I am so sick of this. So, so sick of this. A year ago, when the independent investigation into past abusive behaviour and sexual misconduct in the NWSL was commissioned, we all knew the findings were going to make for heavy reading.
Few would have forecasted just how deeply rooted this disgusting issue is within US Soccer.
It’s a plague of the most abhorrent nature. When perusing the 319 page investigative report, inclusive of all relevant appendices, it was all I could do not to vomit. The full report can be accessed here: King___Spalding_-_Full_Report_to_USSF.
The report is a disturbing read, but I wanted to highlight some of the more disturbing tales. Only by highlighting these atrocities can the league, and more importantly, it’s players, begin to recover.
Paul Riley
The report heavily features Paul Riley. Shocking, right?
The misconduct of Paul Riley is now widely known, thanks in no small part to The Athletic article that seemed to spark everything last year. Truth be told, the revelations of that article were just a grim entry way into the most execrable and detestable underbelly of the beautiful game. The Yates Report talks about how Riley excuberated toxicity at every club he worked for, creating an environment where the former Philadelphia Independence coach truly thought he was the be all and end all.
“It was Paul’s show. Everybody else had input, but Paul was the decisionmaker.” Even though he had a coaching and technical team, all decisions and communications went through him. “The gateway [to communicate with players] was never there. It was Paul and nothing else.” Riley did not like if coaches and staff attempted to speak to players without his blessing. If a player or staff member did reach out to management or other coaches, “they would just go to Paul [anyway]. It was his word over anybody else.” A witness told the report.
Mana Shim and Sinead Farrelly spoke bravely, when they spoke to The Athletic last year. Both told of the patterns of sexual misconduct Riley exuded towards them. He did this through manipulation and the creation of an environment where he was, to all his heinous intents and purposes, king.
Riley denies the allegations against him.
Rory Dames
This behaviour isn’t specific to Paul Riley either. Rory Dames is another who has been indicted in public allegations of abuse, pertaining particularly to his tenure at the Chicago Red Stars. Christen Press, notably, raised concerns about the Red Stars boss as far back as 2014. Dames didn’t leave the club until 2021:
On June 12, 2018, Jones emailed Wahlke and Greg Fike (USSF Senior Counsel) “attaching
[her] draft memo summarizing and analyzing [her] interview of Christen Press regarding her
allegations of emotional abuse at the Chicago Red Stars[,]” and “recommend[ing] that [they] seek
corroboration of Press’[s] allegations from players who are likely to be cooperative.” In
response, Wahlke instructed Jones: “[L]et’s hold off on opening a formal investigation of this
one—we have no allegations of sexual misconduct and it’s not yet clear whether this is really bad
management or something more – I think we need more information.”
Press’ complaints were dismissed as conjecture as ‘[USWNT] players wanted this league to ‘shutdown’ and had an ‘axe to grind’ with Dames
Dames was accused, by members of the Chicago Red Stars’ squad of using “pejorative and degrading language” and of making “racially insensitive comments”. Reportedly, he approached a Black player who styled their hair, and said ‘what is it?’.
Dames denies the allegations against him.
Racing Louisville
The culture of enablement permeates throughout the league. There has seemingly been no accountability for years. When Christy Holly was appointed head coach of Racing Louisville, GM James O’Connor, the former head coach of Orlando City in Major League Soccer, said Holly came with glowing references from the owners of Sky Blue FC (now Gotham):
After Louisville hired Holly, media quoted O’Connor as stating he had received a “glowing
recommendation of Christy Holly from Sky Blue ownership.” [Mary] Smoot (Sky Blue FC CFO) said when she saw this,she was shocked. She emailed [Steven] Temares and the Murphys (Owners of Sky Blue), forwarding the tweet and stating “I spoke with James O’Connor re Christy and certainly did NOT give him a glowing review. Did they speak to you?”
Temares responded, “Matters not. We would never discuss whether we participate in a reference check, and if we did, what was said.” Smoot also raised her concerns with [Ed] Nalbandian, prompting (Sky Blue FC owner), Nalbandian to reach out to Estes to see if there was a misunderstanding. Nalbandian recalled Estes confirming that he did not understand
Mary’s reference to have been a positive one.
Can we all agree this reference check sounds fishy? Because it is. More on that shortly. Also Estes didn’t seem to think Smoot’s reference was positive. But hired Holly anyway. Right.
Consequently, during hiss tenure, Holly is believed to have sexually assaulted Erin Simon (pictured, now of Leicester City). Holly has thus far refused to comment on the accusations.
Christy Holly’s ‘pattern of abuse’
The allegations from Simon, form a pattern of suspected abuse that predates the beginning of Holly’s tenure at, even, Sky Blue.
But he got a positive employment reference apparently. Yep. Mary Smoot, it seems, did not give Holly a ‘glowing reference’. However, it seems the Sky Blue owners might have done… At least “in the eye of the beholder”.
Estes and O’Connor reached out to Sky Blue. Both spoke on the phone to owner Temares, who said that he provided an “accurate” reference, including Holly’s positive and negative attributes, although he later conceded to this investigation that he gave what could be considered a positive reference, but it would be in the “eye of the beholder.” Both Temares and Estes recall that they discussed the “disruption” caused by the “rumors” about Holly’s relationship with Pearce Rampone, but also Holly’s positive coaching skills.
