Those findings will remain confidential and the league will not comment further on individual club personnel matters.. "The continuation of ongoing investigations initiated under the NWSL's current antiharassment policy, and the recommendation of sanctions where appropriate." However, interviewees reported that Clarkson on occasion failed to recognize or appreciate his effect on players. 5. In particular, the NWSL's "temporary protocols do not require the use of a reputational check. The statement also claimed that investigators provided Ms. LaHue a few documents that contained alterations. Other players also pointed to the developments of the past two years, and in particular, the implementation of the NWSL AntiHarassment Policy, as positive signs of a cultural change. Malik told the Joint Investigative Team that he thought at the time that Riley's drinking with players in 2015 was unacceptable" for a coach of the USWNT Kurtz recalled Hammond responding, You're a professional athlete; I hope you know you're not chubby. According to Kurtz, Hammond did not ask follow-up questions about why she felt uncomfortable around Riley. Novo could not recall the date of this meeting. Instead, it appears that, in the face of threatened litigation by Riley, and on the advice of counsel, the Thorns sought to limit their potential liability to their former coach. Club anti-harassment policies generally provided reporting channels for employees who believe they were subjected to or witnessed discrimination or harassment; however, none of these policies listed the NWSL HR Office as a reporting channel. In the course of this investigation, the Joint Investigative Team spoke to 47 individuals with knowledge relevant to Riley, including current and former players, key leaders including owners and general managersfrom the Thorns and the Courage, and other current and former club staff, League staff, and U.S. Soccer staff who were involved in or had information about the 2015 Thorns Investigation and Riley's subsequent hiring at the Flash and the Courage. NWSL and NWSLPA Joint Investigative Team Burke also discouraged player activism for racial equity. Having provided the investigative report on Riley to U.S. Soccer and the League, and on the stated basis of legal advice, the club directed inquiries about Riley to the NWSL and U.S. Soccer. Based on the findings, the Thorns terminated Riley. Whereas the Yates report intentionally focused on what it deemed the most egregious abusers, the joint investigation scrutinized more nuanced incidents of emotional abuse and power imbalances that caused players to report that they contemplated quitting, had panic attacks and, in some cases, needed therapy. Players reported concerns about staff members drinking alcohol excessively with players. This player told the Joint Investigative Team that she did not feel comfortable reporting Burke's misconduct to Spirit club leadership because of Burke's control over players' careers and because of his seeming closeness with certain club staff and leadership. On one occasion, when she informed LaHue that other players had asked why LaHue was so mean to her, LaHue responded, Tell them kids at the playground always pick on their crush., When the NWSL investigated the complaint last year, the investigations report says, multiple staff members reported that LaHue behaved differently around this player. For example, in June 2021, a group of players reached out to O'Connor and asked if they could speak with him. Distribute Annual Player Surveys and Promptly Investigate Allegations of Misconduct Raised in Responses According to Levine's notes from that conversation, Whisler immediately guessed which player had raised the complaint, then speculated that the player had "lost her starting job and might be "trying to take [Dames] out." Like many institutions, the League has been influenced by sexism, racism, homophobia, and other biases. a According to this player, in her experience, the film sessions were professional rather than social; players would go to Riley's hotel room to review film, and then leave. The next step for Alyse LaHue and Sky Blue FC: Finding a new home She also asked him not to speak to one player implicated in the complaint about the complaint until the League had the opportunity to call that player, but Whisler refused to comply, saying that th[e] situation has the potential to destroy team chemistry." On Monday, the 43-year-old was elevated to head coach of the defending National Women's Soccer League champion Thorns, filling the void left when Wilkinson, a former Canadian international,. The summary continued, "This was not a widely-held concern [and was not] identified as a significant concern." One player referred to Riley as verbally abusive. In September 2014, U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati was made aware of a complaint by Christen Press that Dames created a toxic environment at the Red Stars, but did not prompt U.S. Soccer to act in response to the complaint. Another player, when describing a time her teammates requested that their club help them wash their uniforms, recalled that the club administrator responded, Be grateful you're even able to play for a team, getting paid for this . Additionally, despite