The NWSL is in crisis after several coaches fired for abuse
The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), one of the top women's professional soccer leagues in the world, is being rocked by one scandal after another. The league currently consists of 10 teams and of those, six (seven if you count Portland) have had coaches accused of one or more of the following in the past year alone: sexual abuse, sexual harassment, verbal abuse, racism, homophobia.
The most recent and by far biggest scandal involves the league's most popular team, the Portland Thorns, and one of the most decorated women's club coaches, Paul Riley of the North Carolina Courage. The NWSL Commissioner, Lisa Baird, was forced to resign after The Athletic published an exposé (full article in the tweet is behind a paywall; a free condensed version is available here) where two former Portland Thorns players came forward about their mistreatment while under Riley's leadership. The Courage immediately fired him. FIFA has opened an investigation as well.
Amid institutional failure, former #NWSL players accuse a prominent coach of sexual coercion.
An investigation at @TheAthletic, with @KatieJStrang: https://t.co/0ul4IhZxyr pic.twitter.com/A6psqAWAq1
- Meg Linehan (@itsmeglinehan) September 30, 2021
A very long summary of everything happening below:
• Paul Riley, a very successful and influential coach in women's club soccer, had a habit of getting drunk with his players and encouraging them to drink more on his tab. He would host team retreats at his Long Island mansion but forbid them from leaving even for day trips during their stay.
• Sinead Farrelly played for Paul Riley at three different teams, being drafted into the now-defunct WPS and finally in the NWSL at the Portland Thorns. He immediately began grooming her. He took an intense, personal interest in her and would probe her about her private life, shower her with praise one day and then be cruel the next, leaving her feeling uncertain and longing for his approval.
• When she was called up to the national team (USWNT) camp for the 2011 World Cup, he berated her for being disloyal to him. She felt pressured to decline the invitation to the final camp even though she had a chance of making the roster. (To those unfamiliar with women's soccer, particularly in the USA, the NT is where you make all the money. 75% of NWSL players make less than $31,000/year as of 2021. In 2011 it was even less.)
• At the end of Farrelly's rookie season, Riley, then 47, coerced her into sex after a night of heavy drinking. She said the sexual coercion continued the next year at a different team.
• Farrelly felt that Riley had the fate of her career in his hands.
• Farrelly joined the Thorns in 2014 and began dating a teammate. Riley became obsessed with the relationship and repeatedly told her she was "too hot to be a lesbian" and "not a real lesbian." He told another player to "protect" Farrelly from her girlfriend because Farrelly couldn't be gay.
• In 2014, Thorns player Meleana "Mana" Shim was surprisingly traded to the Houston Dash. She asked Riley to help her stay in Portland and he did. She then felt that she owed him.
• Thorns general manager Gavin Wilkinson told Shim, who had come out as gay, to tone it down and stop being so vocal about "off-the-field matters."
• Riley began targeting Shim. He would constantly text her, make her come to his apartment alone to review film, ask her out for coffee, say they needed to discuss training but it'd end up being a dinner date. He would open the door wearing only underwear.
• He assigned Shim and Farrelly to be roommates for road trips. One night he forced them to kiss in front of him so the team wouldn't have to do a grueling training session the next day.
• As Riley's pursuit of her intensified, Shim was terrified that he'd force her to have sex with him. She reached out to her Thorns teammate, USWNT star Alex Morgan.
• In September 2015, Shim emailed team owner Merrit Paulson, GM Wilkinson, HR director Nancy Garcia Ford, Riley, and then-NWSL commissioner Jeff Plush detailing Riley's behavior towards her.
• At the end of September 2015, Riley left the Thorns. Outsiders thought it was because of the team's poor performance that season. In February 2016, he was hired as head coach of the now-defunct Western New York Flash.
• Last week, both the Thorns and Flash gave similar statements about "no unlawful activity" being found in the Riley investigation and league protocols being followed.
• In March, 240 players signed a letter to NWSL commissioner Lisa Baird for new policies ensuring safe and inclusive workplace protections for players. This led to the creation of the NWSL Anti-Harassment Policy. This new policy is a major reason these scandals are coming to light as players feel safer speaking out.
• In March and April, Shim and Farrelly emailed Baird to ask about Riley (now coach of the North Carolina Courage) being allowed to continue to coach. Baird eventually responded that the Portland files were reviewed and the investigation had been completed.
• Shim and Farrelly had no choice but to go public. Baird released a statement condemning Riley. Alex Morgan wasn't having it and the NWSL ousted Baird and general counsel Lisa Levine.
(1/3)The league was informed of these allegations multiple times and refused multiple times to investigate the allegations. The league must accept responsibility for a process that failed to protect its own players from this abuse. https://t.co/KDRBhhVBcT
- Alex Morgan (@alexmorgan13) September 30, 2021
So what happens now?
Here is a thread with ongoing updates and reactions on the situation.
The NWSL is launching an investigation and assembled a new oversight committee. The U.S. Soccer Federation has hired Sally Q. Yates (the Acting Attorney General who Trump fired for not defending the Muslim ban) to investigate.
Portland Thorns and MLS Timbers fans protested outside of their stadium. Owner Merritt Paulson released a statement today apologizing for "systematic failure" and promised to do better. No mention of Gavin Wilkinson.
