NWSL to Pay $5 Million in Restitution to Players in Abuse Settlement: 'Misconduct Will Not Be Tolerated'
“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 said
The National Women’s Soccer League will pay players $5 million in restitution in a settlement stemming from years of alleged abuse, the league announced on Wednesday, Feb. 5.
“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,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James in a statement posted by the NWSL Players Association. “This settlement sends a clear message that such misconduct will not be tolerated and ensures players receive the compensation and protections they deserve.”
According to the settlement, the New York, Illinois and District of Columbia attorneys general found that the NWSL “was permeated by a culture of inappropriate and abusive behavior, including sexual harassment and harassment and discrimination based upon gender, race, and sexual orientation.”
Related: U.S. Soccer Report Finds 'Systemic' Abuse and Misconduct Within National Women's Soccer League
In the agreement, the NWSL will create the settlement fund for players who endured the abuse to seek compensation, USA Today reported.
Allegations of widespread misconduct reached a crescendo in 2021, when players claimed of sexual abuse throughout the league.
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North Carolina Courage coach Paul Riley was ousted from his position after players Sinead Farrelly and Meleana "Mana" Shim came forward in an article in The Athletic, accusing Riley of sexual coercion.
The Athletic's report included accounts from over a dozen women who had been coached by Riley in the past decade, some of whom accused him of inappropriate comments and behavior.
The coach previously worked with the Philadelphia Independence of the Women's Professional Soccer and the NWSL's Portland Thorns. He was named the NWSL's coach of the year in both 2017 and 2018.
Following Riley's firing, NWSL commissioner Lisa Baird resigned and later left her position on the U.S. Soccer board of directors.
In 2022, an independent investigation into allegations of abusive behavior and sexual misconduct across professional women's soccer was launched.
The U.S. Soccer Federation released a 319-page report, just over one year after it retained former U.S. acting attorney general Sally Q. Yates to conduct a probe into the National Women's Soccer League.
The report included a previously undisclosed allegation against former Racing Louisville FC head coach Christy Holly.
Yates' investigation included more than 200 interviews with over 100 former and current NWSL and U.S. Women's National Team players, as well as a review of over 89,000 documents "most likely to be relevant," along with reports from a hotline phone number and email address that were set up for anonymous comments.
Read the original article on People