numerous requests and months of protracted negotiations, the Thorns were slow to answer questions and provide requested documents, and they withheld a number of potentially key documents by claiming they were protected by legal privilege, before ultimately conceding that many key documents were, in fact, not protected by legal privilege. Simon said she was nervous when she learned he would be an assistant coach at the camp, because she knew he would try to get her to go into his hotel room. A. Within a few months, investors had spent what was originally expected to sustain the league for three to five years. When the Thorns's investigation was complete, Lisa Levine forwarded to Plush the email from the Thorns's counsel containing the determination that the 2015 investigation revealed no unlawful harassment." 91, The perceived absence of HR at the NWSL and its clubs meant that many players felt that they had no clear path to report misconduct they experienced. They also feel the non-fraternization policy, first implemented in January 2018, must be more explicit, extend to staff beyond the head coach and "clarify that any sexual or romantic relationship between players and those in supervisory roles over players is strictly prohibited, even if the relationship is consensual. A player on another team recalled that when her team was divided into groups, an assistant coach commented that one of the groups of players was the prettiest and most attractive group. Novo said club leadership told him to give Holly "the opportunity to step away if he wants to." The Courage and the Spirit listed an anonymous reporting hotline whereby employees could make complaints, but no clubs referenced the NWSL RealResponse hotline in their policies. Women's soccer in the United States has a long history of relationships between players and staff. Paulson said that he did not recall speaking with Malik about Riley when the Courage were vetting Riley, though he said he spoke with Amanda Duffy, then the NWSL's Managing Director of Operations, and told her to make sure the Courage were aware of Riley's prior misconduct. Levine's email contained no context or explanation for why she was forwarding the report. Levine recalled that she reported to Flynn and Gulati during this time. These dynamics have been apparent in the League and beyond. Harrington responded that he reviewed his phone records, but he could not verify how the player contacted him. Though the club did not announce a reason for his termination, sources told The Salt Lake Tribune that Harrington "was placed on leave after players complained he was being 'verbally abusive."" . In text messages, LaHue also expressed an emotional reliance on the player and repeatedly questioned the player's interactions with another individual, stating in one message, [Y]ou knew I'd be mad about you talking to [her] so long. The NWSL announced an investigation into abuse and misconduct towards NWSL players. 67, players" or "belittling players about their body image or weight" may constitute emotional misconduct. At the end of the meeting, Simon was informed that the club planned to fire Holly that night. 7. In fact, multiple players reported that they did not consider the League as an option to report misconduct and did not know of anyone at the League to whom they could report concerns. A staff member at another club reported that they overheard club management commenting that another staff member "had to go" because the staff member was questioning management, and that those comments created an environment of fear of retaliation. Malik told the Joint Investigative Team that he communicated with Plush at the NWSL, who suggested Malik speak with Paulson about hiring Riley, and with Gulati at U.S. Soccer, who told Malik to reach out to Riley's previous employers. While O'Connor could not recall what level of detail he provided related to Holly's misconduct, he recalled telling players that the player requested the club not "go into detail" and that the club would respect the player's wishes. In some instances, players felt that the lack of boundaries made it difficult for them to differentiate between appropriate behavior and misconduct. Following the meeting in which Clarkson requested player apologies, at players' prompting, a Black club staff member led a presentation discussing racial injustice at another club meeting. Ms. LaHue has sat for approximately seventeen (17) hours of interviews and continually requested access to materials related to her case., According to the joint investigative report, LaHue participated in an initial interview but later canceled another scheduled interview through her counsel and declined repeated requests to reschedule. During this time, Duffy, who had recently become NWSL president, and Levine, who had transitioned to the role of NWSL general counsel, worked with NWSL communications staff to prepare a draft public statement (which was never publicly released) related to the handling of sexual harassment complaints and the Riley investigation. Estes, O'Connor, and Wilkins attended this meeting with players. Despite these recurrent issues, Whisler told the investigator that he believed that Dames had improved in his demeanor, mindset, and patience during his years