NWSL Commissioner Lisa Baird resigns amid scandal

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National Women’s Soccer League commissioner Lisa Baird resigned after around 19 months in office on allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct by a former coach.

Baird’s resignation was announced by the league late Friday, the day after The Athletic released reports of two former players alleging wrongdoing, including sexual assault, by North Carolina coach Paul Riley.

Riley was fired from Courage on Thursday and the allegations sparked a wave of player conviction that resulted in the games being canceled that weekend.

In addition, FIFA opened an investigation into the case on Friday. It is rare for the international football federation to become involved in a controversy with a member association. US soccer also announced an independent investigation on Friday.

US Soccer was instrumental in founding the NWSL in 2013 and supported the league until the last year when it became independent. The association continues to support the league financially.

“The safety and respect of the players are the ultimate responsibility of every person involved in this game. That applies to every age, every competition and every level of ability, “said US soccer president Cindy Cone in a statement. “We owe it to every athlete, every fan and the entire football community to take every reasonable measure in our power to ensure that something like this never happens again.”

US football suspended Riley’s coaching license Thursday after The Athletic released allegations of abuse of former NWSL players Sinead Farrelly and Mana Shim, who played at Kamehameha.

FIFA told The Associated Press that it was “deeply concerned” about the case and would now seek further details from the American football authorities on the issues raised.

“Given the gravity and gravity of the allegations from players, we can confirm that the FIFA judicial authorities are actively investigating the matter and opening a preliminary investigation,” FIFA said in a statement to the AP. “As part of this, FIFA will reach out to the respective parties, including US Soccer and NWSL, for more information on the various protection concerns and allegations of abuse.”

Farrelly’s alleged harassment began in 2011 while she was a player for the Philadelphia Independence in the now-defunct Women’s Professional Soccer League.

She told the website that the harassment continued while Farrelly was with the Portland Thorns. Shim, a former Thorns player, is also said to have experienced harassment. The Thorns said Thursday that the team was investigating allegations about Riley and relaying them to the league when he was fired.

Riley told The Athletic that the allegations were “totally untrue”.

The outcry over the allegations rocked the league and forced the games to be canceled that weekend. The NWSL Players’ Association said they hope fans would understand and support the decision.

“It’s okay to take space to process, feel, and take care of yourself,” the union said. “In fact, it’s more than okay, it’s a priority. That will be our focus as a player this weekend. “

Baird became commissioner of the NWSL in February 2020 after serving as chief marketing officer for the United States Olympic Committee. She was praised for bringing new sponsors into the NWSL and increasing the league’s visibility on the national stage.

OL Reign midfielder Jess Fishlock, who has played in the NWSL since it was founded in 2013, suggested that the league and women’s sport as a whole are right in the middle of the reckoning.

“I think female athletes in particular have been through so much over the years, and not just in women’s football,” said Fishlock. “I think everyone knows what happened to USA Gymnastics, and that’s something that has happened over and over again in women’s sport for years and years. And we’ve never felt safe enough to talk about it, and if we ever felt brave enough to talk about it, then it was just swept under the rug or we were told we were wrong … and I think we “We’re at a point now where we’re just finished.”

Riley was the head coach of the Thorns in 2014 and 2015. After being fired from the Thorns, he became head coach of the Western New York Flash for a season before the team was sold and relocated to North Carolina.

In its ninth season, the NWSL was rocked by a series of new scandals involving team officials.

Washington Spirit coach Richie Burke was fired after a Washington Post report extensively covered verbal and emotional insults against players. The league officially fired Burke and sanctioned the Spirit Tuesday after an independent investigation.

Alyse LaHue, general manager of Gotham FC, was sacked in July following an investigation into the league’s anti-harassment policy. She has denied any wrongdoing.

Racing Louisville coach Christy Holly was fired in September, but the reasons for his firing have not been made public.

OL Reign coach Farid Benstiti abruptly resigned in July. On Friday, OL Reign’s chief executive officer and minority owner Bill Predmore said Benstiti had been asked to resign following an undisclosed incident during training.

Benstiti had previously been accused of sexist behavior by US national team midfielder Lindsay Horan while coaching Paris Saint-Germain. Horan said she was cursed by Benstiti for her weight.

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