How did Paul Riley allegedly abuse his position as a soccer coach. What actions did former players accuse him of. How did the NWSL and individual teams respond to these allegations.
The Emergence of Serious Allegations Against Paul Riley
In a shocking turn of events, former North Carolina Courage coach Paul Riley has been accused of sexual coercion by multiple players. These allegations, spanning across various teams and leagues since 2010, have sent ripples through the world of women’s soccer. The accusations, detailed in a report by The Athletic, paint a disturbing picture of abuse of power and manipulation within the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).
Who is Paul Riley?
Paul Riley is a well-known figure in women’s soccer, having coached multiple teams in various leagues. His most recent position was as the head coach of the North Carolina Courage in the NWSL. Riley’s coaching career has been marked by success on the field, but these allegations have cast a dark shadow over his legacy.
Sinead Farrelly’s Harrowing Account
One of the primary accusers is Sinead Farrelly, a midfielder who played under Riley’s coaching in three different teams across three leagues. Farrelly’s account begins in 2011 and describes a pattern of behavior that she claims amounted to sexual coercion.
The Escalation of Riley’s Behavior
According to Farrelly, Riley’s inappropriate conduct began with seemingly innocent interactions, such as sitting next to her at team gatherings in bars. However, these interactions gradually escalated. In a particularly disturbing incident following the 2011 WPS final, Farrelly alleges that she was forced to sit on Riley’s lap in a crowded team van, where he grabbed her hips. This action left her feeling “claimed” by Riley.
The situation reportedly culminated in a night where Farrelly felt coerced into having sex with Riley in his hotel room. This event marked the beginning of what Farrelly describes as an ongoing pattern of sexual coercion that continued into the offseason and her time playing for Riley’s semi-pro team in Long Island in 2012.
The Portland Thorns Era and Mana Shim’s Experience
The allegations extend beyond Farrelly’s experience. Meleana “Mana” Shim, another player who was under Riley’s coaching during his time with the Portland Thorns, shared her own troubling experiences.
Riley’s “Social Culture” and Its Impact
Shim’s account highlights the “social culture” that Riley allegedly cultivated within his teams. This culture, characterized by frequent drinking sessions with players, created an environment where professional boundaries were blurred. An anonymous player from the Portland Thorns described Riley’s authority over this social aspect, stating, “He really commands the kind of social culture he wants on the team.”
Shim’s involvement in this culture led to increasingly inappropriate interactions with Riley. These included late-night text messages, private film-watching sessions in his apartment and hotel room, and an incident where Riley allegedly pressured Shim and Farrelly to kiss each other to avoid a team punishment.
The 2015 Complaint and Its Aftermath
In 2015, with the help of teammate Alex Morgan, Shim took action by emailing a complaint to Thorns owner Merritt Paulson and HR director Nancy Garcia Ford. This complaint led to an internal investigation, but the results were far from satisfactory for the players involved.
The Portland Thorns’ Response
Following the investigation, the Portland Thorns announced that Riley would not be retained for a third season. While this decision was publicly attributed to poor team performance, Paulson later acknowledged to The Athletic that the findings of the investigation played a role in the decision.
However, the lack of transparency surrounding the investigation and its findings allowed Riley to continue his coaching career in women’s soccer. This raises questions about the effectiveness of the league’s procedures for handling such serious allegations.
The NWSL’s Handling of the Allegations
The National Women’s Soccer League’s response to these allegations has come under scrutiny. When Farrelly and Shim contacted the league earlier this year to request a new investigation into Riley’s behavior, they were met with a disappointing response.
Commissioner Lisa Baird’s Response
NWSL Commissioner Lisa Baird informed both former players that the 2015 complaint was “investigated to conclusion,” and that she could not share any details. This response has been criticized for its lack of transparency and apparent dismissal of the players’ concerns.
The Need for Improved Policies and Procedures
The handling of these allegations highlights the need for improved policies and procedures within the NWSL and women’s soccer as a whole. How can leagues ensure that players feel safe coming forward with complaints? What measures can be put in place to prevent coaches with a history of misconduct from simply moving to another team?
