Cal Sports Report

Ex-Cal Star Alex Morgan's Information Leads to Resignation of NWSL Commissioner

Her tweet indicated that Lisa Baird had known earlier about allegations of Paul Riley's inappropriate behavior

Jake Curtis

Ex-Cal Star Alex Morgan's Information Leads to Resignation of NWSL Commissioner
Ex-Cal Star Alex Morgan's Information Leads to Resignation of NWSL Commissioner /

Documentation provided by former Cal soccer star Alex Morgan helped lead to the resignation of National Women's Soccer League commissioner Lisa Baird and league general counsel Lisa Levine on Friday.

The issue started on Thursday when three-time NWSL champion and two-time Coach of the Year Paul Riley was fired following allegations of sexual coercion and inappropriate comments over a number of years and involving several teams.

When the firing was announced Baird issued a statement saying "new allegations" had arisen and led to an investigation.

That is when Morgan, a member of the United States’ World Cup champion squad, responded with an tweet that included email documentation that Baird had known about similar allegations much earlier.

This tweet indicated that Baird had failed to act in response to an offer from Sinead Farrelly and Mana Shim -- two of the players who claimed to be victims of Riley -- to help in an investigation of Riley’s alleged abuses.

Baird’s response to Farrelly’s request was as follows: "We reviewed our files and I can confirm that the initial complaint was investigated to its conclusion. Unfortunately I cannot share any additional details."

The NWSL had announced before Baird's resignation that this weekend’s games would be postponed, with Baird stating, "This week, and much of this season, has been incredibly traumatic for our players and staff, and I take full responsibility for the role I have played. I am so sorry for the pain so many are feeling.”

"Recognizing that trauma, we have decided not to take the field this weekend to give everyone some space to reflect."

Later Friday, Baird was out as commissioner.

Baird was named NWSL commissioner in February 2020 after being the chief marketing officer at New York Public Radio. Levine became the NWSL general counsel in June 2017 after being the general counsel of the U.S. Soccer Federation.

USWNT defender Christie Pearce Rampone announced on Friday night that she has decided to defer her induction until 2022 in the aftermath of recent accusations against Riley and the NWSL. The 2021 National Soccer Hall of Fame induction was scheduled for today (Saturday.)

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Cover photo of Alex Morgan is by Erik Williams, USA TODAY Sports

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Jake Curtis
JAKE CURTIS

Jake Curtis worked in the San Francisco Chronicle sports department for 27 years, covering virtually every sport, including numerous Final Fours, several college football national championship games, an NBA Finals, world championship boxing matches and a World Cup. He was a Cal beat writer for many of those years, and won awards for his feature stories.

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