The NWSL Abuse Scandal

According to a new report by former U.S. Attorney General Sally Q. Yates, the players in the National Women’s Soccer League have faced the challenge of abuse many times. 

Even worse, the report details how abuse in the NWSL is more systemic than previously thought. This is especially troubling because systems like these tend to repeat themselves. If abuse is worked into the system further down, it likely means younger players experience the same kinds of horrific things.

The scandal started when several players for North Carolina Courage accused their head coach, Paul Riley, of sexually abusing them. Other anonymous players claimed Riley said offensive things about weight and sexual orientation. He was fired for using his coaching position to lure players. Riley has denied all claims and has not made any other statements.

Next is the case of Rory Dames. Former players recall him calling them slurs and swear words, and using other language that doesn’t belong in this article. He was originally a youth soccer coach in Chicago, but started volunteering with the Chicago Red Stars for no payment. However, nobody checked his background, assuming that his ownership of a youth club called Eclipse Select Soccer made him qualified.

In 2014, after Dames started coaching in the NWSL, a few players started expressing concerns. However, Red Stars owner Arnim Whisler’s response was to complain that people just wanted to end the league and simply had something against Dames.

In 2015, a survey distributed among NWSL teams reported that Dames was abusive and unprofessional. Whisler acknowledged the complaints but did not act on them.

In 2018, a player on the U.S National team complained to the United States Soccer Federation, prompting the USSF to investigate. However, the Chief Legal Officer of the USSF didn’t distribute these reports to the NWSL or to Whisler. 

After these complaints, the Red Stars found a sports psychologist to interview players. Players described Dames as “condescending,” “manipulative,” “aggressive,” “insulting,” and “an intimidator.” 

After reading Yates’s report, it becomes more apparent that abusive behaviors are something that, sadly, are too common in women’s soccer. 70% of the players talked about emotional abuse from Dames, and how they reported him with no response. Dames resigned from the Red Stars shortly after, but he still owns Eclipse Select Soccer Club.

The NWSL continues to investigate the topic. “As difficult as this report is to read, it has been even more painful for players, whether known or unknown, to live it. We appreciate their efforts to seek the truth in support of our work to transform NWSL,” the report said.

Others are currently speaking out as well. NWSL player Megan Rapinoe said, “Those people are in positions that have responsibilities and they didn’t fulfill those responsibilities. They didn’t protect the players at all amidst year, after year, after year. I feel like it’s impossible to overstate that every single year someone said something about multiple coaches in the league about multiple different environments.”

Therefore, it is truly depressing how many reports of abuse have been ignored. The report concludes that, “The Federation should determine the most effective structural mechanism, whether through an existing board committee, special committee or task force, to evaluate and implement recommendations, as well as to consider further reforms in support of player safety.” The NWSL should be more concerned about their player safety, and conduct tests on coaches and on players’ mental health. Who knows how many topics that have been ignored could come up?