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Courage coach Paul Riley accused of sexual coercion in bombshell report

(Howard Smith/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

North Carolina Courage head coach Paul Riley has been accused of sexual coercion and emotional abuse in an extensive and disturbing report by The Athletic’s Meg Linehan.

The Athletic talked to over a dozen players representing every team Riley has coached since 2010, as well as 10 other sources in the women’s game, detailing Riley’s history of alleged sexual coercion and emotional abuse. Members of each of the three teams he coached described several evenings in which Riley went out and drank heavily with his players.

“It’s almost like an abusive relationship, even when it’s not crossing the line of sexual, because he gives and takes,” one former Thorns player told The Athletic. “The girls just want to please their coaches, they want to do the right thing. Paul said he’ll invest in you, then he takes it away.”

One of Riley’s longtime player, Sinead Farrelly, spoke to The Athletic about the coach’s alleged grooming tactics. Farrelly said he would pay special attention to her at times, and at other times he could be harsh to the point where Farrelly longed for his approval.

Farrelly joined Riley at each of his coaching stops — the Philadelphia Independence, the New York Fury and the Portland Thorns. She said she gave up the final spot on the United States women’s national team’s roster for the 2011 World Cup because Riley told her she was being “disloyal” to him and their team, which at the time was the Independence of the former Women’s Professional Soccer league.

After the Independence lost the WPS final in August 2011, Farrelly described an incident at the team hotel that “changed my whole life.” Her and Riley went back to Riley’s hotel room, where she said Riley coerced her into having sex with him. The next morning, Riley allegedly told Farrelly that she had followed him into his room and that “we’re taking this to our graves.”

But rather than keep silent, Farrelly said Riley kept bringing it up.

Eventually Riley made his way to Portland, where he helped Meleana “Mana” Shim return to the team after the Thorns had initially traded her to Houston as part of the 2014 expansion draft.

“I felt from the beginning like I owed him something because he worked to get me back,” Shim said.

As one of the team’s fringe players, Shim said Riley targeted her, belittling her in her first season before, in her second season, treating her differently in ways that helped build her confidence. She said Riley began to ask to meet with her one-on-one, with requests for coffee meet-ups turning into dinner invitations. That included film sessions allegedly moving from the office at his stadium to his apartment after hours. Shim described one instance in which Riley invited her to a film session in his hotel room. When she arrived, he was in his underwear, according to the report.

During the 2015 season, Shim and Farrelly roomed together on road trips and grew closer. They told The Athletic that, after a night out with the team in Portland in May, Riley invited them back to his apartment and said, if they kissed, the team wouldn’t have to run a suicide mile that week. They briefly obliged, they said, and Riley kept his promise.

In 2015, with the help of Thorns teammate Alex Morgan, Shim reported Riley’s behavior to the Thorns and Jeff Plush, the NWSL commissioner at the time. Based on Farrelly and Shim’s accounts, the Thorns investigated the incidents and decided not to renew Riley’s contract after the 2015 season. At the time, most thought Riley’s exit had to do with the team’s on-field results, a reason Riley endorsed in an email response to The Athletic.

On Wednesday, Thorns owner Merritt Paulson told The Athletic that the findings of the investigation factored into the team’s decision not to renew Riley’s contract in 2015 and that “everything was shared with the league.”

“Immediately when we became aware of these allegations at the end of our 2015 season, Paul Riley was placed on administrative leave and a thorough investigation advised by outside counsel was conducted, working closely with the NWSL league office,” the team said in a statement provided to The Athletic. “The investigation found no unlawful activity, but that Mr. Riley had violated our policies. As a result, we chose not to renew his contract. The findings of the investigation were shared with the NWSL league office.”

Riley was hired by the Western New York Flash five months later.

When the league adopted a new Anti-Harassment Policy earlier this year, Farrelly and Shim tried to renew the investigation with the NWSL and current league commissioner Lisa Baird. According to the report, Baird indicated to the players that the files had been reviewed, the investigation was closed and she could not share any details of the findings.

In a response to questions about his alleged conduct from The Athletic, Riley called the majority of the allegations “completely untrue.”

“I have never had sex with, or made sexual advances towards these players,” he wrote.