as head coach and that Dames would not "be hard on someone unless he [thought] they [had] it within them to rise up." Harrington denied making these comments, and he stated that he never made comments about players' physical attractiveness and never "sexualized" players. Accounts differ about what happened next. SafeSport produces over a dozen "abuse awareness and prevention courses, and all NWSL employees (including players) and club employees are required to participate in at least one training course developed by SafeSport. The Joint Investigative Team sent emails to all current and former players for whom the NWSL maintained an active email address, encouraging players to share any information about harassment, abuse, bullying, discrimination, or any other misconduct they experienced or observed during their time playing in the NWSL. Whisler cautioned, Don't do [that] out [of] emotion. The NWSL did not distribute player surveys in 2018 and 2019 due to bandwidth and resource constraints, and it did not distribute player surveys in 2021 in part because the NWSL received feedback from players on many topics covered in previous player surveys during CBA negotiations. In June 2021, on behalf of a Gotham FC player, the Clubs Director of Operations submitted to the NWSL a complaint alleging that Gothams General Manager Alyse LaHue had harassed a player. Despite having knowledge of Holly's relationship with Pearce Rampone, and of its negative impact on players at Sky Blue, no one at the club spoke to former Sky Blue players to ask for their perspective on Holly. U.S. Soccer failed to address allegations against Riley and Dames as early as 2014, when it received comments in NWSL player surveys stating that Riley and Dames were verbally and emotionally abusive. The NWSL should consider creating an Alternative Complaint Resolution program as an additional resource to address conduct that is not covered by the Anti-Harassment Policy. These examples are illustrative and non-exhaustive; the policy makes clear that harassment can also include physical, visual, and written conduct, such as circulating or posting written materials that show hostility toward an individual because of their protected status, including derogatory cartoons, drawings, websites, emails, text messages, gifs, or memes. Neither Temares nor Smoot recalled Novo telling them concerns about Holly's treatment of players, and they emphasized that they were not in player-facing roles. On another club, a staff member observed that when new players joined the team, the head coach would comment on their sexual orientation. The NWSL should provide clear guidance to players, club staff, and League staff addressing how to use the program and clear examples of disputes that are appropriate for the program. On September 20, 2020, the Royals placed Head Coach Craig Harrington on a leave of absence, which public reporting stated was related to "inappropriate comments of a sexual nature with staff." In another instance, a player reported that Clarkson angrily asked her, "How the fuck are you so unprofessional," when she had to come out of a game due to an injury. Kurtz continued to struggle with Riley as her coach, and described her experience of the 2019 season as "hellfire." A player who raised concerns about Dames's treatment of players to Whisler in 2021 recalled that Whisler told her, Yes, I had this conversation with Rory a couple years ago to reel him back in. Riley was only one of several NWSL club personnel accused of misconduct in the 2020 and 2021 seasons. He stated that he told Lines that Riley was a "good coach but definitely never stated" that he would hire Riley. Given the scope of the Joint Investigative Team's work, the Team considered it appropriate to evaluate historical misconduct under the 2022 Anti-Harassment Policy, which reflects the NWSL's current approach to these issues. 6. Following the publication of the Athletic article in 2021, Paulson stated in Golub's presence that "Mike [Golub] spent a lot of time on the phone w/Aaran Lines" when the Flash were considering hiring Riley. The reasons for his departure were not shared publicly. As Press told The Washington Post, this Yates was commissioned by the U.S. Soccer Federation, which is the sport's governing body and was, for eight years between 2012 and 2020, the manager of the NWSL as part of an operational agreement. The relationship between the League and playersas employer and employees contributed to the confusion between clubs and the League about their responsibilities in addressing misconduct. When Riley was Farrelly's coach prior to the NWSL, he coerced Farrelly into having sexual intercourse on several occasions. Players and staff also reported that staff members engaged in a wide variety of unprofessional behavior that blurred professional boundaries, including staff: (i) drinking alcohol to excess with players; (ii) living in player apartment complexes; (iii) holding meetings with players in hotel rooms; (iv) organizing frequent social interactions with players; and (v) communicating in an unprofessional manner. As noted above, the Thorns asserted privilege over the report in responding to Whisler acknowledged to the Joint Investigative Team that he had spoken to Dames and the