In 2014, when he read that players felt Dames was creating "a hostile work environment," Whisler responded that the players who raised those concerns probably "didn't start or play the way they wanted to." Reis was placed on unpaid administrative leave and is required to participate in mandatory training regarding retaliation, discrimination, harassment and bullying, and must participate in mandatory executive coaching. Malik texted Gulati that he "appreciate[d]" the "confidential advice to Anson." The power of players' voices to call attention to and combat misconduct is evident; the steps the League has taken, including commissioning this joint investigation with the NWSLPA, have already had a meaningful impact. Riley publicly withdrew his name from consideration for the position on August 20, 2019. In essence, that's part of building trust, you have to create transparency. Regarding confidentiality, O'Connor stated repeatedly that confidentiality was at odds with the club's culture of trust" and "transparency," and that there was no need for confidentiality in reporting unless there were issues that were "illegal or immoral." Sky Blue was not the only club at which a staff member and player became involved. One club's player representatives expressed frustration that those investing in Prior to the event, he forwarded Shim an email containing his hotel reservation-one room with a king bed-and asked Shim to stay with him. However, the allegations once again were not responded to appropriately by the NWSL, including by Levine, who had read Shim's 2015 allegations against Riley as well as the 2015 investigative report. Whisler has demonstrated a willingness to counsel Dames and shut down offensive conduct." Some players recalled the head coach telling the team that they would not go to the Challenge Cup without the assistant coach. One player said it felt "like the lid came off" when the pressures of being head coach combined with Holly's personal life. 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 Five months later, another NWSL club, the Western New York Flash, hired Riley as head coach. Please be assured that we will carefully and thoroughly investigate this matter." The failure to take intermediary action left players in an unsafe environment for well over a year while the investigation was ongoing. One player recalled a specific comment Dames made about "her attractiveness." Some clubs, including Sky Blue, the Current, the Courage, the Spirit, and the Red Stars, had staff who were nominally in charge of HR overall, but who in practice focused only on handling payroll and other logistics issues. In 2020 and 2021, the League saw a series of high-profile departures following reports of interpersonal misconduct. Riley also would tell players that he wanted "to see two women kiss," and made other statements that one player described as "homophobic." The overlap of the two reports also proved problematic in some cases. Accordingly, she cooperated in the first, second, and third investigations into alleged conduct from April 2020 reported in June 2021. The League should require that any non-disclosure or non-disparagement provisions allow the League and clubs to share information consistent with disclosure requirements set forth in the AntiHarassment Policy and any other requirements that may be implemented to promote transparency and player safety. 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. The club encouraged Simon to consider The announcement finally came on July 16, about a termination that happened on July 9. Another owner described himself as a "volunteer." While the report singles out individuals and clubs for alleged misconduct or mishandling of situations, investigators chose to make recommendations that are "forward-looking, systemic in nature; rather than recommending discipline as to specific individuals or entities." Rory Dames (Chicago Red Stars, Head Coach, 2012-2021) The Joint Investigative Team considered whether the conduct at issue violated the 2022 Anti-Harassment Policy, regardless of when the conduct occurred. In one instance, players reported that Pride Head Coach Amanda Cromwell and Assistant Coach Sam Greene ignored a player who was having a panic attack. The NWSL celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2022. While Sky Blue FC still might not be a first-place team, the differences off the pitch are shaping how the players perform on the pitch. Many of the coaches and individuals who engaged in misconduct and who are discussed in this Report were not appropriately vetted by their clubs., Nor are the leagues current protocols sufficient, the report says: Significant gaps exist in the NWSLs revised background check requirements., READ MORE: Joanna Lohman was fooled by Paul Riley in Philadelphia, where he allegedly coerced her teammates. LaHue expressed an emotional reliance on the player, repeatedly questioned the player's interactions with another individual, and pressed the player for more attention. These protocols mandated that all coach, general manager, and president hires had to be approved by the NWSL and that such employees had to complete a New Hire Certification, complete an NWSL-directed background check, and have certain language included in their contracts. As publicly reported, the Joint Investigative Team recommended the suspension of Houston Dash Head Coach James Clarkson in April 2022 and of Orlando Pride Head Coach Amanda Cromwell and First Assistant Coach Sam Greene in June 2022, while investigating reports of their misconduct, which were ultimately substantiated. Two players remembered that he lashed out at one player in particular, saying something like, "Everyone knows you want to have sex with me. Then-Sky Blue President and General Manager Tony Novo reported that by August 2017, there was "enough bad blood" on the team and Holly's relationship "became so disruptive to the organization that Sky Blue decided to part ways with him. Emotional Misconduct Cone told the Joint Investigative Team that prior to her discussion with Malik, she had received a phone call from a player agent stating that Riley had previously acted "inappropriate[ly]" towards a Thorns player. WPS faced many challenges, including poor attendance, low television ratings, and declining revenue. Players also recalled that Dames would threaten to shred a player's contract or kick them off the team or out of practice if they made a mistake. This is partly due to institutional factors; SafeSport only has jurisdiction over reports concerning NWSL coaches or staff who hold U.S. Soccer coaching licenses. 