As the fallout from the Sally Yates report continues, the NWSL and NWSL Players Association are completing their own investigation into abusive behaviors within the league.

The NWSLPA released a statement on Twitter on Thursday detailing the goals of the investigation and how it differs from the Yates report. While the Yates investigation focused on shining a light on the “systemic” issues within the league, the NWSL and NWSLPA investigation seeks to highlight every instance of wrongdoing, dating back to 2013.

“As Players, we have chosen to focus our outrage into a singular mission: to identify everything and everyone that failed us so that we can develop strategies that will prevent this from ever happening again,” the statement reads.

The investigation will look into “every instance of inappropriate conduct towards players by individuals in positions of power,” with the hopes of tracing the behaviors back to their origins. The NWSLPA says the joint investigation will build on the findings in the Yates report.

“While the findings and recommendations in the Yates report are significant and disturbing, it is not the end of the story,” the statement said.

A STATEMENT FROM THE NWSLPA: pic.twitter.com/JMBdNuwXnk

— NWSLPA (@nwsl_players) October 6, 2022

In addition to Riley, Dames and Holly, two other coaches resigned or were fired last year amid allegations of misconduct. Since the NWSL and NWSLPA began their joint investigation, Dash head coach James Clarkson and Pride coaches Amanda Cromwell and Sam Greene were placed on administrative leave based on recommendations from the investigative team.

The NWSLPA also addressed the lack of cooperation from the Portland Thorns, Chicago Red Stars and Racing Louisville with the Yates investigation. In their statement, they said that the NWSL and NWSLPA investigation will give those clubs another chance to “produce that information immediately, enabling us to marshal facts that the U.S. soccer investigation could not.”

Those three clubs were at the center of the Yates report, with significant abuse and patterns of inappropriate behavior by coaches Paul Riley, Rory Dames and Christy Holly detailed at length.

Following the report, Thorns owner Merritt Paulson has stepped away from “decision-making” within the organization, and two other executives implicated in the report were fired.

Chicago’s board of directors voted to remove Red Stars owner Armin Whisler from his position as Chairman of the Board.

No personnel changes within the Racing Louisville organization have been announced.

All three teams have released statements promising to fully cooperate with the joint investigation, though their reasoning for hindering the Yates investigation has yet to be addressed.

The Connecticut Sun is still on the chopping block, with reports surfacing Tuesday that the WNBA made a $250 million offer to buy the team in order to control its final landing place.

The Mohegan Tribe — the Sun's current owners — are reportedly still seeking clarity on the league's preferred relocation destination, after two prospective outside bids stalled in front of the Board of Governors.

Multiple offers remain on the table, including two $325 million bids from groups in Boston and nearby Hartford, Connecticut — as well as a plan to raise capital via minority investments rather than a full sale.

Recent reports point to the league's desire to control the Sun's fate while preserving certain markets for expansion, with the Mohegan Tribe under pressure to bend to the WNBA's interests.

The WNBA offer to buy the Connecticut Sun outright is reportedly part of a larger plan to flip the team to a different prospective ownership group without an additional relocation fee — and rumors say Houston is in the lead.

The Mohegan Tribe already turned down a low-ball bid out of Cleveland, with WNBA later awarding the Northeast Ohio city an expansion team for a $250 million fee.

NBA co-ownership was a clear priority during the league's most recent expansion, with officials now looking to force that strategy onto the Sun's future.

While the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx watch from above, the race for the No. 2 postseason seed is taking center stage, with teams like the No. 4 Phoenix Mercury eyeing 2025 WNBA Playoffs spots as the league nears the regular-season home stretch.

Big Tuesday wins helped boost the No. 2 New York Liberty and No. 5 Las Vegas Aces up the WNBA standings, while the Mercury refused to lose pace with a 98-91 victory over the No. 7 Golden State Valkyries.

"We're just continuing to try to build," Phoenix head coach Nate Tibbetts told reporters afterwards. "We're on the right step, but there's still work to be done."

Multiple talent-stacked teams are continuing to sharpen their form with the 2025 Playoffs looming, with only a half-game currently separating the New York Liberty, Atlanta Dream, Phoenix Mercury, and Las Vegas Aces on the WNBA table.

The Mercury have benefitted a healthy Big Three — Alyssa Thomas, Satou Sabally, and Kahleah Copper — with Copper leading Phoenix's five double-digit scorers by registering 25 points in Tuesday’s win.

"Our support staff has been great and our culture and my teammates have been great in helping me navigate through [early-season injuries] and just being able to get back out there," Copper said this week.

How to watch the Phoenix Mercury this week

The No. 4 Phoenix Mercury will have their work cut out for them on Thursday, when they'll visit Las Vegas to tip off against the surging No. 5 Aces and their eight-game winning streak at 10 PM ET.

Live coverage of the clash will air on Prime.

The No. 9 Sparks haven't given up the fight, with LA sitting just outside the 2025 WNBA playoff picture ahead of Wednesday night's clash with a No. 11 Dallas Wings side facing postseason elimination.

The Sparks have had an up-and-down season, arriving at a 16-18 record with six wins in their last 10 games.

"We control our destiny, so what do we do with it?" LA head coach Lynne Roberts said on Tuesday. "And I love that we're in that spot, but we'll see how competitive we are."

"Obviously we feel like there's some games that we should have and could have won at the beginning of the season early on, but [you] can't change the past," echoed Sparks forward Dearica Hamby. "We have good momentum right now still. We're still in good position to make the playoffs, so just take it a game at a time."

Meanwhile, Dallas will try to stave off joining the last-place Connecticut Sun in playoff elimination, though their draft lottery odds rise with every loss.

The Wings will be even more shorthanded on Wednesday after losing Li Yueru to a season-ending ACL sprain on Friday, with the center now joining star guard Arike Ogunbowale, who is suffering from knee tendinitis, on the sideline.

How to watch the Dallas Wings vs. LA Sparks on Wednesday

The No. 9 Sparks will host the No. 11 Wings at 10 PM ET on Wednesday, with live coverage airing on WNBA League Pass.

The No. 6 Indiana Fever are officially down another guard due to injury, with the team confirming Tuesday that Sophie Cunningham suffered a season-ending right MCL tear during the squad's Sunday matchup against the No. 13 Connecticut Sun.

"If you're going to hurt your knee, that is the best possible case," Cunningham explained on her podcast on Tuesday. "A couple more inches to the left, [I] would've torn a whole bunch more s—t. I'm very thankful for where I am at, so it's all good."

Cunningham posted an average of 8.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game while shooting 46.9% from the field on the season for Indiana.

In response to losing the seven-season WNBA standout, Indiana signed veteran guard Shey Peddy to a seven-day hardship contract on Tuesday, one day after releasing previous hardship addition Kyra Lambert.

Cunningham became the third Fever guard sidelined with a season-ending injury in less than two weeks, after Indiana lost both Sydney Colson and Aari McDonald to an ACL tear and broken foot, respectively, in the same game on August 7th.

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The trio join superstar guard Caitlin Clark on the Fever's injured list, after the WNBA sophomore's lingering right groin issue has seen her on the bench since before the 2025 All-Star break.

That said, Clark has reportedly been participating in practice this week, ramping up her game fitness as she eyes a return to the 2025 WNBA court.