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NWSL Players Association: 'This Is Only The Beginning of Transforming The NWSL'
The National Women's Soccer League Players Association announced on Friday that the league has met all eight of their demands, including creating an investigation committee for transparency.
"Each of these demands is seen by the players as one step closer to the goal of taking our league back," said Tori Huster, President of the NWSL Players Association.
The eight demands were issued earlier this month when the teams returned to play. At the sixth minute, there was a one-minute game stoppage as players gather at the center circle in solidarity with Mana Shim, Kaiya McCullough and Sinead Farrelly following the heinous allegations against former NC Courage coach Paul Riley.
A damning report from The Athletic detailed former players' accusations of sexual coercion and Riley was subsequently fired after the report was published. Additionally, former players said Riley made inappropriate comments about players' weight and sexual orientations, with allegations spanning three teams and three leagues, beginning in 2011.
Farrelly and Shim both shared incidences with The Athletic of when Riley allegedly sexually coerced the former players, including when Riley allegedly led the two players to his apartment in 2015 after a night of drinking and pressured them to kiss each other while he watched.
Shim filed a complaint about Riley's behavior with the franchise's front office several days after the 2015 season ended. However, Riley stayed employed with the league, later being rehired in 2016 by the Western New York Flash (the franchise that ultimately relocated to North Carolina).
NWSL commissioner Lisa Baird resigned a day after Riley was fired.
McCullough was part of a Washington Post investigation into former Spirit coach Burke. In the report, former players said Burke "made racially insensitive jokes" and described him as being "unbelievably volatile."
Spirit majority owner Steve Baldwin announced his plan to resign from his roles as the CEO and managing partner, effective immediately, after Burke was fired for cause. He was initially suspended for allegations of verbal and emotional abuse in August.
The NWSLPA's demands for addressing the systemic transformation needed within the league included (but were not limited to) expanding the scope of the league's investigation. Additionally, they wanted to introduce new protocol that would require any person in power "at the time that a Club either hired or separated from employment a coach who was, is, or will be under investigation for abuse be suspended from any governance or oversight role within NWSL pending the conclusion of an independent investigation, effectively immediately," per its statement earlier in October.
The league agreed to the creation of a five-person committee to oversee the investigation, which will include "two representatives from the NWSL Players Association, one from NWSL, one Club representative, and one jointly selected neutral party."
"The scope of the investigation will broadly review any instances of inappropriate conduct and seek to identify systemic failures to protect player health and safety," the press release read. "The objective of this investigation is to seek the truth in order to develop evidence-based practices that will transform NWSL into one where player safety is at the forefront."
Additionally, the Players Association is still working towards its first collective bargaining agreement, and will continue "the fight to rectify the systemic imbalance of power that has contributed to the multitude of problematic issues revealed this season."
The NWSLPA wrote in its press release, "This is only the beginning of transforming the NWSL."
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