NWSL

United States women's national soccer team captain Becky Sauerbrunn called for the removal of people responsible for misconduct in the National Women's Soccer League.

"The players are not doing well. We are horrified and heartbroken and frustrated and exhausted and really, really angry," Sauerbrunn told reporters Tuesday. "It's my opinion that every owner and executive and U.S. Soccer official who has repeatedly failed the players and failed to protect the players, who have hidden behind legalities and have not participated in these investigations, should be gone."

An investigation conducted by former U.S. deputy attorney general Sally Yates found widespread sexual misconduct and other abuse toward players across the league, along with several NWSL owners and U.S. Soccer officials ignoring complaints.

Former Racing Louisville coach Christy Holly, former Portland Thorns coach Paul Riley and former Chicago Red Stars coach Rory Dames were cited throughout the report for acts of sexual or verbal abuse against players.

"Our investigation has revealed a league in which abuse and misconduct—verbal and emotional abuse and sexual misconduct—had become systemic, spanning multiple teams, coaches, and victims," the report read. "Abuse in the NWSL is rooted in a deeper culture in women's soccer, beginning in youth leagues, that normalizes verbally abusive coaching and blurs boundaries between coaches and players."

The report states all three organizations were either misleading or not entirely forthright throughout the investigation. Former NWSL commissioner Jeff Plush also refused to cooperate with investigators. Plush allegedly knew of Riley's misconduct and did not prevent him from coaching.

According to the report, Riley is accused of making lewd sexual and defamatory comments, having sexual relationships with players and providing alcohol. One incident saw Riley allegedly suggest players kiss one another during practice.

Holly is accused of multiple acts of sexual misconduct and assault, including forcibly putting his hands down the pants of a player during a film session. He also allegedly sent unsolicited sexually explicit photos to the player and masturbated in front of her during another film session.

Dames was accused of more than a decade's worth of abuse dating back to 1998 that largely went unchecked. Only when Christen Press filed a complaint in 2018 was Dames removed from his post as coach of the Red Stars.

Yates' investigation found that not only were player complaints about these coaches ignored but those within the soccer community offered at-times glowing recommendations for the coaches for different jobs.

Thorns general manager Gavin Wilkinson is accused of recommending Riley for a job with the Western New York Flash and not providing the team with any information regarding the past allegations.

Yates noted in the report that the abuse was systemic across the league and both the NWSL and U.S. Soccer "failed to put in place basic measures for player safety" from the founding of the league. Likewise, the report found "overlapping 'jurisdiction' among teams, the NWSL, and USSF ... enabled each organization to avoid taking independent responsibility for player safety."

The United States Soccer Federation released the findings of its independent investigation into allegations of abuse and sexual misconduct within women's professional soccer in the U.S.

Former U.S. deputy attorney general Sally Q. Yates summarized her findings in the full report:

Our investigation has revealed a league in which abuse and misconduct—verbal and emotional abuse and sexual misconduct—had become systemic, spanning multiple teams, coaches, and victims. Abuse in the NWSL is rooted in a deeper culture in women’s soccer, beginning in youth leagues, that normalizes verbally abusive coaching and blurs boundaries between coaches and players.

U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone provided a statement upon the conclusion of the investigation:

This investigation’s findings are heartbreaking and deeply troubling. The abuse described is inexcusable and has no place on any playing field, in any training facility or workplace. As the national governing body for our sport, U.S. Soccer is fully committed to doing everything in its power to ensure that all players – at all levels – have a safe and respectful place to learn, grow and compete. We are taking the immediate action that we can today, and will convene leaders in soccer at all levels across the country to collaborate on the recommendations so we can create meaningful, long-lasting change throughout the soccer ecosystem.

U.S. Soccer announced exactly one year ago Yates would helm an independent investigation. The step came after multiple reports detailing allegations of mistreatment toward players, sexual misconduct, and hostile workplaces.

The extent to which the federation addressed allegations of impropriety came under the microscope as well.

U.S. women's national team star Christen Press told the Washington Post's Molly Hensley-Clancy last November she approached then-president Sunil Gulati about a "toxic environment" generated by Rory Dames, her coach with the Chicago Red Stars, in 2018.

Press contended that Gulati "dismissed her concerns" and attempted to normalize Dames' treatment of players.

