NWSL

The United States Soccer Federation is launching an independent investigation into alleged "abusive behavior and sexual misconduct in women's professional soccer."

"U.S. Soccer takes seriously its responsibility to vigorously investigate the abhorrent conduct reported, gain a full and frank understanding of the factors that allowed it to happen and take meaningful steps to prevent this from happening in the future," the statement read in part.

The step comes following a report by The Athletic's Meg Linehan detailing allegations of sexual coercion and abuse against now-former North Carolina Courage manager Paul Riley.

One of his former players, Sinead Farrelly, said he coerced her into having sex with him, while another, Mana Shim, said he persuaded her and Farrelly to kiss each other. Shim also said Riley would invite her to his apartment or hotel room for film sessions.

Riley told The Athletic, "I have never had sex with, or made sexual advances towards these players." He also denied bringing players to his hotel room to watch film.

Linehan's report only intensified the scrutiny directed toward the NWSL in recent weeks.

The Washington Post's Molly Hensley-Clancy reported former Washington Spirit head coach Richie Burke was verbally abusive toward his players and made multiple racially insensitive remarks. She spoke with multiple players who said they had left the team because of how Burke treated them.

Hensley-Clancy followed up with a more comprehensive investigation into the Spirit and detailed "a toxic work culture for female employees."

The report alleged team owner Steve Baldwin "was insistent on hiring staff from his own circles." Chief executive officer Larry Best was allegedly one such hire, having coached Baldwin's daughter at the youth level. According to Hensley-Clancy, Best said one Spirit player should be nicknamed "Dumb Broad" and called another "J.G.," which was short for "Japanese Girl."

The NWSL said it launched an investigation into the Spirit under its new anti-harassment policy.

Linehan noted how the anti-harassment policy wasn't in place when Riley's alleged coercion and abuse toward Farrelly and Shim occurred. In addition, Shim didn't have an avenue through which to anonymously file a complaint against Riley with the Portland Thorns' human resources department.

In response to The Athletic's investigation, former commissioner Lisa Baird issued a statement that may have compounded the breakdown of trust between the NWSL's players and league officials.

The NWSL completed an investigation into Riley in 2015, prior to Baird taking over as commissioner. She said Thursday she "was shocked and disgusted to read the new allegations reported in The Athletic this morning."

However, Farrelly and Shim reached out to the league earlier this year about their experiences with Riley and asked for a new inquiry. Orlando Pride star Alex Morgan shared a copy of an email correspondence between Farrelly and Baird in April, meaning Baird may have known about Riley's alleged misconduct as far back as the spring:

Baird also received criticism for pointing to a league mandate requiring league and team staffers to complete training by U.S. Center for SafeSport. Some questioned how SafeSport training would address the problems that have emerged throughout the NWSL:

Baird has since resigned, and Linehan reported NWSL general counsel Lisa Levine has been removed as well.

The NWSL announced Sunday its board of governors formed an executive committee "to manage oversight of the league's front office operations." The league also retained the services of an outside law firm to lead "several critical investigative and reform initiatives to protect players and staff, and the environments in which athletes live, train, and compete to give athletes the agency and ability to safely report misconduct of any form."

The NWSL's board of governors formed an executive committee to oversee the league's decisions going forward after commissioner Lisa Baird resigned in the wake of sexual coercion and abuse allegations against now-former North Carolina Courage manager Paul Riley.

The committee, made up of the Orlando Pride's Amanda Duffy, Kansas City's Angie Long and the OL Reign's Sophie Sauvage, released the following statement Sunday:

On behalf of the entire league, we are heartbroken for what far too many players have had to endure in order to simply play the game they love, and we are so incredibly sorry. We understand that we must undertake a significant systemic and cultural transformation to address the issues required to become the type of league that NWSL players and their fans deserve and regain the trust of both. We're committed to doing just that and recognize that this won't happen overnight, but only through vigilance over time.

The NWSL added the league would be implementing "several critical investigative and reform initiatives to protect players and staff, and the environments in which athletes live, train, and compete to give athletes the agency and ability to safely report misconduct of any form."

NWSL general counsel Lisa Levine is also no longer with the league.

The NWSL finds itself at the center of a major scandal involving several head coaches and executives, most prominently Riley, with several players telling The Athletic's Meg Linehan that he sexually coerced them and made comments about their sexuality and weight.