97, In an email exchange in July 2017, Sky Blue owner Steven Temares asked Novo whether "Christy has a relationship that takes advantage of any player or makes his independence as a coach questionable among the players." She also detailed how Riley questioned her about her dating life and discussed his own sex life with her, sharing his preferred sexual positions. One club, in hiring a head coach, spoke to management at two of the coach's former clubs, individuals at the League and U.S. Soccer, players at one of the coach's former clubs, player agents, and a non-NWSL-affiliated member of the women's soccer community. . Whisler himself admitted that the club had an inadequate HR person and the person who served as "HR lead for the club at the time scare[d] people, exacerbating these problems. Significant gaps exist in the NWSL's revised background check requirements. . Gotham FC cooperated in all respects with the NWSL investigation. Some owners regularly analogized the players to children or daughters, which both staff and players alike found unprofessional. In June 2021, Benstiti gave a team speech in which he criticized players' diets, despite being told not to do so, in a manner that multiple players found inappropriate. When one Spirit player tackled a teammate during practice, Burke went off out of nowhere," calling the player a "fucking asshole" and a cheat." The Flash, the predecessor club to the Courage, began speaking with Riley regarding the head coach position in January 2016, around a month after Aaran Lines stepped down as head coach and became vice president of the Flash. 81, After the end of the 2021 season, when the Current finished in last place in the League, Williams was relieved of his coaching duties, and he moved to a scouting role at the Current. She was later named the team's interim general manager in April 2019 after former GM Tony Novo resigned. 2. Despite these recurrent issues, Whisler told the investigator that he believed that Dames had improved in his demeanor, mindset, and patience during his years as head coach and that Dames would not "be hard on someone unless he [thought] they [had] it within them to rise up." "The lack of clearly established responsibilities allowed individuals within these institutions to disclaim personal responsibility for player protection and to turn a blind eye or shift blame to other individuals and entities, while players were left exposed to further misconduct and unsafe environments. a) The report's conclusion stated, Dames has unpredictable behavior, singles out certain players for constant criticism, and yells excessively. Some coaches and staff staunchly defended certain conduct as "tough coaching," demanding, or directness, even when players found the conduct emotionally abusive. The NWSL's predecessor leagues-the Women's United Soccer Association ("WUSA") and Women's Professional Soccer ("WPS")-both buckled under financial pressures. A majority of interviewees believed that Clarkson's mood could be unpredictablethat he could be hot or cold, or they would not know what to expect in terms of his attitude on any given day. One player stated that, "Dishonesty and manipulation from your coach creates a toxic environment." 6. Players also reported club staff inappropriately making comments about players' appearance and personal lives. Holly also sent Simon videos of himself masturbating on Snapchat. Dames was not the only coach who resorted to critiques of players' parental status: a player described Riley "berating [one player]" through an entire game and blaming the loss on her infant son." Players reported the coaching staff physically turned their backs on the player while she was experiencing a panic attack and did not follow up with this player afterward to ask how she was doing. The NWSL should require clubs to review and update their anti-harassment policies to be at least as protective of individuals who file complaints or participate in NWSL investigations as the NWSL Anti-Harassment Policy. Plush also said he spoke to Lines and Alex Sahlen in January 2016, encouraging them to look elsewhere for a new coach." Many players reported that they feared instability both in terms of their own careers and the viability of the League, that they were advised to feel grateful to have the chance to play the game at all, and that they felt a personal responsibility to sustain the existence of the NWSL by keeping their heads down and their complaints unvoiced. 2. If misconduct under the Anti-Harassment Policy is revealed as part of the Alternative Complaint Resolution program process, the misconduct should be reported promptly to the NWSL HR Office and/or the NWSL General Counsel. 5. Such policies can create veils of secrecy around the dismissal of some coaches and allow them to be rehired elsewhere despite their misconduct. Averbuch West became Gotham's general manager earlier in the year after the harassment-related firing of GM Alyse LaHue. 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. For example, one player explained that because of Riley's past behavior, she feared he would retaliate against her if she ever spoke out against him. In June 2018, Levine met with Arnim Whisler and informed him that a player had raised a complaint against Dames. The League announced that the investigation would include the following: The NWSL should advise clubs and coaches that if a coach has legitimate health or fitness concerns about a player's weight, that coach should speak privately with the club medical staff so that the medical staff can address the concern privately with the player. Equality. Racing Louisville did not appropriately respond to players' reports about Holly's conduct as the club's head coach. As then-Racing Louisville player Jorian Baucom discussed publicly on Twitter, Racing Louisville publicly confused her and another Black player in a social media post, something club staff had done with respect to these two players on numerous prior occasions. Notwithstanding the seriousness of the conduct conveyed to Malik, and the unusual resistance Malik encountered when he sought more information, the Courage did not take further steps to try to obtain the report, such as making a written request for it, appealing to the Board of Governors, or seeking intervention