Riley’s Response to the Allegations
When confronted with a list of 23 questions about his alleged conduct, Riley responded via email, denying the majority of the allegations. He stated, “I have never had sex with, or made sexual advances towards these players.” Riley admitted to occasionally socializing with players and picking up bar tabs but denied taking them out drinking.
Addressing Specific Allegations
Riley conceded that over the course of his career, there’s a chance he may have said something that offended someone. However, he firmly denied belittling players, commenting on their weight, or discussing their personal relationships. He also denied holding film sessions in his hotel room.
The Wider Implications for Women’s Soccer
The allegations against Paul Riley are not isolated incidents in women’s soccer. They reflect a broader issue of power imbalances and potential abuse within the sport. These revelations have sparked important conversations about player safety, professional boundaries, and the responsibility of leagues and teams to protect their athletes.
The Need for Systemic Change
How can women’s soccer address these systemic issues? What changes need to be implemented to create a safer environment for players? These are crucial questions that the sport must grapple with in the wake of these allegations.
Player Empowerment and Support Systems
One potential avenue for improvement is the strengthening of player empowerment and support systems. This could include establishing independent reporting mechanisms, providing mental health resources, and creating a culture where players feel safe speaking out against misconduct.
The Aftermath: Riley’s Firing and Ongoing Investigations
In the immediate aftermath of The Athletic’s report, the North Carolina Courage took swift action by firing Paul Riley. This decision came just hours after the story was published, demonstrating the seriousness with which the team viewed these allegations.
The U.S. Soccer Federation’s Investigation
The repercussions of these allegations extend beyond Riley’s firing. On October 3, 2022, the U.S. Soccer Federation released the full findings and recommendations of an independent investigation into allegations of abuse in the National Women’s Soccer League. This investigation represents a significant step towards addressing the systemic issues highlighted by the Riley case.
The Path Forward
As the soccer community grapples with these revelations, the focus must now turn to implementing meaningful changes. How can the findings of the U.S. Soccer Federation’s investigation be translated into actionable reforms? What role can players, coaches, team owners, and league officials play in creating a safer and more equitable environment in women’s soccer?
The Paul Riley case serves as a stark reminder of the work that needs to be done to protect players and maintain the integrity of women’s soccer. It is a call to action for all stakeholders in the sport to prioritize player safety and well-being above all else. As the conversation continues and investigations unfold, the hope is that this painful chapter can lead to positive change and a brighter future for women’s soccer.
Former players accuse North Carolina Courage coach Paul Riley of sexual coercion
Editor’s note: On October 3, 2022, the U.S. Soccer Federation released the full findings and recommendations of an independent investigation into allegations of abuse in the National Women’s Soccer League. The Athletic has reported extensively on the subject over the last year, including the following story from September 2021.
Former players have accused now-former North Carolina Courage coach Paul Riley of sexual coercion spanning multiple teams and leagues since 2010, according to The Athletic.
Midfielder Sinead Farrelly played for Riley with three teams across three leagues, beginning in 2011. Farrelly told The Athletic that Riley often sat next to her at a bar where he regularly took the team, and eventually, she started to share deeply personal information with him.
When the team gathered in a crowded passenger van after their loss in the 2011 WPS final, Farrelly said she had to sit on Riley’s lap and he grabbed her hips.
“I felt claimed,” Farrelly told The Athletic. “That word honestly describes it perfectly for me, because I have this feeling that he went around and he looked at his prospects, and he zeroed in on me. He claimed me; that’s what his touch felt like. I just remember thinking: Is anyone else seeing this?”
Farrelly and Riley ended up in front of his hotel room, she said, and they both went in. Farrelly said that she felt Riley coerced her into having sex with him, and she spent the night in his room.
Riley’s alleged sexual coercion towards Farrelly continued during the offseason and later when she played for his semi-pro team in Long Island in 2012.