A number of USWNT players spoke out against the NWSL:

"Due to the severity and seriousness of the allegations being made by players, we can confirm that FIFA's judicial bodies are actively looking into the matter and have opened a preliminary investigation," FIFA said in a statement. "As part of this, FIFA will be reaching out to the respective parties, including US Soccer and NWSL, for further information about the various safeguarding concerns and allegations of abuse that have been raised."

The Washington Spirit's Rickie Burns was also terminated with cause last week and had previously been suspended after being accused of abuse. Gotham FC general manager Alyse LaHue was fired in July after being investigated for potential violations of the league's anti-harassment policy, though she denied all claims of wrongdoing.

And OL Reign coach Farid Benstiti resigned in July, with the club's chief executive officer and minority owner Bill Predmore revealing last week it was requested after an undisclosed incident. Lindsey Horan also accused Benstiti of sexism and making inappropriate comments about her weight in the past.

Lisa Baird resigned as commissioner of the National Women's Soccer League on Friday. 

Meg Linehan of The Athletic first reported Baird had been let go. 

The news comes one day after Linehan and The Athletic's Katie Strang revealed former players' accusations of sexual coercion against ex-North Carolina Courage head coach Paul Riley "spanning multiple teams and leagues since 2010."

Per Linehan, it is unknown at this time who will take over as commissioner and general counsel.

The Courage fired Riley earlier this week and released this statement:

The NWSL also announced that this weekend's matches have been canceled in light of the allegations. Baird released the following statement.

This week, and much of this season, has been incredibly traumatic for our players and staff, and I take full responsibility for the role I have played. I am so sorry for the pain so many are feeling. Recognizing that trauma, we have decided not to take the field this weekend to give everyone some space to reflect. Business as usual isn’t our concern right now.

Many people expressed their support for the players who accused Riley of sexual coercion, including United States women's national team and Orlando Pride striker Alex Morgan:

Morgan also called the league out for fielding the accusations but failing to investigate anything about them.

The NWSLPA also released a statement as well.

The NWSL began play in 2013. Baird had been its commissioner since Feb. 2020.

The National Women's Soccer League announced the cancellation of this weekend's matches Friday.

"This week, and much of this season, has been incredibly traumatic for our players and staff, and I take full responsibility for the role I have played," NWSL commissioner Lisa Baird said. "I am so sorry for the pain so many are feeling. Recognizing that trauma, we have decided not to take the field this weekend to give everyone some space to reflect. Business as usual isn’t our concern right now."

The move comes after The Athletic's Meg Linehan and Katie Strang detailed sexual misconduct allegations against former North Carolina Courage manager Paul Riley.

Two of Riley's former players, Sinead Farrelly and Mana Shim, told The Athletic he coerced them into having sex with them. While Farrelly and Shim were teammates, Riley also allegedly asked them to kiss and said he wouldn't make the team run extra drills in practice if they did.

In general, they said Riley went out of his way to establish a relationship that crossed the line between coach and player. He would allegedly invite the players to his apartment or hotel room for informal film sessions. During one such incident, Shim entered his room to find Riley wearing only a pair of underwear.

Farrelly said the situation was so harmful that she "couldn’t function under him" and "couldn’t function to play soccer anymore."

Riley responded to The Athletic by saying, "I have never had sex with, or made sexual advances towards these players." He also denied holding film sessions in his hotel room.

The handling of the allegations by the NWSL and its member clubs was another focus of the report.

According to Linehan and Strang, Shim filed a complaint with the Portland Thorns following the 2015 season. While Riley left Portland shortly thereafter for violating team policy, he was next hired by the Western New York Flash. Thorns owner Merritt Paulson said he had forwarded the circumstances of Riley's departure to league officials.

Farrelly and Shim reached out to the league about conducting a new investigation into Riley. Baird, who took over as commissioner in February 2020, responded to say the complaint from 2015 was "investigated to conclusion."

In addressing the situation, Baird said Thursday she "was shocked and disgusted to read the new allegations reported in The Athletic this morning."

However, Orlando Pride star Alex Morgan shared a copy of the email correspondence between Farrelly and Baird, raising questions as to the extent of the league office's knowledge of the allegations about Riley's behavior:

Morgan was one of many current and former women's soccer stars who weighed in:

The Athletic's report didn't represent an isolated incident, either.

The NWSL announced Tuesday that Washington Spirit head coach Richie Burke had been fired with cause and that "the Spirit and its ownership have failed to act in the best interests of the League."

