policies and practices to prevent misconduct to ensure that players and staff within the League and its clubs feel safe and confident in reporting misconduct. Riley admitted in 2015 that he deleted Shim's email without showing it to anyone in a higher position of authority at the Thorns or the NWSL. The NWSL's 2022 Anti-Harassment Policy attempts to clarify the roles of the clubs and League in investigating misconduct. Where necessary to gather additional facts, the NWSLPA further followed up with some players directly, requesting they share their experiences with the Joint Investigative Team. The Thorns's handbook contains a similar Anti-Fraternization Policy which states that "[d]ating, romantic, and sexual relationships between players and staff and between managers and subordinates are prohibited." Paulson said that he did not recall speaking with Malik about Riley when the Courage were vetting Riley, though he said he spoke with Amanda Duffy, then the NWSL's Managing Director of Operations, and told her to make sure the Courage were aware of Riley's prior misconduct. Ryans three-year deal with Gotham highlights a shared commitment to making the team a Girma is everywhere she needs to be at exactly the right time. 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. The NWSL should develop clear rules and guidelines addressing appropriate interactions between club staff and players to help ensure that individuals throughout the League understand and maintain appropriate boundaries that promote player safety and well-being. coach, and Alyse LaHue, the former general manager of Gotham F.C., each received two-year suspensions from the league. Simon described her fear that reporting Holly's misconduct could destroy her career after he insinuated to her that he had orchestrated her youth national team call-up; she recalled thinking, He could ruin me." As became evident to some of the witnesses in 2015, the investigation appeared to be focused more on determining whether Shim might have a legal claim and on limiting the club's liability than on thorough fact-gathering. When Racing Louisville was considering hiring Holly, no one contacted Novo regarding Holly or the reason he departed Sky Blue. Shim recalled feeling uncomfortable because she felt that Riley was treating the evening like a date. The League should also consider whether these groups can play a role in developing and implementing League-wide initiatives related to DEI. Horan spoke publicly about weight-shaming behaviors at PSG on multiple occasions before Benstiti's hiring at OL Reign. While the temporary protocols mentioned only coaches, general managers, and team presidents, in practice, the NWSL directed clubs to submit for background checks all employees who work closely with players. Paulson also said he had heard that Shim did not want Riley's termination made public, though there is no evidence that Garcia or anyone else on the Thorns asked Shim for her preference, and Shim told the Joint Investigative Team that she did not recall making any such statement. Publicly, however, the club merely announced that it would not retain Riley for a third season, and then-Thorns General Manager and President of Soccer Gavin Wilkinson said, on behalf of the club, "I would like to thank Paul for his services to the club these past two seasons." According to Wilkinson, he told Lines that U.S. Soccer had the investigative report regarding Riley. d) On at least two occasions when Riley was recruited by the Flash and later when he was recruited by the Courage-the Thorns, U.S. Soccer, and the NWSL were not transparent with the recruiting club about the allegations and findings of misconduct against Riley in 2015. One witness expressed disbelief after Predmore told him that he did not know about Benstiti's treatment of Horan: "I was like, are you living under a rock?" Misconduct in the League is not wholly independent from abuse that begins in youth soccer, where many coaches' and players' formative experiences shaped the way they engaged in, or reacted to, misconduct and abuse in the NWSL. The NWSL should implement a responsible drinking policy stating that excessive consumption of alcohol at NWSL or club events, including during travel for games, is not tolerated and will result in disciplinary action. She remembered that Holly "verbally attacked players, and his behavior was "just different" than it had been in 2016. Simon said she told Holly that now that he was her boss, he would have to stop the inappropriate behavior, and he replied that he had until January 1, because that was when her contract started. NWSL staff responsible for reviewing player survey results were not trained on how to handle player survey responses suggesting misconduct against players. alyse lahue relationship. In particular, the Joint Investigative Team did not receive a copy of Dames's separation agreement from the Red Stars until the end of this investigation, after the publication of the USSF Report. Despite this purpose, neither the summary nor the conclusion of the investigative report provided a determination as to whether Dames's conduct was acceptable. Players reported that club staff living with players allowed the staff to exercise control over players' personal lives. When appropriate, the Joint Investigative Team interviewed individuals more than once. Predmore said he told Benstiti that his comments were not appropriate and that he was not permitted to have a conversation with any players about diet, nutrition, or fitness under any circumstance. Several players interviewed reported that Clarkson targeted one or two players each year for excessive and unjustified criticism, and that Clarkson's conduct towards these players was outside the bounds of appropriate coaching. Players credibly reported that Pauw criticized players for their appearance for example, saying that some players were "too big" while praising other players for losing weight, with no apparent correlation to performance or health. Simon recalled being excited to play for Racing Louisville but also "terrified" because of Holly's past behavior toward her. 6. Yet, in responding to document requests from the Joint Investigative Team, the Thorns asserted the report was protected by attorney-client privilege and claimed they had shared it with U.S. Soccer in 2015 pursuant to a common interest agreement under which neither the NWSL nor U.S. Soccer would be permitted to share the report. When Riley was Farrelly's coach prior to the NWSL, he coerced Farrelly into having sexual intercourse on several occasions. 2. Rory Dames engaged in both verbal and emotional abuse and made racially insensitive and sexist comments to players. One player reported that Riley, Wilkinson, and Thorns owner Merritt Paulson had a close relationship, leading to a perception that players could be traded for raising complaints against any one of the three. Days later, Shim emailed Baird to ask if the NWSL would take further steps in connection with her 2015 complaint, considering the apparent failure of the NWSL to take any action to protect players" in response to that complaint. Players reported to the Joint Investigative Team a wide range of misconduct, including many instances of misconduct that have not been previously reported. In May or June 2020, shortly after the murder of George Floyd, Burke made a comment-when players were kneeling for a photo to show solidarity for the Black Lives Matter movement-about how it would look if someone took a photo while he knelt on a practice dummy and "flipped off" the camera. Lydia Wahlke (U.S. Soccer, Chief Legal Officer, 2017-2020) Whisler said that Wahlke called him for "just a couple minutes" when the investigation ended, and that on this call, he was not informed of the need for "dramatic remediation" and there was no suggestion that Dames "shouldn't be in the [NWSL]." Lisa Baird did not investigate the 2021 complaints against Riley, which contained information that should have led Baird to inquire further.