The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) will pay $5 million to current and former players who experienced harassment and sexual misconduct.
The massive settlement, announced on Wednesday by the offices of the New York, Illinois, and Washington, D.C. attorneys general, follows a joint investigation that lasted more than two years and found “a deeply troubling culture of abuse and harassment and a league-wide failure to support players,” per New York Attorney General Letitia James
“Players were forced to endure unimaginable misconduct, sexual harassment, discrimination based on race, religion, sexuality, and abusive coaching,” James continued. “These abuses were not isolated incidents; they were systemic, pervasive, and enabled by a league that repeatedly failed to protect its players. Coaches abused their power. Players were silenced, and the league turned a blind eye.”
The NWSL failed to execute background checks on coaches during the hiring process and then failed to investigate or act on reports that began leaking out, starting with a 2021 report from The Athletic.
It allowed teams to re-hire coaches who had been dismissed from other organizations within the league because of such abuse.
James mentioned such an instance “at home in New York,” when former Gotham FC head coach Christy Holly was removed after multiple players complained of “egregious sexual misconduct” in 2017. Yet he was hired by Racing Louisville just four years later.
“The league was aware of this situation but made no effort to prevent the hiring nor inform the team of the coach’s history,” James said. “Instead, this coach was allowed to continue his campaign of harassment and abuse on the new team. Not only did he sexually harass players and create an exceptionally hostile environment, but he also coerced multiple players into sexual relationships and retaliated against those who declined his advances.
“Players complained multiple times, but the league took no action.”
Holly coached Sky Blue FC, now Gotham FC, from 2016 into the middle of the 2017 season after working three years as an assistant with the club. He was fired in August of 2021 by Louisville after reports surfaced that he sexually harassed one of his players.
Gotham FC general manager Alyse LaHue was also fired in July of 2021 after an investigation found that she violated league policy.
Former NWSL commissioner Lisa Baird resigned after the scandal came to light, and five head coaches were removed from their positions at the end of the 2021 season. Four of them—Holly, Paul Riley, Rory Dames, and Richie Burke—received lifetime bans from the league.
Previous investigations were also carried out by US Soccer and overseen by US Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates. The NWSL and its players’ association executed one of its own, as well.
Yates’ findings concluded that players were verbally abused, and there were also findings of “sexual assault, harassment, coercion, and discrimination.”
It led to the NWSL revamping its policies, which was headlined by an improved screening process for all potential hires.
“We owe it to the brave women who came forward with their stories to not let it happen ever again,” James said. “Today is about righting these wrongs and protecting women in sports. It is about ensuring that the players who suffered receive the compensation that they’re owed and that the league continues to make meaningful steps to prevent this from ever happening again.”
