The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), founded by US Soccer in 2012, has agreed to create a $5m fund to compensate players who experienced abuse and implement reforms to make the sport safer for women. Investigations were undertaken by Attorneys General for New York, Illinois and Washington DC after players came forward with allegations of harassment and sexual misconduct by coaches and officials. The allegations were made public in 2021 and date back over ten years.
The attorney’s general undertook a joint investigation into the allegations in 2022. This revealed the NWSL was “permeated by a culture of abuse.” The investigation also revealed that some teams did not conduct background checks, which allowed coaches previously terminated for misconduct to be rehired by other teams.
Five of the league’s ten teams parted ways with their head coaches over player complaints before the end of the 2021 season.
Former Washington Spirit player Kaiya McCullough went public to The Washington Post about the abusive behaviour of former coach Richie Burke back in 2021.
When Burke was first brought on to the Spirit as the head coach by owner Steve Baldwin, there was talk about his emotionally abusive behaviour with Northern Virginia youth players, but it was dismissed.
However, Burke was accused of insulting players, making racists jokes, and “screaming at them inches from their face,” leaving McCullough, a young black woman, in tears after practice, which is what she told The Washington Post.
“Racist and degrading nicknames emanated from the front office. My coach emotionally abused me,” stated McCullough.
The Washington Post reported at least four players left the team because of Burke’s abusive behaviour. However, when Burke was eventually dismissed from his position as head coach, the NWSL’s initial official statement described his departure as being due to “health concerns,” a move that disappointed some supporters and contributed to ongoing concerns about transparency within the league.
Sexual abuse allegations against former North Carolina Courage coach Paul Riley emerged following McCullough’s allegations. When these accusations were reported in Portland, former NWSL commissioner Lisa Baird faced criticism for her handling of the matter. Courtney Levinsohn, former MVP of the UC Berkeley, former head coach of New York Athletic Club women’s soccer teams and sports psychologist stated:
“What makes the story more challenging for me is that women inside the league did not act. There’s a feeling of being really let down. I thought having a woman in the position as commissioner would make things different.”
It was the fallout from the allegations which prompted the departure of Baird.
Riley maintained innocence, stating in an email to The Athletic: “I have never had sex with, or made sexual advances towards these players.”
Levinsohn also stated back in 2021 that because there had already been two leagues that had failed, players tended to internalise the message that they shouldn’t rock the boat, or they would sink the NWSL.
She expressed: “No one wants to be the one who ruins it all. There’s a team dynamic that happens that is very unique to women’s soccer because the psychological game is to make us think it’s fragile, when it’s not, but we all felt it. It’s a part of the Kool-Aid and for so long it’s been ‘I’ll take what I can get as long as I can keep playing.’”
The settlement, which was announced by the attorneys general, requires the NWSL to create a $5m fund to compensate players and implement league-wide policy changes to improve player safety, including rigorous vetting of prospective coaches and training for players and staff on how to prevent sexual misconduct.
“No dollar amount could ever fully address the damage that was inflicted, but now my office, together with New York and Illinois, will have oversight authority to ensure that the league's new safety policies are implemented and that current and future players are protected,” D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb voiced.
“For too long, the hardworking and talented women of the National Women’s Soccer League were forced to endure an unacceptable culture of abuse, harassment, and retaliation,” New York attorney general Letitia James voiced.
James also said that the settlement: “sends a clear message that such misconduct will not be tolerated and ensures players receive the compensation and protections they deserve.”
NWSL also faces $2m in penalties if it fails to comply with any terms of the agreement, the attorneys general said.
