In the findings of former US attorney general Sally Yates' report regarding an investigation commissioned by the United States Soccer Federation, she wrote that "abuse in the NWSL is rooted in a deeper culture in women's soccer, beginning in youth leagues, that normalizes verbally abusive coaching and blurs boundaries between coaches and players.
"[1] The investigations ultimately concluded that multiple forms of emotional abuse and sexual misconduct were systematic in the sport and were not a one-time occurrence; they impacted many teams, coaches, and players.
For the first nine years of its existence, The National Women's Soccer League operated without formal policies to prohibit these forms of misconduct and sexual harassment.
"[6] Later that year, it was reported that Benstiti had resigned following a number of complaints of abuse, including having disparaged players' nutritional habits and fitness.
[7] Later that month, NJ/NY Gotham FC announced that general manager Alyse LaHue had been fired following an investigation into a complaint of breaching league policy.
Meg Linehan of The Athletic subsequently published an article reporting that the sacking was due to a breach of the league's anti-harassment policy in specific.
Kaiya McCullough described Burke as belligerent and aggressive, and also claimed he made multiple racist and otherwise bigoted comments towards her and her teammates.
[10] Later in August, Racing Louisville FC announced that coach Christy Holly had been fired for cause, with local television station WDRB reporting that there had been complaints of a toxic culture.
More than a dozen players from every team Riley had coached since 2010 spoke to the publication and Sinead Farrelly and Mana Shim went on the record with allegations against him.
[29] On November 22, just two days after losing to the Spirit in the NWSL championship final, the Chicago Red Stars announced that head coach Rory Dames had resigned effective immediately.
“Two had left the team because of Dames’s abuse, they said.”[31] On November 24, the Red Stars ownership released a statement apologizing to "Christen Press, Jennifer Hoy, Samantha Johnson and those players who didn’t feel safe to come forward" and saying that "our club will require significant reflection and evaluation to ensure this does not happen again.
"[32] The USSF commissioned former U.S. Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates to investigate the reported abuse and issued the results on October 3, 2022.
[39] In October 2022, reacting to the Yates Report, journalist Sally Jenkins wrote a column in the Washington Post about the United States Center for SafeSport.
[40] The joint NWSL/NWSLPA investigation led to the release of a separate report on December 14, 2022 that provided more details on abuses within multiple NWSL teams.
Former Utah Royals head coach Craig Harrington and former Gotham GM Alyse LaHue drew two-year bans, with further conditions on subsequent NWSL employment.
[43][44][45][46] NWSL Players Association executive director Meghann Burke said that there were "systemic issues that relate to who gets these coaching jobs, who is in positions of power.
"[47] Orlando Pride and Canadian national team goalkeeper Erin McLeod said that NWSL players "are being underpaid, undervalued, which makes them feel desperate and like they're replaceable.
"[48] Former Republic of Ireland women's national team player Ciara McCormack said that she had "heard countless accounts of harm in sport over the last few years" and that "powerful organizations masked this abusive behavior by these top coaches and both were allowed to waltz effortlessly into new roles in similar spaces within months of being accused of sexual misconduct against players.
"[52] Writing for NBC News, Britni de la Cretaz argued that homophobia within women's soccer had been under-discussed in reactions to the scandal, saying that, "while it’s true that it’s much more acceptable to be openly queer in women’s sports, there are plenty of examples that show it’s still not entirely safe," pointing to accusations of homophobia included in the claims of abuse against several of the NWSL teams.
[61] The Red Stars published a statement claiming Lomnicki was fired for a "lapse in judgment to not share important information with club leadership".
[64] Dames was hired to coach the Chicago Red Stars based on his reputation at his previous youth club, as the team never performed a background check.
In 1998 a former player at St. Viator High School reported that Dames, her coach at the time, allegedly touched her upper thigh inappropriately.
Media sources and the Yates Investigation Team reported that Holly was fired in 2017 because of his sexual relationship with former Gotham FC defender, Christie Pearce,[72] as well as his increase in verbal abuse towards players.
When Holly started training Simon during her offseason, he began to send her inappropriate text messages, including nude photographs and videos.
[69] Media sources also report that during the United States Women's National Team Under 23 camp, Holly invited Simon to his hotel room.
"[76] Media sources say that players on Racing Louisville FC do not believe a non-disclosure agreement was necessary because the club could have publicly stated that Holly was accused of sexual harassment, without saying Simon's name.
This attention led to the lines between player and coach being blurred, as Riley allegedly started asking her more personal questions, buying her drinks, and giving numerous compliments.
Upon learning this, Riley allegedly made derogatory comments towards Farrelly, stating that she was "too hot to be a lesbian"[78] On January 10, 2014 Houston Dash drafted Thorns midfielder Meleana Shim.
[78] During the NWSL preseason in 2015, Thorns manager Gavin Wilkinson told midfielder Mana Shim to be a closeted player (In reference to her coming out in August 2013).
In August 2022, the Oregonian's report states the 2015 Thorns investigation "wasn't in line with modern standards of sexual misconduct allegations."