The National Women’s Soccer League received eight new misconduct complaints during the first half of the year, according to regulatory disclosures submitted to state officials.
According to documents first reported by Defector and detailed by USA Today, the National Women’s Soccer League received eight different complaints about misconduct across at least four different clubs between February 1 and July 31 of this year. The disclosures were submitted directly to the attorneys general of Illinois, Washington, D.C. and New York.
Breakdown of the 2026 Regulatory Disclosures
The newly surfaced documents break down specific categories of reported workplace violations occurring within the athletic organization. Out of the total filings, five total complaints involved sexual misconduct, while two cases covered sexual harassment and two involved retaliation.
The submission of these records is not voluntary. It stems directly from a landmark settlement reached with players in 2025, which concluded a years-long investigation into widespread abuse across the sport. Under the terms of that agreement, the league must provide biannual updates to the attorneys general in Illinois, Washington, D.C., and New York for a period of three years. These reports are mandated to summarize any newly lodged grievances alongside progress reports on how reform recommendations are being implemented internally.
According to USA Today, the claims in the report are heavily redacted, leaving the public entirely in the dark regarding which specific clubs or individuals were implicated, as well as the final outcomes or resolutions of any subsequent internal investigations.
Historical Context and Institutional Reform
To understand the weight of these recent regulatory filings, one must look back at the systemic crisis that erupted in 2021. Sparked by reports of systematic abuse throughout the league, independent investigations revealed pervasive emotional, verbal, and sexual abuse across multiple franchises. Coaches and general managers faced accusations of sexual coercion, verbal harassment, and racist and anti-Semitic statements.
In response, U.S. Soccer commissioned an independent probe led by former U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates, whose 2022 findings detailed a widespread abusive culture across the league. The fallout forced structural overhauls, including ownership changes, firings, resignations, and permanent lifetime bans for multiple figures found to have violated league safety policies.
The 2025 player settlement was designed to establish a permanent firewall against these historical failures by enforcing independent oversight and mandatory state-level reporting.
What Lies Ahead for the League
Representatives for both the league and the players’ union have been approached for additional commentary regarding the scope and resolution of the recent filings.
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