The Washington Post's Molly Hensley-Clancy filed an in-depth report Aug. 11 detailing allegations that Burke was verbally abusive toward his players and made racially insensitive comments. In a separate report, Hensley-Clancy wrote about a wider "toxic work culture for female employees" within the Spirit organization.

Hensley-Clancy also reported Friday that former OL Reign manager Farid Benstiti resigned in July after making "inappropriate comments" in front of the team. 

During a 2019 interview, Thorns star Lindsey Horan referenced her time at Paris Saint-Germain when Benstiti was the manager and said he ridiculed her for her weight and was "very brutal with me." Horan added it was "probably" the lowest point of her playing career.

OL Reign CEO Bill Predmore addressed Benstiti's resignation Friday.

"The decision to hire Farid was mine and I accept responsibility for that and I think in hindsight I got it wrong," he said. "How people wish to hold me accountable, I don't think it's for me to decide."

Former OL Reign head coach Farid Benstiti resigned from his position in July but according to Molly Hensley-Clancy of the Washington Post was the "subject of a formal complaint of verbal abuse made by a player, two sources with knowledge of the situation told The Post, after the French coach allegedly made inappropriate comments to players regarding their fitness and nutrition."

At the time, OL Reign CEO Bill Predmore released the following statement:

We are appreciative of Farid's many contributions to the club over the past 18 months and wish him the best in all his future endeavors. We have great respect for Farid's talents and all he brought to the organization, but in our recent conversations there was a collective agreement that new leadership was required to achieve the performances and results needed to satisfy our ambitions.

But Predmore said in a statement to the Washington Post Thursday that he requested Benstiti's resignation after learning of the accusations of inappropriate comments, which followed an organizational investigation. 

Lindsey Horan had spoken publicly before the Reign hired Benstiti about the head coach shaming her over her weight while she played under him at Paris Saint-Germain. Predmore said after he learned of Horan's accusations, he instituted a "zero-tolerance" policy with Benstiti. 

That news followed a report from Meg Linehan of The Athletic on Thursday that Paul Riley, who was fired by the North Carolina Courage, had inappropriate sexual relationships with players and made disparaging remarks about their weight and sexual orientation. 

Riley denied the allegations. He was the third NSWL coach to be fired this year, joining the Spirit's Richie Burke and Racing Louisville's Christy Holly. 

A number of prominent players spoke out against the NSWL's handling of the situation Thursday:

"There definitely has been this shared idea that because two leagues have folded in the past, the NWSL is kind of the last hope for a women's soccer league," Alex Morgan told Linehan. "Because of that, I feel like there's this idea that we should be grateful for what we have and we shouldn't raise important questions—or ask questions at all."

Two former players have come forward with allegations that National Women's Soccer League head coach Paul Riley coerced them into sexual acts while serving as their coach.

Riley, who was the head coach of the North Carolina Courage, has been a head coach in women's soccer since 1990. Sinead Farrelly played for him at three different clubs and detailed to Meg Linehan of The Athletic this week the manner in which she felt he used his power to influence her.

The Courage fired Riley on Thursday, according to a statement released by the team: 

Farrelly played under Riley with the Philadelphia Independence, New York Fury and Portland Thorns from 2011 to 2015. At each stop along the way, Farrelly said Riley used his position as head coach to gain control over her, frequently praising and criticizing her in a cycle that made her feel like she was "his" player.

Farrelly said that after the Independence lost to the Western New York Flash in the Women's Professional Soccer final in 2011, Riley socialized and drank with his team, after which Riley coerced her into his hotel room at the end of the night and into having sex with him.

Aged 22 at the time, Farrelly said Riley told her she had followed him into his room and that they would take the fact that they had sex "to our graves."

Farrelly and former Portland teammate Mana Shim each said Farrelly took both of them to his apartment on one occasion and had them kiss in front of him in order to prevent the team from having to run the "suicide mile" in practice, a fitness drill that "everyone hated."

Shim, who said she experienced a similar cycle of praise and criticism to Farrelly, also said Riley once invited her into his hotel room to watch film, but when she arrived he was wearing only his underwear, so she left.

Both women also said Riley had sent them a photo of himself just wearing compression shorts.

Farrelly said she was coerced into having sex with Riley on multiple occasions and once had sex with both Riley and one of her teammates at the same time. When she started dating one of her teammates, Riley would allegedly tell her she was "too hot to be a lesbian" and that she wasn't a "real lesbian" after having sex with a man previously. 