While not citing that example specifically, Yates alluded to how players were routinely subjected to behavior that crossed the line:

The verbal and emotional abuse players describe in the NWSL is not merely 'tough' coaching. [...] In well over 200 interviews, we heard report after report of relentless, degrading tirades; manipulation that was about power, not improving performance; and retaliation against those who attempted to come forward. Even more disturbing were the stories of sexual misconduct. Players described a pattern of sexually charged comments, unwanted sexual advances and sexual touching, and coercive sexual intercourse.

Yates proceeded to detail the structural issues within the NWSL that were apparent from its founding in 2012. She wrote how the league launched without "the most basic of workplace protections" and "gave little thought or attention to basic player protections" in service of maintaining its general existence.

"Without basic protections in place, what followed, almost inevitably, was the systemic abuse of players," Yates wrote.

She also laid out how U.S. Soccer and the NWSL when approached with issues from players "either minimized the reports—claiming players were trying to kill the League, or that a coach was 'put in a bad position'—or they ignored them entirely."

Former Portland Thorns and North Carolina Courage coach Paul Riley was cited in the report, both for his alleged behavior and how he was enabled by those in a position of power.

Despite being fired from the Thorns following allegations of sexual harassment toward one of his players, Riley continued to coach in the NWSL.

"Riley’s sexual misconduct was considered by many to be an 'open secret' in the League," per Yates. "Witnesses from each part of the professional landscape—players, a coach, an owner, an assistant general manager—recalled hearing stories about his 'relationships' with specific players, or just generally that Riley 'sleeps with his players.'"

In general, Yates discovered that allowing three organizations (the NWSL, U.S. Soccer and SafeSport) to oversee player safety issues presented a problem because each governing body would pass the buck when it mattered.

The future of the NWSL was wielded as a way to dissuade players from coming forward as well:

Players were also repeatedly enlisted in the effort to keep the League afloat by protecting it from scandal and were told to be grateful that they had an opportunity to play professional soccer at all. The threat of team or league failure was acute and persistent. [...] Players reported being told by Federation leadership and certain team owners that the League was not commercially successful enough to warrant further financial investment, and that the only way to ensure the League’s survival was for players to support the League.

Players also feared retaliation if they brought allegations to the necessary parties. According to Yates, members of the Red Stars recalled Dames and major team owner Arnim Whisler trading or waiving those who spoke out.

Yates' investigation found the systemic failings extended beyond the NWSL and were part of the larger women's soccer ecosystem.

"During the course of our investigation, we confronted multiple historical reports of verbal and sexual abuse of youth soccer players," she wrote. "Players also told us that their experiences of verbal abuse and blurred relationships with coaches in youth soccer impacted their ability to discern what was out of bounds in the NWSL."

In addition to the steps it has already taken in the wake of the multiple scandals, the federation is creating an Office of Participant Safety, which will enforce its conduct policies and oversee any reporting. There will also be a uniform minimum standard with background checks for those affiliated with U.S. Soccer at every level.

U.S. Soccer also plans to publicize information using SafeSport's Centralized Disciplinary Database when someone is disciplined for a violation.

Numerous players have accused ex-North Carolina Courage coach Paul Riley of sexual coercion dating back to 2010, but those allegations didn't come to light until a report from Meg Linehan and Katie Strang of The Athletic was published in Oct. 2021.

However, numerous people in power were reportedly aware of the allegations against Riley between 2010 and 2021 to the point where Riley's effort to become the United States women's national soccer team head coach in 2019 was quietly squashed for fear of those claims coming to light.

That report is per ESPN's Jeff Carlisle, who wrote that Portland Thorns owner Merritt Paulson worked behind the scenes to prevent Riley from getting the USWNT job.

The Thorns fired Riley in 2015 for cause after then-Thorns player Mana Shim accused him of sexual harassment and coercion. Those allegations were also made in The Athletic article, which highlighted numerous accusations from multiple players across different teams against Riley.

However, the accusations were hidden from the public to the point where the decision for the Thorns to part ways was painted by the team as being based on the Thorns' disappointing performance and the coach's desire to return to the East, where his wife lived in Long Island, New York.

Riley moved onto the Western New York Flash in 2016. The team moved to North Carolina in 2017, and he stayed as the manager until 2021, when he was removed as coach after The Athletic report dropped.

Riley threw his name in for consideration to be the USWNT manager in 2019, but Paulson called Courage owner Steve Malik and said it would be a "a good idea" for his ex-coach to withdraw his name. Paulson reportedly told Malik that Riley was fired for cause, and the hope was to squash the potential of the allegations against the coach from coming to light.

