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Players in the National Women’s Soccer League were forced to watch porn, coerced into sexual relationships and quizzed about their sex lives, according to findings from an independent investigation.
The independent investigation last season found rampant sexual misconduct and emotional abuse in the league, the New York Times reported, focusing on three former coaches: Paul Riley of the North Carolina Courage, Christy Holly of Racing Louisville and Rory Dames of the Chicago Red Stars.
The examples of “systemic” abuse the paper uncovered are disturbing, from one coach calling in a player to review game footage but was shown pornography instead, to another coach who berated his players, then quizzed them about their sex lives.
In one instance, Holly asked player Erin Simon, who now plays for Leicester City in Europe, to watch game film with him and allegedly told her that for every pass she messed up, he was going to touch her.
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Simon told investigators Holly “pushed his hands down her pants and up her shirt.”
Too many athletes suffer in silence, according to Simon.
“I know because that is how I felt,” she said in a statement. “I want to do everything in my power to ensure that no other player must experience what I did. This report allows our voices to finally be heard and is the first step toward achieving the respectful workplace we all deserve.”
The report, released Monday, also warned the abuse on girls starts young.
“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,” former acting U.S. Attorney General Sally Q. Yates wrote in her report on the investigation.
The independent probe came after former NWSL players Sinead Farrelly and Mana Shim — who are both no longer in the league — accused Riley of years of harassment and sexual coercion.
Riley denied the allegations but he was fired in 2021. NWSL Commissioner Lisa Baird also stepped down.
Soon after, five of the 10 head coaches in the NWSL were either fired or stepped down amid allegations of misconduct.
Investigators interviewed more than 200 people, some of whom provided documents. The NWSL said it was reviewing the report and would conduct its own investigation, as is the players association.
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