NWSL agrees to US$5 million player mistreatment settlement

NEW YORK – The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and three attorneys-general said on Feb 5 they have agreed on a US$5 million (S$6.8 million) settlement over player harassment and sexual misconduct complaints, after an investigation found systemic problems.

The league will create a US$5 million fund to compensate players who were abused and continue thorough reforms to improve player safety with enforcement by state officials.

New York attorney-general Letitia James, Illinois attorney-general Kwame Raoul and Washington DC attorney-general Brian Schwalb announced the settlement with the NWSL.

“For too long, the hard-working and talented women of the NWSL were forced to endure an unacceptable culture of abuse, harassment, and retaliation,” James said.

“This settlement sends a clear message that such misconduct will not be tolerated and ensures players receive the compensation and protections they deserve. Every athlete should be able to compete in a safe, supportive environment.”

NWSL players went public in 2021 with misconduct allegations and claims of abuse from coaches and officials over the previous decade, many of them reported to the league but largely ignored.

Two investigations were made into the complaints, one by the NWSL and its players union and the other by the United States Soccer Federation.

Both investigations discovered league-wide systemic failures leading to sexual assault, harassment, verbal abuse, coercion and discrimination by coaches – all without any player safety rules in place.

By the end of the 2021 campaign, five of the NWSL’s 10 clubs had fired their coaches following public reports and player complaints. That prompted the attorneys-general to launch their own probe into the claims in 2022, an investigation that they said revealed a culture of abuse and neglect where coaches verbally abused and sexually assaulted players, coercing them into inappropriate relationships and retaliating against those who resisted or went public with issues.

The investigation also found some teams failed to conduct background checks on hirings, giving coaches terminated for misconduct a chance to be hired by other teams.

The NWSL, meanwhile, had no formal process for reporting misconduct, leaving players uncertain where to turn for help.

The league faces US$2 million in penalties for defaulting on any terms of the settlement, which requires the NWSL to implement league-wide policy changes to protect players.

These include rigorous vetting of prospective coaches, general managers, athletic trainers and player safety officers, multiple methods for players to report misconduct, banning coaches from exclusive control over player housing or medical decisions as well as banning teams from investigating themselves on coach misconduct and player safety issues.

The NWSL must also provide unlimited free and confidential counselling services to all players. AFP