The U.S. Soccer Federation was apparently aware of the details as well.

"According to one source with knowledge of the situation, this came after the U.S. Soccer Federation was warned that details of Riley's firing would become public if he was named USWNT manager, at which point it informed Paulson of this development," Carlisle wrote.

Those allegations did come to light, and it has led to numerous investigations into the mishandling of the situation, including one from the independent law firm DLA Piper into the Thorns' actions.

The Thorns were contacted for comment, per Carlisle, and a spokesperson provided the following response: "Out of respect to the ongoing NWSL investigations, which we are actively cooperating with, we will withhold comment until a more appropriate time."

USWNT and San Diego Wave FC star Alex Morgan provided comment after the ESPN article dropped.

The conversation between Malik and Paulson was reportedly discovered by DLA Piper and revealed to over 150 employees of the Portland Timbers and Thorns organizations in a presentation regarding the investigation, per Carlisle.

Riley withdrew his name from USWNT consideration on Aug. 20, 2019, claiming that he "was not interested in the job at this time."

Former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning has joined the ownership group for the National Women's Soccer League's NJ/NY Gotham FC, the club announced Wednesday.

Manning and Giants executive Pete Guelli are only the club's latest minority owners, as it added seven new investors earlier this year.

"I have lived and worked in this community for almost two decades," Manning said in a statement. "It’s home to me, and Gotham FC is my family’s favorite soccer club. Combine that with the organization’s strong leadership, talented roster, and sustained growth, and it became clear that joining this great group was a fantastic opportunity."

Manning added, via Steve Serby of the New York Post:

“This league and this team practice 15 minutes away from my house, they play games right here in New Jersey. I wanted to support them, and the idea of taking my kids to a practice or a game. . . I have three girls. It’s a way to get involved and find role models for my girls. You put them in different things, and you want them to find things that they’re passionate about. It creates such great life lessons and work ethic and teamwork and dedication and commitment and those type of things.

“I got to do that a little bit growing up with my dad (Archie) around the Saints, and meeting some of those players and kinda be able to look up to them, so I thought it would just be great to kind of support the local teams and to have something that’s gonna be fun to be involved in to be part of the ownership and have something that my kids just enjoy the experience of it as well.”

Manning and WNBA legend Sue Bird had been rumored to be joining the Gotham FC ownership group for weeks, per Sportico's Emily Caron, Eben Novy-Williams and Scott Soshnick. The club is valued at $40 million, per Sportico, making it one of the most valuable NWSL franchises.

Manning joins a star-studded NJ/NY ownership group that includes Kevin Durant's Thirty Five Ventures and former United States Women's National Team star Carli Lloyd, who played for the club from 2018-2021.

Manning spent his entire 16-year NFL career with the New York Giants from 2004-2019, winning two Super Bowls and earning four Pro Bowl selections before announcing his retirement.

Since then, the 41-year-old has re-joined the Giants in a business operations and fan engagement role. In addition, he was part of ESPN's alternate Monday Night Football broadcast alongside his brother, Peyton Manning, dubbed the "ManningCast."

Celebrity-led ownership groups are becoming more common in the NWSL of late. Tennis superstar Naomi Osaka joined the North Carolina Courage's ownership group in 2021, and Washington Capitals star Alexander Ovechkin joined the Washington Spirit's ownership group.

In addition, expansion team Angel City FC, new to the NWSL this season, has a number of star investors, including Natalie Portman, Eva Longoria, Serena Williams, Mia Hamm, Abby Wambach and Candace Parker.

Gotham FC currently sits 11th in the NWSL standings with a 4-0-8 record. The club's next game is on Aug. 14 against sixth-place OL Reign.

The NWSL informed its players they could be adversely affected financially and "out money" due to the bankruptcy filing of Voyager Digital, according to Sportico's Eben Novy-Williams and Emily Caron.

In December, Voyager struck a deal with the NWSL to become the league's official cryptocurrency partner. Under the terms of the agreement, Voyager planned to fund a crypto account for every player in the NWSL.

Novy-Williams and Caron reported Voyager has yet to provide funds for the crypto account and it's not yet clear whether the players will receive the money they were originally allotted.

