Attorney General Kwame Raoul—along with District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb and New York Attorney General Letitia James—announced a landmark settlement with the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) after numerous players came forward with allegations of harassment and sexual misconduct.
A subsequent independent investigation found that emotional abuse and sexual coercion took place throughout the league. The attorneys general, in an assurance of discontinuance, based their finding on the October 2022 report authored by Sally Q. Yates at King & Spalding LLP entitled Report of the Independent Investigation to the U.S. Soccer Federation Concerning the Allegations of Abusive Behavior and Sexual Misconduct in Women’s Professional Soccer; the December 2022 report commissioned by the NWSL jointly with the National Women’s Soccer League Players’ Association (NWSLPA) and jointly conducted by Covington & Burling LLP and Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, entitled Report of the NWSL and NWSLPA Joint Investigative Team; and documents produced by the NWSL and the Washington Spirit in response to subpoenas issued by the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia.
“The Yates Report and the Joint Investigative Report found that during the ten-year history of the organization, certain coaches verbally abused female players, and sexually assaulted players or coerced players into sexual relationships,” the document read, adding, “The NWSL had no clear avenue for players to report safety concerns, and players expressed confusion about how to seek help or make reports.”
Among the specific findings was that “Rory Dames—the NWSL’s longest-tenured coach—was the head coach of the Chicago Red Stars [now the Chicago Stars] from 2011 until he was allowed to resign on November 21,2021the same day a sports psychologist retained by the Red Stars to investigate the team culture confirmed that Dames had ‘created a culture of fear and engaged in emotional and verbal abuse which is psychologically and emotionally harmful to players and staff.’”
Under the settlement, the NWSL will continue to implement comprehensive reforms to improve player safety and well-being, and Raoul and the other attorneys general will have the ability to oversee and enforce new league protocols and protections for players. As a result of the investigation, the NWSL will also create a $5 million fund to compensate players who were abused, according to a statement issued from the attorneys general; in addition, the NWSL could face $2 million in penalties if it does not comply with any material terms of the agreement.
Raoul said, “I am proud to collaborate with Attorney General Schwalb and Attorney General James to hold the league accountable and put an overdue end to the unprofessional and toxic practices that have plagued the league.”
Bureau Chief Amy Meek and Assistant Attorney General Alexandra Reed handled this case for Attorney General Raoul’s Civil Rights Bureau.