Football: Danielle Reyna told US Soccer about Berhalter domestic violence incident
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
United States coach Gregg Berhalter talks to midfielder Gio Reyna at Khalifa International Stadium in Qatar.
PHOTO: USA TODAY SPORTS
Follow topic:
NEW YORK – Mere weeks after a World Cup performance viewed by many as a positive step forward for a promising group of players, the United States football team has been enveloped in a soap opera storyline involving their coach, a popular former player, a current player (who happens to be the popular former player’s son) and an intricate web of friendly and familial ties.
The drama – the residue of a decades-old incident outside a college bar – has led to an investigation by the US Soccer Federation; threatened the hold of the coach, Gregg Berhalter, on his post just as he is negotiating a new contract; and potentially damaged the reputation of the player, Gio Reyna, and that of his parents.
On Tuesday afternoon, Berhalter released a lengthy statement on Twitter, revealing that “an individual” (whom he did not name) had contacted the federation during the World Cup claiming to have information that might compel the team to terminate his employment.
Berhalter came forward instead, writing that he had kicked his current wife, Rosalind, in the legs during an alcohol-fuelled fight in 1991.
“The lessons learnt from that night over three decades ago became the foundation for a loving, devoted and supportive relationship, which we honoured and celebrated with our 25th wedding anniversary this past weekend,” he said in the statement.
Minutes later, US Soccer sent out its own statement, saying that it had hired a law firm, Alston & Bird, to investigate the allegations against Berhalter after learning of them on Dec 11.
US Soccer also said on Tuesday that the investigation had separately uncovered “potential inappropriate behaviour towards multiple members of our staff by individuals outside of our organisation”.
On Wednesday afternoon, the parents of Reyna, a 20-year-old winger on the US team, admitted that they were the ones who had contacted the team’s sporting director, Earnie Stewart, on Dec 11.
Reyna’s father, Claudio, is a former captain of the US team and the current sporting director of Austin FC.
In a statement on Wednesday, Danielle Reyna, who has known Gregg and Rosalind Berhalter for years, said she was the one who initially contacted Stewart about the bar incident. She said she was “outraged and devastated” after Berhalter was quoted speaking about a problematic player who was nearly sent home during the World Cup.
Berhalter told a conference that a player on the team was “clearly not meeting expectations on and off the field”. Gio Reyna later confirmed that the coach was talking about him. NYTIMES, REUTERS
