The US Soccer Federation and the NWSL failed to provide a safe environment for players and repeatedly ignored allegations of player abuse and inappropriate behavior by coaches for many years, according to an independent investigation commissioned by the NWSL. federation, whose conclusions were published on Monday. .
The investigation was led by former Attorney General Sally Q. Yates, in conjunction with law firm King & Spalding. The executive summary of the report states that the team conducted more than 200 interviews with players, coaches, owners and reception staff of current and former NWSL teams and current and former staff of the American Football Federation. soccer (USSF). More than 100 of those interviewed were former NWSL and U.S. Women’s National Team players, and the investigation had access to millions of USSF documents, ultimately reviewing around 89,000 of them as being likely to be relevant.
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The resulting 173-page report documents in detail several specific incidents of coaching misconduct, as well as the systems that allowed such behavior to exist for years, sometimes as an “open secret.” The report also makes detailed recommendations for the NWSL and USSF to address some of these issues, including increased transparency in disclosing misconduct, changes to the federation’s coaching licensing system, and the hiring of more agents. player safety at federation and league level.