So.
In a nutshell, they were aware of player allegations of abusive behaviour, but seemingly didn’t include that in Holly’s employment reference.
At least, you have to assume it wasn’t present within the reference. After all, how does an employment reference that makes an inference of the possibility that said employee may be an abuser, and still come across as positive? Even in the ‘eye of the beholder’? Is that eye Sauron’s? Even J.R.R. Tolkien would struggle to put a positive spin on ‘might be a sex offender’.
Meggie Dougherty-Howard on the #NWSL Sally Yates Investigation (1/3): “It’s shocking when you see all the detail that was put forth. It was good that these things are coming to light… It’s heavy stuff."
— Rachael Kriger (@RachaelKriger) October 4, 2022
… Merritt Paulson
Perhaps just as disconcerting, is the lack of an immediate response from the NWSL or most of its member clubs. It was almost 48 hours before the league issued a statement (below). There was nothing but radio silence for 2 days. We heard from both players and victims alike in that time. But nothing from the league and nothing from its clubs, aside from, weirdly, the Portland Thorns (below) in the immediate 48 hour aftermath.
Now, in the hours and days since the Thorns’ statement, we’ve begun to see statements released by the rest of the NWSL franchises and the league itself. But the lack of immediacy was concerning to me. A sentiment that was echoed by Mana Shim (below).
The Yates report demands immediate attention and accountability. Instead, it has been met with silence from the teams, and inaction from the NWSL and the PA. We should not have to wait for the League to finish its report – which is NOT independent – to seek justice for players.
— Mana Shim (@meleanashim) October 4, 2022
You’ll find the statement released by the Thorns below. Strap yourselves in. It’s a doozy.
And not in a good way.
🚨 BREAKING 🚨
Statement from @ThornsFC owner Merritt Paulson.#BAONPDX pic.twitter.com/SHr5QfAno0
— The English Lion/US Open Cup Champ Stan Account🏆 (@TheEnglishLion1) October 4, 2022
I’ll be honest, I have a hard time buying into the sincerity of the Thorns’ statement. That’s me being polite, by the way.
“I’m truly sorry”.
That it came out you mean, huh? Merritt? If you were truly sorry for the transgressions of the abusers you enabled Merritt, you’d have taken action long ago. You wouldn’t have been as pally, pally as you have been with Paul Riley in the public Twittersphere. You would have reported him to the league office. Fired him. And not enabled his appointment with the New York Flash. This statement is, as we say here in Britain, bollocks.
You’re sorry this got out. That’s it.
They’ve since sacked Gavin Wilkinson and Mike Golub. It seems Paulson was happy to throw them under the bus and save himself. Still. At least it’s a start I guess.
What next?
The findings of the report are incredibly disconcerting. They have to be the catalyst for change, though. It’s clear that the issue is not exclusive to the NWSL. Abuse, according to the Yates report, seems to rear its ugly head in every avenue of the women’s game in the United States. The NWSL has to be the standard bearer for safe working practices. Only then can reform happen across the board.
The NWSL has to change not only public perceptions, but the perceptions of the players who make this league the great on field product that it is. The reaction from the players of the NWSL has been one of deep concern and outrage. Concern and outrage that’s been intensified by the predictability of it all. The findings shocked no one. Which is probably the most shocking thing about it.
Player reaction…
The Orlando Pride’s Haley Hanson told the assembled press core, at the club’s end of season media availability, of her outrage:
‘Unfortunately this isn’t something that is a shock (the findings of the Yates Report) to the players in this league. Outrage, [is what I feel].’
Hanson’s comments were echoed by teammate Meggie Dougherty-Howard:
‘I feel for my fellow players in the league… It’s heavy stuff and, you know, any player that’s had to suffer stuff like that in the league… It brings up a lot of emotions’.
The Pride themselves have been embroiled in controversy this year, with head coach Amanda Cromwell and assistant Sam Greene accused of relatiation against Amy Turner (now of Tottenham Hotspur). Turner, allegedly, was traded after she questioned Cromwell’s selections. GM Ian Fleming has said that they hope the NWSL/NWSLPA joint investigation into this matter will be concluded before Christmas.
The feeling inside the USWNT camp is a sombre one according to Portland’s Becky Sauerbrunn. The Thorns captain was speaking ahead of the USWNT’s friendly with England on Friday. She spoke candidly of the heartbreak the team was feeling:
‘The players are not doing well. We are horrified and heartbroken and frustrated and exhausted and really, really angry. 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.’
Building bridges
The league has to regain the trust of the players. Which is going to take a long time. Presently, the NWSL needs to take stock and implement proper reform. The league has openly said it’s working towards that very goal, but actions speak louder than words. The issue is rife. We haven’t even mentioned James Clarkson and the Houston Dash, or Richie Burke and the Washington Spirit. Heck, I’ve not even mentioned the Utah Royals. Abuse, bullying and sexual misconduct are common place in the NWSL. It’s endemic.
For now, we wait for the findings of the league’s joint NWSLPA investigation with an indeterminate sense of anticipation and dread.
Anticipation of appropriate reform.
And dread for further confirmation of what we have already come to know that bullying and sexual abuse is interwoven into the fabric of one of the world’s premier soccer leagues.
And it makes me sick.
Written by Dan Berridge