from Gulati or U.S. Soccer. The History and Culture of the League and its Member Clubs Discouraged Reporting of Potential Misconduct.. Duffy was also aware there was an ongoing investigation at the Red Stars, but the Joint Investigative Team found no evidence the NWSL requested updates regarding the investigation or requested the final investigative report, and Levine acknowledged that she interpreted the lack of update from Wahlke as a lack of material negative findings concerning Dames. Riley had a long and successful coaching career when he joined the Thorns in 2014, having held several head coach positions and having been named coach of the year in two soccer leagues. In the USSF Dames Report, a player described Dames calling a player trailer trash and insulting her educational background when she made a mistake. Require Clubs to Revise Their Anti-Harassment Policies to Be Consistent with the NWSL Anti-Harassment Policy The NWSL should also develop standards for evaluating an applicant's fitness for the position based on the results of reputational checks. In addition, romantic relationships between players and staff, even when consensual, blur the lines between appropriate and inappropriate behavior, increasing the risk of misconduct. NWSL personnel informed the club's ownership about this feedback. 14 2. As Equalizer has reported, the highly-anticipated report contained detailed findings of an investigation into numerous allegations of misconduct across the league. No information about the investigation or Riley's termination was made public until the release of the Athletic article on September 30, 2021. And while Sky Blue leadership, the League, and Racing Louisville knew that Holly had a relationship with Pearce Rampone, who had been one of his players, the relationship was generally viewed as not concerning because Pearce Rampone was older than Holly and a prominent figure within the women's soccer landscape. 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. 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. The Joint Investigative Team sought evidence from U.S. Soccer in the form of relevant documents and interviews of current and former U.S. Soccer employees. The NWSL should consider avenues to create a formal partnership with the Black Women's Player Collective to hear and address the Collective's concerns and improve the NWSL experience for Black players. Furthermore, he instructed Benstiti to bring any dietary or weight-related concerns to another staff member, who could have conversations about diet and fitness with players. The NWSL then informed the club that it was not in compliance with the policy. For instance, in a January 19, 2018, text to Dames, Whisler complained that Press "wouldn't return [his] calls unless she was asking for something for her." If a club staff member who has been found to have engaged in misconduct seeks a position at another club in the NWSL, the NWSL should promptly alert that club of the prior misconduct. O'Connor reported that Holly could not explain when asked about sending inappropriate text messages to Simon. One player reported that Williams stopped communicating with her, would ignore her when greeting other players, and made efforts to avoid her. During his interview with the Joint Investigative Team, Harrington described the incident differently: Harrington said he was at the hotel when one of the players either messaged or called him to ask for help taking an intoxicated player to her hotel room, which he claimed he did. Founded in 2012, the National Women's Soccer League (the "NWSL" or the "League) has enjoyed success as the longest-running professional women's soccer league in U.S. history. This framework remained unchanged until August 13, 2021, when the NWSL implemented a process requiring clubs to submit their head coach candidates to the NWSL for a background check and subsequent approval. Two people, former Gotham FC General Manager Alyse LaHue and former Utah Royals FC head coach Craig Harrington, were handed two-year suspensions from the league. She failed to take steps to protect players during the investigation, and ultimately failed to act on evidence of Dames's misconduct. Players suggested that this relationship led to favoritism and improper information-sharing. Alyse LaHue has overseen Sky Blue FC's successful debut at Red Bull Arena and has endeared herself . It really wasn't an investment so much as it was philanthropy." Former NWSL President Amanda Duffy also recalled that under the Management Agreement, U.S. Soccer had full authority over day-to-day operations, and compared U.S. Soccer's control of the League to that of a commissioner. .82 Players also emphasized that Dames often focused his yelling on fringe players, who started in some games but not all. Farrelly asked what steps the NWSL intended to take in connection with inappropriate conduct that was initially reported" and offered to make herself available for an interview. Holly also verbally abused players and retaliated against those who raised complaints about him. Clubs have also at times failed to share critical information about certain applicants with other clubs, which resulted in clubs hiring coaches accused of misconduct without sufficient information about the allegations. In addition, while Cromwell and Greene denied knowing who made complaints about them during the March Investigation, the evidence suggests that they formed a belief as to which players made complaints or spoke negatively about them in connection with the March Investigation. This provision puts an unfair burden on employees experiencing misconduct by suggesting they should confront the employee engaging in misconduct. "This process is the culmination of a wide-ranging collaboration among our fans, players, front office, and owners" said General Manager Alyse LaHue. NWSL In her email, the player said that she wanted to "report[] her owner" for "neglecting issues he is aware of" and alleged that Dames was engaging in inappropriate relationships with players.' Harrington responded that he reviewed his phone records, but he could not verify how the player contacted him. On September 15, 2014, legal counsel for the USWNTPA emailed Gulati a memorandum of that meeting, which included a summary of Press's comments that Dames "created a hostile work environment."

Sharika Completed Her Mba From A Prestigious University, How To Get Haste 1000 In Minecraft Command, Articles A