She said Riley was also upset when she accepted an invitation to a United States women's national team camp and that as a result she turned down an invitation to take the final roster spot on the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup team to appease him.

USWNT star Alex Morgan, who played under Riley in Portland from 2014-15 and was teammates with Farrelly and Shim, tweeted the following in support of the players:

Linehan also spoke with more than a dozen of Riley's former players and 10 other sources regarding Riley's conduct.

Players said Riley would often drink and socialize with his players and that he would pick up the tab. They also said he held weeklong retreats at his home on Long Island in New York in 2015 and 2016 featuring drinking and swimming in his pool. Those players said attendance was mandatory and they weren't allowed to leave.

The NWSL Players Association released the following statement Thursday in support of the players who came forward regarding Riley's alleged misconduct:

The NWSL also released a statement on the allegations: 

According to Linehan, Riley denied many of the allegations.

She wrote: "Riley responded to a list of 23 questions about his alleged conduct with an email in which he stated that the majority of the allegations are 'completely untrue.' He wrote: 'I have never had sex with, or made sexual advances toward these players.' He said he sometimes socialized with players and occasionally picked up bar tabs, 'but I do not take them out drinking.' He conceded that over the course of his career 'there’s a chance I’ve said something along the way that offended someone,' but he added 'I do not belittle my players, comment on their weight or discuss their personal relationships.' He also denied holding film sessions in his hotel room." 

Per The Athletic, the NWSLPA also called for the league to open a new investigation into Riley's conduct and an investigation into why he was hired by the Western New York Flash in 2016 following an investigation into him in 2015.

Shim filed a complaint with the Thorns' front office in 2015, and the decision was made by Portland to not renew Riley's contract following an investigation.

Farrelly and Shim asked the NWSL to launch a new investigation into Riley earlier this year when the league instituted a new anti-harassment policy, but commissioner Lisa Baird told them Riley had already been "investigated to conclusion."

In a statement to Linehan, an NWSL spokesperson said the investigation was closed, before adding "the behavior described by former players has absolutely no place in our league and will not be tolerated."

Riley had been the head coach of the North Carolina Courage since 2017.

Multiple players have accused former Washington Spirit coach Richie Burke of verbal and emotional abuse, according to a report by Molly Hensley-Clancy of the Washington Post.

The National Women's Soccer League club announced Tuesday that Burke was stepping down as head coach amid "health concerns" and was being re-assigned to the front office. He was reportedly fired by the organization Wednesday, according to Meg Linehan of The Athletic, after the Washington Post story was released.

Former Spirit player Kaiya McCullough said that Burke not only screamed at her constantly during training sessions but also made racially insensitive jokes toward her.

"I was 100 percent in a situation where I was being emotionally abused by Richie," McCullough told Hensley-Clancy. "He created this environment where I knew I wasn’t playing as well, because I was so, so scared to mess up and be yelled at. It crippled my performance, and it made me super anxious."

"He made me hate soccer," she added.

The former UCLA star left the team in September 2020 to play in Germany, explaining at the time that the move served as a "mental health break," via BBC Sport.

"I just wanted to put myself in a position to be the absolute best that I could be, and in the environment I was in I just didn't think that was happening for me," McCullough said.

Two other former Spirit players told the Washington Post they left the club because of Burke, describing him as "abusive." They have chosen to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation.

Burke had been Washington's coach since 2018 and led the squad to a 5-3-5 record to begin the 2021 season. He previously served as the head coach of D.C. United's Under-23 team before moving to the NWSL.

Olivia Moultrie is one step closer to being able to play professional soccer in the National Women's Soccer League. 

Per Paul Tenorio of The Athletic, the 15-year-old's preliminary injunction in her lawsuit against the NWSL was granted by a judge Thursday. 

The decision prohibits the NWSL from enforcing a rule on Moultrie that requires players to be at least 18 years of age before they can sign a professional contract. 

Tenorio noted that Moultrie is "expected to sign a contract with the league soon and is eligible to play immediately."

Tenorio and Meg Linehan reported on June 6 that Moultrie was in the process of signing with the Portland Thorns, who acquired her rights in a trade with OL Reign. 

The move came after U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut granted Moultrie a temporary restraining order last month against the NWSL over the age rule. 

Moultrie alleged in the lawsuit filed on May 5 that the league was violating the Sherman Antitrust Act by preventing her from playing because of her age.