The Sportico report included a portion of a letter the league wrote to its players:

The Player Fund was always intended to be distributed into accounts at Voyager in cryptocurrency, with the goal of educating players regarding investment in the crypto space. As such, there was always risk regarding the volatility of the cryptocurrency market.

Amid wider disruption across the cryptocurrency market, Voyager issued a notice of default to Three Arrows Capital in June regarding a loan of around $675 million. Days later, Three Arrows filed for bankruptcy, raising further concerns over Voyager's financial health. The company's own bankruptcy filing followed shortly thereafter.

Pressed on how this was impacting the NWSL, Commissioner Jessica Berman provided few specifics when speaking with reporters on July 14:

Novy-Williams and Caron noted the Voyager sponsorship deal was different from how teams or leagues have typically aligned with crypto firms because it outlined the individual payouts to players.

Voyager drew further scrutiny for claiming its consumer accounts were protected by FDIC insurance, which reimburses every account up to $250,000 in the event of a bank collapse.

The Federal Reserve and FDIC issued a joint statement on July 28 demanding Voyager "cease and desist from making false and misleading statements regarding its FDIC deposit insurance status and take immediate action to correct any such prior statements."

Voyager's Risk Disclosure now reads, "Cryptocurrency held on the Voyager Platform is not protected by FDIC insurance or any other government-backed or third party insurance."

National Women's Soccer League commissioner Jessica Berman confirmed a state's reproductive rights will be one of the factors considered when the league looks at 2024 expansion options.

Berman told Anne M. Peterson of the Associated Press on Thursday the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling to overturn the Roe v. Wade precedent, thus removing federal abortion protections, and states' subsequent laws either banning or restricting abortion were discussed at a recent NWSL Board of Governors meeting, which also included talk of potentially adding two franchises.

"It's one of the things that we're actually currently analyzing, which is looking even at our current markets to see where we have some differentiation between our values and what we stand behind relative to where we have teams located, and what are the solutions we can put in place that we feel comfortable we can commit to and execute on," Berman said. "Certainly in the context of expansion that would be part of the analysis."

The league already features teams in three states, Florida, Kentucky and Texas, that have implemented restrictive abortion laws, per Peterson.

Megan Rapinoe, a longtime standout on the U.S. women's national team who plays for the NWSL's OL Reign, was among those to speak out following the Supreme Court ruling.

"We know that the lack of abortion does not stop people from having abortions. It stops people from having safe abortions," Rapinoe told reporters on June 24. "I would encourage people to understand all of the different aspects that overturning Roe v. Wade will have on so many, actually on everyone in the entire country. I just can't understate how sad and how cruel this is. I think the cruelty is the point, because this is not pro-life by any means."

U.S. Soccer also released a statement about the court's decision:

The NWSL, which currently features 12 teams, is looking to expand to 14 franchises by 2024.

Portland Thorns midfielder Olivia Moultrie became the youngest goalscorer in NWSL history during Sunday's match against the Houston Dash.

The 16-year-old put Portland ahead 3-0 in the 74th minute when she collected a pass from teammate Sophia Smith and shot from close range.

Moultrie returned the favor in the 82nd minute, providing an assist for Smith as the Thorns added to their advantage.

The Oregon native broke new ground in the NWSL when she signed with the team in 2021. She was only 15 at the time, well below what had been the league's minimum age (18). She and the NWSL eventually reached a settlement in July 2021 that allowed her to suit up for the Thorns.

Moultrie made nine appearances for Portland during the 2021 season and played in four games, making one start, to open 2022.

The Orlando Pride announced Tuesday they placed head coach Amanda Cromwell and assistant coach Sam Greene on temporary administrative leave.

"The decisions come following recommendations from the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the NWSL Players Association (NWSLPA) joint investigative team," the team said. "This is an interim step while the investigation is ongoing, and no final determinations or conclusions have been reached."

The NWSL provided additional context, saying the investigation is focused on "alleged retaliation" that would violate the league's policy to prevent and eliminate workplace discrimination, harassment, and bullying.

The Athletic's Meg Linehan reported the NWSL has frozen any movement for members of the Pride squad amid the investigation.

Seb Hines will serve as interim head coach of the Pride, who are ninth in the NWSL table after taking eight points from their first seven matches.

Cromwell and Greene's leaves of absence follow a wider reckoning across the league that involved alleged misconduct within multiple clubs.