Paulson is jokingly referred to by fans as the unofficial commissioner and is generally regarded as the most powerful person in the NWSL. The Thorns are by far the biggest club in the league with a fanbase that's the envy of women's soccer worldwide. Their average attendance is 20,000 while most other NWSL teams hover around 5,000. Paulson is loud and arrogant but willing to invest lavishly in women's soccer and treat it as equal to the men when that's still a rarity. He has always been very involved in the team. While the league is getting some exciting new ownership groups involved, it still depends heavily on Paulson/Thorns and would likely collapse without them. So don't hold your breath for sweeping accountability.
Wait, wasn't there another big scandal going on?
NEW: At least four players have left the Washington Spirit in the last two years because of what they said was "verbal and emotional abuse" by their coach, Richie Burke.
My story on what's been going on behind the scenes at the Spirit: https://t.co/bW7YbmZYAk
- Molly Hensley-Clancy (@mollyhc) August 11, 2021
Washington Spirit: A week ago this was the worst scandal the NWSL had and could be a post unto itself. Assistant coach Tom Torres left the club in 2020 but it was recently revealed that he was fired because he made "inappropriate comments" to players. In August, it was announced that head coach Richie Burke would be stepping down for health reasons but would remain in the front office. The Washington Post reported the next day that he was actually being investigated for "serious misconduct" including verbal and emotional abuse of players (which he was also accused of while he was a youth coach before being given the Spirit job) and racist comments. Kaiya McCullough ended up quitting because she couldn't take his abuse anymore. They also reported that majority owner Steve Baldwin had created a deeply misogynist work environment where women were constantly sidelined and demeaned . Burke was soon fired and banned by the NWSL, not the team, because the league determined the Spirit weren't taking appropriate action.
Y. Michele Kang, a Korean-American businesswoman, became a co-owner of the Spirit in 2020. By all accounts she has tried to change the club culture but Baldwin and the old boys club of the organization systematically excluded her from all decision-making. Kang was especially concerned about CEO Larry Best's treatment of women. Best was known for referring to female employees by nicknames like "Dumb Broad" and "Japanese Girl" and insulted a female executive in front of multiple staffers. After the Burke scandal, Kang wanted to buy out Baldwin and he agreed... only to change his mind and forbid staff members from speaking to her. When the Spirit had a Covid outbreak it was alleged that the cause was Kang hosting a "dumpling making party" with players and that Kang was being investigated by the league for violating the anti-harassment policy. The actual cause of the outbreak was revealed to be an unvaccinated player breaching protocols by traveling and not quarantining. And that complaint about Kang? It was filed by Larry Best.
The situation is still unresolved as of now. It's still a toxic workplace and almost half of all female staff members have quit this year. Kang wrote an open letter calling on Steve Baldwin to sell the team, fans want him to sell the team, he's digging his heels in. A full timeline of recent events can be found here.
What's going on at the other teams?
Utah Royals: Last year, owner Dell Loy Hansen (also owner of MLS team Real Salt Lake) was forced to sell the team after he made racist and sexist comments and there was a toxic, sexist culture at the club perpetuated by CBO Andy Carroll. Head coach Craig Harrington was also put on leave for sexual harassment. The team was dissolved and its players were transferred to Kansas City.
Racing Louisville: Head coach Christy Holly was fired "for cause" at the end of August for "inappropriate relationships within the team." At his previous job as head coach of Sky Blue, he started dating one of his players, USWNT veteran Christie Pearce Rampone. He "stepped down" and Pearce followed him amid rumblings that the other players and coaches were uncomfortable with the situation.
OL Reign: Head coach Farid Benstiti suddenly left the club in July. Again, no reason was given at the time but it's now come to light that he was fired for making "inappropriate comments to players regarding their fitness and nutrition.” He had been accused of body-shaming before during his tenure at PSG in France's D1 Féminine.
Gotham FC (formerly Sky Blue): General manager Alyse LaHue was fired in July for "violating the league's anti-harassment policy." There hasn't been any further info aside from LaHue's lawyer denying any wrongdoing, but the gossip is that she allegedly had an inappropriate relationship with a player. LaHue had previously been credited with turning the club around after taking over from Tony Novo who was fired after scandals involving poor training facilities and mistreatment of players. Fun fact: the team is co-owned by the governor of New Jersey and his wife.
A bit of history:
The NWSL is the third women's pro league in the US. The second attempt at a pro league, the WPS, collapsed after the 2011 season because of another extremely inappropriate team owner, Dan Borislow of magicJack. He bullied the players, made them call him Daddy, commented on their sexuality, and created a miserable team environment which ultimately led the non-NT players to file a grievance. When the league tried to oust Borislow, he sued. WPS was already having financial trouble and they couldn't afford the legal battle. The league would've folded soon enough but its demise was hastened by Borislow.
The only player who was willing to come forward at the time was Ella Masar despite high profile USWNT stars like Abby Wambach and Hope Solo on the team and aware of the mistreatment of the non-NT players. Wambach was friends with Borislow and even had a stint as a player-coach of magicJack. She pressured Masar to keep quiet and told her she would be responsible for destroying women's pro soccer in the US if she went public. Wambach is still a celebrated figure in the sport today. So again, don't hold your breath.
Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9