players involved in the complaint because he felt it was necessary to address the issues they raised. However, the allegations once again were not responded to appropriately by the NWSL, including by Levine, who had read Shim's 2015 allegations against Riley as well as the 2015 investigative report. Alyse LaHue joined the Chicago Red Stars eight years ago as an intern under Peter Wilt and then-GM Marcia McDermott. LaHue participated in an initial interview with the Joint Investigative Team but canceled a second scheduled interview and declined the Joint Investigative Team's repeated requests to reschedule. "Our biggest goal as a staff, when I took over, was that we needed to rebuild the trust with fans. Player Reports of Misconduct During the USSF Dames Investigation A few weeks later, on October 2, 2014, then-NWSL Executive Director Cheryl Bailey shared a version of the USWNT players' comments with the Red Stars. When U.S. Soccer Chief Legal Officer Lydia Wahlke learned that Levine had told Whisler about the complaint, she expressed concern, noting that "it could put [Whisler] in the position of unwittingly creating a retaliation claim if he acts on it or communicates it to any third party (and worse, to the responding party)." It looks like I'm going to have to do that again." As a result, players reported multiple instances in which they did not report concerns or misconduct. While the NWSL has recently improved its hiring practices and background check processes, background and reputational checks should be enhanced, and the NWSL should establish formal procedures to facilitate information-sharing among clubs. In the absence of dedicated HR staff, some clubs told players that reports of misconduct could be made to club management or ownership. In October 2022, the Thorns made witnesses available for additional interviews with the Joint Investigative Team. Development of an Anti-Harassment Policy Club staff designated as the individuals to receive reports of potential misconduct should regularly meet in person with players-without coaches and other club staff present-to explain their roles and reporting procedures. The player had reported to one member of the coaching staff, but not to Clarkson, that she was feeling ankle discomfort before a game. One player recounted feeling like Dames picked the players who did not "have power to report him," while those with "more status in the League" were given his trust and respect. The revised 2022 Anti-Harassment Policy sets forth multiple channels for reporting suspected violations of the policy, including the RealResponse hotline, the NWSL HR Manager, and the Joint Investigative Team. That January, the Courage made Riley their first head coach. Develop and Implement Trainings That Reflect and Address Player and Staff Experiences In one instance, a clubwhich had properly followed the protocols with respect to its new head coach-hired two assistant coaches without informing the NWSL or completing the NWSL's vetting process. Hammond recalled telling Kurtz in a phone call that the Courage were not able to find a trade for her. Additionally, club HR staff were not provided guidance from the NWSL on appropriate coaching behavior in a professional sports setting. The reasons for Alyse LaHue's termination as NJ/NY Gotham FC general manager in July 2021 are also now clear following 1 years of silence from the club on the issue. Harrington was found to have "made inappropriate sexual and objectifying comments," and LaHue was found to have sent players inappropriate messages, the N.W.S.L. For example, as reported in The Washington Post, Dames criticized one player's communication skills by screaming at her, "If you can't even talk on the field, what kind of mother are you?" Describing Dames, a Red Stars player stated that a "huge day-to-day struggle was the fear-what was the day going to bring?" According to players and staff, including Cromwell and Greene, Cromwell and Greene deliberately declined to speak with these players, adopted as wholesale negative reports of these players' behavior from other players, and refused to entertain that there was another side to the stories, even when another staff member offered to facilitate a dialogue between the coaching staff and certain players. You're eating too much." The player was traded shortly thereafter. She said he told her, "Let's meet and talk," and, "If you're up really late, you can come talk to me." Many clubs' anti-harassment policies were too narrow because they only prohibited unlawful harassment. Players reported Williams apologized to the team the day after the meeting, but players felt the club did not take action to address players' concerns after the meeting. In late June 2015, Riley encouraged players to attend a Women's World Cup match in Vancouver. Five months later, another NWSL club, the Western New York Flash, hired Riley as head coach. This concern was well-founded. In the letter, players demanded that the NWSL adopt policies to protect players, including by requiring clear reporting channels for complaints as well as procedures for thorough and impartial investigations. A peek at LaHue's normally busy Twitter account suggests that things began to go south sometime around June 18, when her account last