Farrelly joined Kansas City FC in the newly-formed NWSL in 2013, and then Riley traded for her when the Portland Thorns hired him later that year. He haunted Farrelly mentally and emotionally, she said. She even collapsed in a July 2014 game due to the toll it took on her.
Riley’s pattern of drinking with his players continued during his time with the Thorns.
“He really commands the kind of social culture he wants on the team,” an anonymous player who played for Riley in Portland said. “He has the authority. People don’t really push him on it, everyone accepts that just how he is. You’re trying to survive in his hierarchy.”
Ahead of the Thorns’ 2015 season, Meleana “Mana” Shim became entangled in the “social culture” that Riley had cultivated in Portland and in his previous teams. Over time, he started texting Shim more often and asked her to watch film with him, even sometimes at his apartment and in his hotel room.
After a night when the team went out to a bar, Farrelly and Shim ended up at Riley’s apartment. He offered them more alcohol in his apartment, the two players said, and asked Shim to dance with him and pressured the two teammates to kiss so the team wouldn’t have to run a suicide mile drill that week.
With the help of teammate Alex Morgan, Shim emailed a complaint to Thorns owner Merritt Paulson and HR director Nancy Garcia Ford in 2015.
Garcia Ford met with Shim about her complaint. Shim said Garcia Ford told her that she didn’t have a legal claim because Shim was unable to provide any corroborating evidence.
That fall, the Thorns announced that Riley would not be retained for a third season. From the outside, it looked like the team’s poor results had forced Portland’s hand. This week, Paulson acknowledged to The Athletic that the findings of the investigation factored in the team’s decision.
Riley continued to coach women’s soccer after his Thorns firing. He was fired by the Courage later on Thursday after The Athletic’s story was published.
After the NWSL adopted a new anti-harassment policy earlier this year, Farrelly and Shim contacted the league to ask for a new investigation into Riley’s behavior. League commissioner Lisa Baird thanked them for raising their concerns but informed both former players the 2015 complaint was “investigated to conclusion,” and that she could not share any details.
On Wednesday, Riley responded to a list of 23 questions from The Athletic about his alleged conduct with an email in which he stated that the majority of the allegations are “completely untrue.” He wrote: “I have never had sex with, or made sexual advances towards these players.” He said he sometimes socialized with players and occasionally picked up bar tabs, “but I do not take them out drinking.”
He conceded that over the course of his career “there’s a chance I’ve said something along the way that offended someone,” but he added, “I do not belittle my players, comment on their weight, or discuss their personal relationships.” Riley also denied holding film sessions in his hotel room.
The Courage said in a statement: “When we hired Paul, we made perfectly clear the expectations of the job and the values of our club, and from what we know, he has lived up to those expectations. If there are any players or staff that wish to come forward in accordance with NWSL league policy, we encourage them to report any inappropriate behavior as we will continue to uphold the standard of maintaining a safe and positive environment for all at the club.
“
For more on the allegations against Riley, you can read The Athletic‘s full story in the Go Deeper section below.
(Photo: Diego Diaz / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
GO DEEPER
How the structure of sports protects abusers of power
GO DEEPER
‘This guy has a pattern’: Amid institutional failure, former NWSL players accuse prominent coach of sexual coercion
Former Courage coach sexually coerced three players amid string of ‘systemic abuse’ throughout NWSL :: WRALSportsFan.com
By WRAL News
A report released on Monday describes sexual misconduct, verbal and emotional abuse in the National Women’s Soccer League as “systemic,” and names former North Carolina Courage coach Paul Riley as one of the perpetrators.
The months-long independent investigation surfaced almost exactly a year after Riley was fired amid reports from players that Riley used sexual coercion and made inappropriate comments toward players.
“Our investigation has revealed a league in which abuse and misconduct — verbal and emotional abuse and sexual misconduct — had become systemic, spanning multiple teams, coaches and victims,” Sally Q. Yates, the lead investigator, wrote in the report’s executive summary. “Abuse in the N.W.S.L. 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.”
