NWSL bans Paul Riley, Christy Holly, Rory Dames, and Richie Burke for LIFE from the league

The National Women’s Soccer League announced a series of fines and penalties stemming from its joint investigation with the NWSL Players Association into abuse and misconduct by club managers and executives.

In particular, four former coaches accused of abuse and misconduct have been banned for life and two clubs have received million-dollar fines.

Former coaches Paul Riley, Christy Holly, Rory Dames, and Richie Burke have been permanently banned from the NWSL for their actions.

Meanwhile, the Chicago Red Stars and Portland Thorns will pay hefty fines, with Chicago fined $1.5 million and Portland ordered to pay $1 million.

Both clubs are in the process of selling and Portland owner Merritt Paulson’s fine will go toward establishing an NWSL Player Safety Office.

The NWSL also added that they will work with the owners of both teams to “ensure that the club is transferred in an expeditious and appropriate manner.”

The NWSLPA released a statement after the announcement saying: “This marks a critical step to hold clubs and team leaders accountable for their actions or omissions, which compromised and betrayed player safety.”

People in positions of power who have harmed players have been removed from their duties, expelled from the league, suspended or fined.

‘A new NWSL starts today. No single penalty will be enough to undo the damage that too many players took. By taking back our power, the players achieved a complete and total overhaul of the NWSL ecosystem, from the league office to club property and staff, with new policies and systems to protect player safety.”

An independent investigation into scandals that erupted in the Women’s National Soccer League last season found that emotional abuse and sexual misconduct were systemic in the sport, affecting multiple teams, coaches and players, according to a report published last year. .

A coach called a player to review game film and instead showed her pornography, according to the New York Times. Meanwhile, another has been known to chide your players and then ask them questions about their sex lives.

Another was said to have forced several players to have sex and was sacked by his team for the disruptive behaviour, but the club failed to warn another franchise when he was signed by a rival team just months later.

US Soccer commissioned Yates and the law firm King & Spaulding to investigate after former NWSL players Sinead Farrelly and Mana Shim filed decades-old allegations of sexual harassment and coercion involving former coach Paul Riley, who He has denied the allegations.

His account was first published by the athletic in September 2021.

Both Shim and Farrelly claim that Riley, 58, often took them out drinking and used those moments to pressure them into having sex, according to The Athletic’s report. In an alleged 2012 incident, Riley, a 47-year-old Liverpool native who was married at the time, brought Farrelly and another player to his hotel room and had sex with them both.

Riley’s refrain, which Farrelly said he repeated often after having sex with his coach, was that they would “take this with them to the grave.”

Among other allegations, Shim told ESPN that Riley invited her to his hotel room one night.

“He quickly closed the door behind me,” Shim said. I saw that he was in his underwear.

“He told me to lie down and watch a movie,” she continued. No film was lifted. I knew at that moment that I had to find a way out and I was not willing to compromise for my career or for this person.

Shim says he first complained about Riley in 2015 when he was playing for him at the Portland Thorns. But although the team refused to re-sign him when his contract expired, he was still signed by the NWSL’s Western New York Flash the following season and by Courage in 2017.

Additional fines and suspensions were imposed against executives and clubs who also committed abuse or misconduct.

Former Utah Royals manager Craig Harrington and former Gotham FC general manager Alyse LaHue have been suspended for two years with any further employment conditional.

Additionally, four clubs face fines as follows: Racing Louisville is fined $200,000, North Carolina Courage is fined $100,000, OL Reign is fined $50,000, and Gotham FC is fined $50,000.

In addition, Racing Louisville and North Carolina Courage must hire separate staff from their affiliated USL teams (Louisville City FC and North Carolina FC) who are “completely separate” from the men’s team with which they share ownership.

There were two notable exceptions to the sanctions, despite both clubs being named in the report.

First, the Kansas City Current players raised the issue of mistreatment and retaliation by superiors. The NWSL said that while these allegations are “troubling”, they concluded that “there are no findings that the club retaliated against the players.”

Second, the Washington Spirit came under investigation due to Burke’s actions, leading the league to force then-CEO Steve Baldwin to sell the club. That deal was finalized in March 2022, and ownership transferred to Y. Michele Kang.

“Due to the change in club ownership and staffing as a result of the investigation, the league will not impose any further corrective action on the club,” the league statement read.

“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,” said league commissioner Jessica Berman.

“Those actions are critical to the future of our league, especially as we build a league that strengthens our players’ ability to succeed and thrive on and off the field.

“As part of our commitment to accountability and deterrence, the league has determined that further corrective action is appropriate and necessary with respect to certain organizations and individuals identified in the Joint Investigative Report.”

Berman later added: “The league and its clubs have taken significant steps to begin this structural reform, and they understand and accept the continued commitment to improving league standards that are necessary to build a safe and positive environment for our players, staff , fans and partners”. .

“Our league and our clubs are committed to making these changes and will do so with the continued input of the NWSL Players Association to make the NWSL a league that sets the standard for the future of sports.”