posted. Simon first met Holly in 2016. When reflecting on his jokes related to Jewish people, Burke said that he did not know there had been Jewish people on the team. Zerboni is hopeful for the building process currently underway within the league, and looks forward to seeing positive improvements implemented at the league and club levels.The recommendations set forth by the report were extensive, and can be found in the final pages of the report. . The club did not contact Novo as part of its vetting process, even though Novo was the person most knowledgeable about the circumstances of Holly's departure. This behavior contrasted with other periods during which he would ignore Shim. 117, complete each mandatory training. Previously, Alyse spend five years as the GM of the Chicago Red Stars. Trauma-Informed, Survivor-Centered Approach B. Getting a massage." C. Dames also texted a player after a fundraising event they both attended and told her that she looked nice that evening. Despite receiving players' reports of verbal and emotional abuse by Dames, she took no action to suspend Dames or otherwise prevent further misconduct during the investigation. It then describes the Joint Investigative Team's observations and findings based on specific incidents and evidence obtained during the investigation, and summarizes findings of misconduct relating to key individuals and entities. Wilkinson informed the Joint Investigative Team that he did not recall staff raising concerns about misconduct by Riley. Given this conduct, players feared retaliation from Burke and held back from criticizing him out of fear they would be waived. According to that document, Wilkinson told Lines and then-Flash President Alex Sahlen-who is also the daughter of former Flash owner Joe Sahlen and the wife of Lines-that an investigation into Riley had occurred based on "only one incident with a disgruntled player," but that no wrongdoing was found. Another Racing Louisville staff member did not recall any conversations at the club about reporting Holly to SafeSport. After interviewing coaches, players, and club staff, the Joint Investigative Team concluded that Cromwell and Greene retaliated against players for participating in the March Investigation in violation of the 2022 Anti-Harassment Policy. One person who works with players in the League mentioned that she had seen text messages to other players from coaches that engaged in such emotional manipulation. All NWSL staff, players, and club staff, including coaching staff, are required to take a 90-minute SafeSport Trained Core Course, which includes training on sexual misconduct awareness and education, mandatory reporting, and physical and emotional misconduct. In 2019, when Riley was under consideration for the USWNT head coach position, Wahlke received a copy of the Thorns's 2015 investigative report regarding Riley, and she participated in discussions regarding his suitability for the position. Shim said that particularly after that night, she was scared and feared Riley could physically try to restrain her or try to have sex with her. The Thorns's public announcement merely stated that Riley would not be retained as head coach for the 2016 season, without mentioning the investigation or termination, and without providing any reason for Riley not being retained. After the meeting, one of the players said she felt like things were getting better. Club staff and players reported that some staff members held meetings with players in staff hotel rooms, rather than in public meeting rooms. Holly declined requests to be interviewed in this investigation. b) Staff Living in Player Apartment Complexes Wilkinson responded that the trade was "purely a player move that made sense." 4. First, the 2015 investigation conducted by the Thorns had several shortcomings. This is partly due to institutional factors; SafeSport only has jurisdiction over reports concerning NWSL coaches or staff who hold U.S. Soccer coaching licenses. Holly spoke with investigators for the Yates report but pulled out of a scheduled interview with the joint investigation after the release of the Yates report, which of course publicly revealed his misconduct for the first time. On the evening of the announcement of LaHues firing from Gotham, a statement was provided by Kelly Hoffman, attorney for Alyse LaHue via Meg Linehan of The Athletic on Twitter reading: Ms. 17, 1. In the course of the investigation, the Joint Investigative Team investigated not only historical misconduct by coaches and other club staff, but also ongoing concerns of misconduct raised by players and staff regarding current player-facing personnel in the NWSL, including concerns that were raised for the first time after the investigation commenced. The first HR employee hired by the NWSL recalled that, prior to her hiring in 2019, U.S. Soccer had been managing all of the League's HR operations. Stanton reflected that Dames "knew how to take the things that meant the most to you and turn them against you." Predmore confirmed that during the 2020 Challenge Cup, he was informed by a staff member that Benstiti made comments to a player about the quantity and type of food the player was eating during a team meal.

Texas Volleyball All District Teams 2021, Articles A