The Washington Post's Molly Hensley-Clancy reported in August 2021 that then-Washington Spirit head coach Richie Burke had verbally abused his players and made racially insensitive remarks in the past. The Spirit's issues extended beyond the coaching staff and created what Hensley-Clancy called a "toxic work culture."

In September 2021, Linehan reported on allegations of sexual coercion and abuse against Paul Riley, who was the head coach of the North Carolina Courage at the time and had previously coached the Portland Thorns.

One month later, OL Reign CEO Bill Predmore confirmed Farid Benstiti was "asked to resign" in July 2021 after he made inappropriate remarks toward his players. Reign star Megan Rapinoe later said Benstiti used fat-shaming during one interaction with the team.

The multiple scandals resulted in the resignation of NWSL commissioner Lisa Baird, and the launch of an independent investigation by U.S. Soccer overseen by former U.S. Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates.

Still, a new report from Hensley-Clancy laid out how much work remained to address larger structural issues.

She wrote last November how players from the Chicago Red Stars approached U.S. Soccer in order to alert officials as to alleged verbal and emotional abuse by coach Rory Dames. Dames kept his job at the time, with United States women's national team star Christen Press telling Hensley-Clancy she had "been told to be quiet, that this was fine."

In April, the Houston Dash announced they suspended head coach and general manager James Clarkson "in light of initial findings, received this week, from the joint NWSL and NWSLPA investigation that was launched last year to review current and historic complaints of discrimination, harassment and abuse."

Arizona Cardinals defensive end J.J. Watt announced Thursday that he and his wife, National Women's Soccer League player Kealia Ohai Watt, are expecting their first child together.

Watt made the announcement with a collection of photos of him and Ohai on Twitter:

Ohai and Watt began dating in 2016, got engaged in 2019 and married each other in 2020. Both Watt and Ohai are now set to become parents for the first time.

Watt, 33, is an 11-year NFL veteran who spent the first 10 years of his career with the Houston Texans before signing with the Cards last offseason.

With five Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro selections, as well as three NFL Defensive Player of the Year Awards and 102 career sacks, Watt is likely a future Pro Football Hall of Famer.

Watt is looking to bounce back in 2022 after he was limited to just seven games because of a shoulder injury last season.

The 30-year-old Ohai has been a professional soccer player since 2014 after starring collegiately at North Carolina.

She played for the Houston Dash from 2014-19 before getting traded to the Chicago Red Stars, her current team.

Ohai has made three career appearances for the United States women's national team and won a FIFA World Cup with the under-20 team in 2012. She also won the NCAA Division I national championship that year.

NJ/NY Gotham FC announced Wednesday that Thirty Five Ventures, led by Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant and business partner Rich Kleiman, has joined the club's ownership group as a minority investor.

"As a New York-based company, the opportunity for us to partner with a forward-thinking team like Gotham FC was a no-brainer," Kleiman said. "There's been so much growth in the NWSL in recent years, and the chance to be a part of that growth and work directly with the Gotham FC executive team and players is really exciting."

It's the second investment in a soccer club for Thirty Five Ventures, which is also a minority owner in MLS' Philadelphia Union. The company also added the Just Women's Sports media network to its portfolio last year.

The agreement with Gotham FC includes "content creation, social media support, player relations and community outreach."

"Bringing in Kevin, Rich and 35V as investors is a huge statement about the positive trajectory of our club," team chairperson Tammy Murphy said. "The level of enthusiasm they’ve displayed has been above and beyond anything we could have anticipated."

Thirty Five Ventures is the latest arrival to the Gotham FC ownership group. Longtime USWNT forward Carli Lloyd, who finished her club career with NY/NJ, joined in April, and KB2 Sports' Kristen Bernert and Karen Bryant joined in March, per Meg Linehan of The Athletic.

Murphy and her husband, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, along with businessmen Steven Temares and Ed Nalbandian, lead the club's ownership.

Gotham FC was founded in 2006 under the name Jersey Sky Blue and later became Sky Blue FC before its most recent rebranding in 2020.

The club shares Red Bull Arena in New Jersey with MLS' New York Red Bulls.

NY/NJ qualified for last season's NWSL playoffs before losing to the Chicago Red Stars in the quarterfinals. It also advanced to the championship match of the 2021 Challenge Cup before falling to the Portland Thorns in a penalty shootout.

Gotham FC kicked off the 2022 NWSL season Sunday with a 3-0 road win over the Orlando Pride. It will visit Torero Stadium on Saturday to face the San Diego Wave.