NEW YORK (UNITED STATES), 10 Jan. (dpa/EP) –
The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) has suspended four women’s soccer coaches for life and has announced sanctions against leaders and clubs, following investigations into sexual abuse, abuse of power and psychological manipulation carried out by the organization.
The NWSL and its players’ union had announced the results of an investigation they commissioned in December, which found “widespread misconduct” against players dating back to the league’s inception nearly a decade ago. These are not isolated incidents.
Former coaches Paul Riley (North Carolina), Rory Dames (Chicago Red Stars) and Richie Burke (Washington Spirit) have been banned for life from the NWSL, as has coach Christy Holly (Racing Louisville). In addition, former coach Craig Harrington (Utah Royals) and former Gotham FC (New Jersey) coach Alyse LaHue have been banned from the NWSL for two years.
The investigation stems from allegations of sexual harassment and assault made against Paul Riley by two former players. Riley, who has denied all the allegations, was one of five NWSL coaches who were fired or resigned in 2021 over the allegations.
Several teams were fined; Chicago Red Stars will have to pay 1.5 million dollars -about 1.4 million euros- in fines, Portland Thorns one million dollars, Racing Louisville 200,000 dollars and North Carolina Courage, 100,000 dollars. Seattle Reign FC, where superstar Megan Rapinoe plays, and Gotham were hit with $50,000 fines each.
“The league will continue to prioritize the implementation and improvement of policies, programs and systems that put the health and safety of our players first,” NWSL Executive Director Jessica Berman announced. Her predecessor, Lisa Baird, had resigned when the players’ allegations became public and drew increasing attention.