The report reveals ongoing sexual assault and inappropriate advances by top coaches toward their female players.
An investigative report commissioned by the United States Soccer Federation and published today, found multiple instances of sexual misconduct and emotional abuse by coaches in the National Women’s Soccer League—abuse which many U.S. Soccer executives, League owners, and coaches reportedly turned a blind eye toward for years.
Christy Holly, formerly the head coach of Racing Louisville, sexually assaulted a player, Erin Simon, while showing her playback videos of her matches, and on another occasion called her to his house for a meeting and instead showed her porn and masturbated in front of her.
Paul Riley, formerly a top coach at the U.S. Soccer League, pursued various players throughout his career, and in one instance benched a player who declined his advances. The player, Meleana Shim, whom Riley coached at the Portland Thorns, filed a report against him, leading the team to investigate and later fire him. The League learned of the report but failed to take action against Riley, even after another player filed a similar complaint against him, the investigation found.
Similarly, Rory Dames, formerly the coach of the Chicago Red Stars, regularly screamed at, insulted, and sexualized his players, and on more than one occasion embarked on sexual relationships with them, per the report. After years of complaints from players, an investigation into Dames's misconduct was made. Lydia Wahlke, then the U.S.
The investigative report concludes by saying that the U.S. Soccer League and the Federation blatantly ignored reports of abuse and misconduct from players for years, allowing abusive coaches to move from team to team without consequences, and allowing players—some of the"Our investigation has revealed a league in which abuse and misconduct—verbal and emotional abuse and sexual misconduct—had become systemic, spanning multiple teams, coaches, and victims," the report states.
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