When contacted by WRAL for comment on Monday, Riley said he was “not ready” to talk and the report was “not much of an independent investigation.”
The Courage was the focus of the NWSL world in fall 2021 when Riley was fired, prompting demonstrations at NWSL games in the following days.
King & Spalding, the law firm that led the investigation, recommended that teams be required to report any abuse allegations and not investigate themselves. Coaches would need to be trained on policies and player safety made a priority among teams.
The firm advised that coaches included in the report no longer be involved with NWSLPA or the league.
Riley’s name is mentioned hundreds of times in the report from his time with the Portland Thorns and the Courage. Riley left the Thorns in 2015 after a complaint from a player, Meleana Shim. The report notes that Riley pursued Shim for months and benched her after she turned down his advances. Riley used his authority as coach to coerce at least three players into sexual relationships while working in another league, the report says.
The report also details complaints against coaches Rory Dames and Christy Holly. Riley was among five coaches in the league who either was fired or resigned from their positions due to inappropriate behavior.
Courage players hold moment of silence in meaningful win, powerful night for NWSL
The report says that Riley, throughout his career and including his time with the Courage, inappropriately interfered in many aspects of players’ personal and professional lives, including their housing, cars, salary, weight and medical decisions.
“Paul structured himself as if he was more so a dictator than a coach. You felt as if you didn’t have an option or that you couldn’t let this person down, so even if we did feel uncomfortable, we couldn’t do anything,” a team captain told investigators.
Riley is accused of emotional manipulation of players, often with verbal attacks. The league and the United States Soccer Federation were aware of Riley’s conduct as early as the 2014 season, when player complained about Riley in surveys.
“It is like an abusive relationship. He will be so good to you, compliment you—give, give, give—and then he would take it away. Paul was so good at giving confidence and taking it away,” said a player who played for Riley on multiple teams.
WRAL reached out to the Courage for comment, but has not received a response from the team.
Riley was fired by the Portland Thorns after the 2015 season after an investigation into sexual harassment complaint by a player, Meleana Shim. Shim forwarded her complaint to the then-commissioner of the NWSL and it made its way to the top of the US Soccer Federation organization.
The Thorns, however, did not do an exhaustive investigation, instead terminating Riley for cause. But the Thorns did not inform team staff, other players, other NWSL teams or the public of his termination for cause. “The Thorns’ and Riley’s public statements fed player and public assumptions that the Thorns’ decision to release Riley was based on poor results,” the report said.
The Western New York Flash, which would move to Cary and become the Courage, “sought and received information and positive recommendations from the Thorns regarding Riley” during its hiring process. The report says there is no evidence the Thorns informed the Flash that it had fired Riley for cause. On Feb. 19, 2016, the franchise announced Riley as its head coach.
Sally Q. Yates, a partner at King & Spalding, said the abuse issues that surround women’s soccer are found in other age groups of those who play the sport, including youth soccer.
“Abuse in women’s profession soccer appears rooted in youth soccer,” Yates said in a press conference on Monday.
“Although our mandate was to investigate abuses in the NWSL … not in youth soccer .. the sad reality is that the abuse that we confronted does appear to rooted there.”
The problem became so publicized that Deborah Ross, 2nd Congressional District Congresswoman from North Carolina, led a group of 41 members of the House of Representatives in writing an open letter to the NWSL asking them to thoroughly investigate abuse and harassment within their league.
The report said the new ownership did not receive a copy of the Thorns’ 2015 report about Shim’s complaint. The report details differing accounts of how much of Riley’s history was made known to the Courage’s management.
NWSL reopens investigation regarding former Courage coach Paul Riley
On Jan. 30, 2017, the Courage announced Riley as head coach, stating the “success that he’s had throughout his career speaks for itself.”
In December 2018, the US Soccer Federation received an anonymous email complaint about Riley fostering an unsafe environment on his Development Academy youth teams.
