NWSL misconduct investigation sanctions include ban for former Courage coach; team fined
Former N.C. Courage coach Paul Riley, fired in August 2021 amid allegations of sexual misconduct, is among four former National Women’s Soccer League coaches permanently banned from working in the league.
The NWSL announced Riley, Christy Holly, Rory Dames and Richie Burke received the most serious sanctions among punishments meted out Monday in response to widespread misconduct around the league detailed in an investigative report released last month.
The league slapped the Courage with a $100,000 fine, smaller than fines levied against the Chicago Red Stars ($1.5 million), Portland Thorns ($1 million) and Racing Louisville ($200,000). Two teams, OL Reign and Gotham FC (formerly Sky Blue FC), were fined $50,000.
The Courage, along with other teams drawing fines, also must structure its sporting staff (coaches and general managers) “completely distinct from the men’s team with which it shares ownership, and the Courage staff must report directly into ownership,” according to the league’s statement.
Riley’s actions, described in the report as sexual coercion, began during his tenure as Portland’s coach from 2013-15. Portland ownership failed to share the information it uncovered to other teams, and Riley was subsequently hired by the Western New York Flash in 2016.
Steve Malik bought the Flash and moved them to Cary to become the Courage in 2017.
“Individuals at the Courage learned of a prior investigation into Riley while at the Thorns and attempted to learn more, but neither the Thorns nor the NWSL provided them with the 2015 investigative report, and the Courage were given sparse and incomplete descriptions of allegations and the investigative findings against Riley,” the Dec. 14 report stated.
The report also included testimony from Kaleigh Kurtz, a Courage player since 2018, about Riley’s actions while coaching her. She called the 2019 Courage season a “hellfire” as team officials didn’t take action regarding her reports that Riley peppered her with questions about her dating life, talked about his sexual preferences and chided her about her weight by calling her “chubby.”
In response to Monday’s sanctions, the Courage released a statement pledging to follow through with recommendations aimed at improving player safety.
“Over the last 16 months, we have fully cooperated and collaborated with the NWSL, the Joint Investigative Team and the Yates investigative team, and we are appreciative of the thoroughness of those processes,” a club statement released by team spokesman Jake Levy said. “We stand firmly with the league, the NWSL Players Association and fellow clubs in holding player safety and well-being as our top priority. While we still have much work ahead of us, we have made significant strides as an organization and are committed to making the necessary investments in our club and continuing the positive work for the future of our players, club, and league.”
U.S. Soccer, the sport’s governing body, released a report on what it called “systemic abuse” of players last October. In December, the joint investigative report by the NWSL and its players’ union, the NWSLPA, led league commissioner Jessica Berman to issue Monday’s disciplinary actions.
“The league will continue to prioritize implementing and enhancing the policies, programs and systems that put the health and safety of our players first,” Berman said. “Those actions are fundamental to the future of our league, especially as we build a league that strengthens our players’ ability to succeed and prosper on and off the pitch.”
The extensive reporting on the issues players have faced for years made Monday’s actions necessary, players union executive director Meghann Burke said.
“The truth is in the report,” Burke said in a statement. “ True accountability is found in the actions that have been taken thus far, and just as importantly, in the choices people in positions of power make moving forward. Now, it is time to realize the transformation.”
In addition to the four permanently banned coaches, former Chicago Red Stars assistant Craig Harrington and former Gotham FC general manager Alyse LaHue are ineligible to work in the league until Jan. 9, 2025. In addition, for them to be eligible to return, they must, to Berman’s satisfaction, acknowledge wrongdoing and accept personal responsibility for inappropriate conduct, participate in training and demonstrate a sincere commitment to correcting behavior.
Six other former team employees must also meet those standards to be allowed to work in the NWSL again. They include former OL Reign coach Farid Benstiti, former Houston Dash coaches James Clarkston and Vera Pauw, and former Orlando Pride coach Amanda Cromwell and Pride assistants Sam Green and Aline Reis.
Cromwell and Green were fired last October, and Reis was placed on unpaid administrative leave, following the U.S. Soccer report that claimed they “engaged in retaliatory conduct” against players they believed made or supported allegations of misconduct against them.
NWSLPA president and Washington Spirits midfielder Tori Huster said the sanctions signal a new beginning for the league.
“A new NWSL begins today,” Huster said in a statement. “No sanction will ever be enough to undo the harm that too many Players endured. By taking our power back, Players have achieved a complete and total overhaul of the NWSL ecosystem, from the League office to club ownership and staff, with new policies and systems in place to protect player safety.”
This story was originally published January 9, 2023 at 3:43 PM.