The National Women's Soccer League will establish a $5 million fund for players as part of a settlement that stemmed from allegations of emotional and sexual misconduct that rocked the league in 2021.
Attorneys general from Washington, D.C., Illinois and New York announced the settlement with the league on Wednesday.
The funds will go to players who experienced abuse. The settlement also requires the league to maintain safeguards put into place following a pair of investigations released in late 2022 that found widespread misconduct that impacted multiple teams, coaches and players.
It also gives the attorneys general, Brian L. Schwalb of Washington, D.C., Letitia James of New York and Kwame Raoul of Illinois, the ability to oversee changes that the NWSL made after the scandal broke, and the ability to fine the league if it fails to uphold those changes.
“Two separate investigations confirmed what the players had been experiencing and reporting for years. Systemic leaguewide failures that permitted a culture of inappropriate and abusive behavior, including verbal abuse, sexual assault, harassment, coercion, retaliation and discrimination with no clear mechanisms in place for player safety,” Schwalb said on a conference call with reporters. “Following the 2022 report, the league has made critical improvements, largely due to the players' fierce advocacy. But importantly, the victims have never been compensated for the abuse they endured on the league’s watch until today.”
A pair of former players — Sinead Farrelly and Mana Shim — came forward in 2021 and accused longtime NWSL coach Paul Riley of sexual harassment and coercion dating back a decade.
Riley, who has denied the allegations, was fired by the North Carolina Courage in the aftermath. He was among five head coaches in the league who were either fired or resigned in 2021 amid claims of misconduct. The NWSL commissioner at the time also resigned.
The NWSL and its players association, as well as U.S. Soccer, launched investigations into the allegations. The U.S. Soccer report was led by former acting U.S. Attorney General Sally Q. Yates, who found emotional abuse and sexual misconduct were “systemic” in the sport.
Following the investigation, the NWSL implemented changes to protect players. The NWSL Players Association also negotiated safeguards in the league's collective bargaining agreement.
“This agreement is a massive achievement, and I’m especially grateful that it includes increased mental health support for the players,” Erin Simon, a retired player who was sexually abused during her time at Racing Louisville in 2021 and 2022, detailed in the Yates report. “While it doesn’t change what happened or the pain caused to all the women named, unnamed and still suffering from what happened to them, it is a massive step. This is a continued fight that we cannot abandon, because of vigilance to protect the players should never stop.”
Tori Huster, the NWSLPA president and a former player for the Washington Spirit, credited the players who risked their careers to create change.
“This $5 million restitution fund is not a gift. Nor is it justice. This fund exists because players refuse to be silenced. And we found the courage to stand together as a collective,” Huster said. “This fund is an acknowledgment of unique failures and the harm suffered by players. It’s a testament to the players' courage and a necessary step toward accountability. If the NWSL is safer today, it is because players fought to make it that way.”
Among the safeguards that are mandated to continue under the settlement include comprehensive vetting of certain team personnel, mechanisms for players to report abuse, player access to free and unlimited counseling, access to a league safety officer and policies that prevent teams from investigating themselves.
“We have worked collaboratively with the NWSLPA and the attorneys general to add greater strength to the programmatic changes we adopted in 2023 in light of the joint investigative reports, and we look forward to supporting the administrator in distributing the Players’ Restitution Fund," current NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman said in a statement. "We will continue to do the work necessary to maintain the trust of our players and build an ecosystem where the best in the world want to come.”
The league said the restitution fund would be administered by retired Judge Barbara S. Jones, who was an independent member of the committee overseeing the 2022 NWSL's investigation with its players' union.
Jones has 45 days to develop a plan to distribute the funds, which she will submit to the three attorneys general for approval. On approval, the players, both past and present, will be notified and they will have six months to apply.
The NWSL played its inaugural season in 2013. The professional women's league now has 14 teams, with two more joining in 2026.
“Today is a new chapter for women’s soccer, a league, where athletes can drive without fear of abuse or retaliation. Together, we can and will build a future where every athlete is safe, respected and empowered to succeed — and most importantly, focus on the love of the game,” James said. “None of this would have been possible if not for the exceptional courage of the players who came forward to share their experiences.”
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Anne M. Peterson, The Associated Press