In 2019, when Riley’s name surfaced in media reports as a potential candidate to become U.S. Women’s National Team coach, people familiar with Riley’s sexual misconduct with the Thorns reached out to USSF. Despite conversations that included the Courage, no action was taken, the report says. Riley publicly withdrew as a candidate.
In 2020, Riley received a contract extension from the Courage. Riley was fired on Sept. 30, 2021 after The Athletic reported on complaints from Thorns players, including Shim.
Under Riley, the Courage won the NWSL Shield for best regular-season team in 2017, 2018 and 2019. The Courage won the NWSL postseason title in 2018 and 2019.
After the league became embroiled in scandal, Jessica Berman took over as NWSL commissioner and told WRAL News a new a non-discrimination, harassment and bullying policy is in place for the league in hopes to build new trust and credibility.
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Women’s Football League matches canceled in the USA due to sex scandal :: Football :: RBC Sport
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North Carolina Courage coach Paul Riley was fired from his post following allegations of sexual assault by several female players
Photo: Global Look Press
The American Women’s National Soccer League (NWSL) has canceled games this weekend following a sex scandal involving former North Carolina Courage coach Paul Riley.
This is reported on the NWSL website.
“This week and much of this season has been incredibly traumatic for our players and staff, and I take full responsibility for the part I have played. I apologize for the pain that many are feeling right now. Recognizing this injury, we have decided not to take the field this weekend to give everyone a chance to reflect,” said NWSL Commissioner Lisa Baird.
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Riley, 58, was fired from the North Carolina Courage on Thursday after several female players accused him of sexual assault. According to the athletes, since 2010 the coach forced them to have sex during his work in several leagues and teams.
The US Football Federation later said it was deeply concerned about NWSL misconduct and suspended Riley’s coaching license.
NWSL is a professional football league administered by the United States Football Federation. It was founded in 2012. It is the highest tier in the women’s soccer league system in the United States.
Author
Ivan Vitchenko
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in the USA, female football players demand that they be treated at least within the framework of basic human rights – InoTV
According to female football players playing in the US National Women’s Football League, the scandal with coach Paul Riley is by no means an exceptional case, and this problem is systemic, reports NBC. Athletes demand that they be treated at least within the framework of basic human rights.
ERIN MCLEOD, Orlando Pride FC goaltender : These players will be scarred for the rest of their lives.
MCCALL ZERBONY, Gotham FC Linebacker : It’s time for their voices to be heard.
For the first time, Women’s National Football League players are speaking out about the shocking allegations against coach Paul Riley, who had just been fired from the North Carolina Caridge after about a dozen women told The Athletic that he had been verbally abusive and, in several cases, even sexually coerced. Riley denied all allegations and did not respond to NBC News.
SAM BROK, Correspondent NBC : Do you think the Paul Riley story is an exception?
MCCALL ZERBONY: I am convinced that this is systemic. And none of the officials, who supposedly should protect us and do justice, did not try to correct the situation.
Neither McCall Zerboni, a successful Gotham football player, nor Erin MacLeod, an Olympic gold medalist for Team Canada, have made these accusations, but they are deeply concerned about what they say is an example of a complete unwillingness to listen to the players.
ERIN MACLEOD: This is by no means a new story. Back in 2015, they made the same statements that were made in this article.
Riley, then coach of the Portland Thorns, was investigated that year. The contract was not renewed for him then, but he got a job at another club. According to Macleod, there are still people in the leadership of the Portland Thorns organizational structures who worked there during the alleged cases of illegal actions.
ERIN MCLEOD: They are collaborators and we need to make a difference. We need to get rid of these people.
Former Portland Thorns player Sinead Farley, who made the accusations, and another player, Mana Shim, responded boldly to the publication of this article.
MCCALL ZERBONY: You know, they tried it, but it didn’t work and they had to try again. Imagine the pain they experienced. But also imagine their power.
The National Women’s Football League did not respond to any of our requests for comment, however they reminded us of their previous statement regarding the new protection measures.