Immergut wrote when she issued the TRO that the league and each of its 10 teams "agreed to impose the NWSL’s age restriction which excludes female competitors from the only available professional soccer opportunity in the United States because they are under 18, regardless of talent, maturity, strength, and ability."

Moultrie originally announced her intention to turn pro in February 2019 at the age of 13. She signed a merchandising contract with Nike and began working with the Portland Thorns FC academy. 

The California native is also a member of the United States under-17 national team.  

The NWSL's Portland Thorns will reportedly sign 15-year-old midfielder Olivia Moultrie, according to Paul Tenorio and Meg Linehan of The Athletic, after trading the OL Reign a third-round pick for her rights. 

Per that report, "Moultrie sued the league for the right to play, claiming the NWSL’s age rule that did not allow teams to sign players under the age of 18 violated federal antitrust law. U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut granted a temporary restraining order on that age rule on May 24, clearing the way for Moultrie to sign with the league."

Moultrie has spent the past two years training with the Thorn and was allowed to appear in preseason games, though the league's age rules prevented her from playing in regular-season contests.

The NWSL put her rights in a discovery process last week that allowed her rights to be acquired. The Reign were the first team to put in for those rights and acquired them, though the Thorn quickly moved to secure them via trade. 

The NWSL has argued that its age rules don't violate antitrust laws "because it was conceived by the league before there were any owner-operators, that no owners voted on the rule and that none committed to abide by it," per The Athletic's report.

The league and its players also do not have a collective bargaining agreement at this point, with the age limit likely to be included in those negotiations. 

But soccer leagues across the world, including MLS, allow clubs to sign players under the age of 18. The NWSL's current stance on the issue would run counter to the general culture of signing players under the age of 18 established around the globe. 

Moultrie appears to be one of the burgeoning young stars of the game, with Nike signing her to an endorsement deal when she was just 13, meaning she was bypassing the right to play high school or college soccer to turn pro. That will be a moot point, however, if she's allowed to play actual games for the Thorns. 

Olivia Moultrie, a 15-year-old rising star in the NWSL's Portland Thorns youth academy, has filed an antitrust lawsuit against the league for an age restriction that prevents her from playing in competitive first-team matches.

Maxine Bernstein of The Oregonian reported Tuesday that Moultrie and her father, K.C. Moultrie, are seeking a temporary injunction that would allow the standout midfielder to play in the league's 2021 season, which starts May 15, until the case is settled.

"Ms. Moultrie does not seek an order from this Court awarding her a contract or a roster slot," her lawyers wrote in the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Portland. "Rather, she seeks removal of an unlawful barrier to her participation."

Moultrie has already been taking part in Thorns practices and preseason fixtures, but she isn't eligible to sign an NWSL contract that would allow her to play in official games until she turns 18.

ESPN's Jeff Carlisle provided a statement from the league, which argued the age limit should be settled as part of the ongoing talks with the Players Association about a collective bargaining agreement, not in a federal lawsuit:

"The league is engaged in collective bargaining with the NWSL Players Association, which is the appropriate place according to Federal labor law for issues regarding terms and conditions of employment to play out. Age requirements are a common feature of many men's and women's professional leagues in the U.S. and abroad.

"The rules that govern league operations are in place to support players and team operators and ensure the NWSL remains the premier women's soccer league in the world. We will vigorously defend our league against this litigation because it seeks to change a long-standing rule and interferes with the collective bargaining process."

Moultrie's lawsuit notes the MLS, the top-level men's professional league in the United States, doesn't have an age requirement, nor do most of the professional leagues around the world, per Bernstein.

"Ms. Moultrie would be eligible to play in MLS if she were male, would be able to play in France if she were French, etc., stretching throughout most of the international soccer world," her attorneys wrote. "Ms. Moultrie is in the wrong country, and the wrong gender, to take advantage of her soccer precocity. And illegally so."

Moultrie, who signed an endorsement contract with Nike at the age of 13, has received support from members of the U.S. women's national team:

"It's always been a dream of mine to play professionally in the U.S.," she said in a statement provided by her lawyers to The Athletic. "I know girls my age are competing around the world and I just want to get on the field and officially compete."

Along with monetary damages, the lawsuit states the age rule is preventing the California native from playing professionally, which would help her chances of featuring for the USWNT in major events like this summer's Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Moultrie has featured for the U.S. at the youth international level, but she hasn't played for the senior national team.