The accusations against Riley are the latest in a long list of scandals to hit the NWSL over the past year. Back in July, Gotham FC dismissed Alyse LaHue following a league investigation related to the league’s anti-harassment policy. In August, reports in the Washington Post detailed numerous accounts of verbal and emotional abuse by head coach Richie Burke, whom the Washington Spirit then fired. And in September, Racing Louisville fired Christy Holly “for cause.”

Last year, Dell Loy Hansen sold Utah Royals FC following reports of racist comments and a sexist culture in the club’s front office. Head coach Craig Harrington was also placed on administrative leave amid allegations of inappropriate conduct.

The NWSL Players Association is in the midst of negotiations with the league for the NWSL’s first collective bargaining agreement. The PA is fighting for player protections that extend beyond the league’s anti-harassment policy. They spoke out on Thursday, demanding action in the wake of the accusations against Riley.

UPDATE: The North Carolina Courage have fired Paul Riley.

MLB Trailblazer Kim Ng Named AUSL Commissioner

Miami Marlins GM Kim Ng smiles before a 2023 MLB game.
Ex-MLB GM Kim Ng will serve as AUSL’s first commissioner. (Quinn Harris/Getty Images)

The Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) hired former MLB executive Kim Ng as its first-ever commissioner on Wednesday, tapping into Ng’s 21 years of top-level experience ahead of the league’s inaugural 2025 season.

After becoming the youngest assistant general manager in baseball history for the New York Yankees in 1998, Ng inked another line into the record books as the first woman GM in any major US men’s sports league in November 2020, when she took over the front office for MLB’s Miami Marlins.

Her three-season tenure in Miami culminated in a 2023 playoff appearance — the Marlins' first in 20 years.

Ng's pivot to softball is a homecoming for the trailblazing 56-year-old exec, who played NCAA softball before breaking down MLB barriers.

"I think after 30-plus years in the business, I also owe it to myself to do some things that I hadn't necessarily had the opportunity to do in the past," Ng told The Athletic about her decision to join AUSL. "And this is, for me, it's a passion."

Prior to her commissioner appointment, Ng served as a senior advisor for AUSL, helping to develop the league into existence from a landscape full of growing parity at the college level, yet few viable pro opportunities.

"Knowing what an established, mature system of governance looks like, I think will be really helpful in establishing this league," Ng added.

Athletes Unlimited softball player Rachel Garcia warms up before a 2024 game.
AUSL offers NCAA alums like ex-UCLA star pitcher Rachel Garcia the chance to go pro in softball. (Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

AUSL takes the field with 2025 tour

Launching on June 7th — immediately following the 2025 NCAA Women's College World Series — each of the AUSL's four inaugural teams will play 24 games across a seven-week season.

The league's 2025 debut will function as a tour, with regular-season games played across eight different cities before two additional locations are added for the first-ever AUSL All-Star Cup in August.

Each city is auditioning to become one of six permanent markets for the league, which will transition to a traditional location-based set-up in 2026.

PWHL Reveals 2025 Draft Details, Will Welcome New Pros in June

2024 PWHL Draft No. 1 pick Sarah Fillier skates in a 2025 New York Sirens game.
Princeton alum Sarah Fillier was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 PWHL Draft. (Troy Parla/Getty Images)

The PWHL dropped its 2025 Draft details on Tuesday, with the league’s third-annual entry draft set to take over Ottawa, Canada — home of the Charge — on June 24th.

Eligible NCAA standouts and other pro hockey prospects have until May 8th to declare for selection, following the PWHL’s May 3rd regular-season finale.

Notably, the second-year league follows the Gold Plan when it comes to determining draft order. Under this system, teams eliminated from the playoffs have an incentive to continue hunting wins, as franchises who amass more points post-elimination secure higher draft picks.

The New York Sirens and 2024 champions Minnesota Frost currently sit below the postseason cutoff line, meaning both teams could snag the most draft capital when the league returns from international break later this month.

Team USA's Abbey Murphy skates during a 2023 game against Canada.
Team USA's Abbey Murphy is the likely 2025 PWHL Draft No. 1 pick, unless she returns to the NCAA. (Chris Tanouye/Getty Images)

NCAA stars likely to top 2025 PWHL Draft selections

Last year, the New York Sirens selected Princeton star Sarah Fillier as the overall No. 1 pick, with the rookie forward having an immediate impact in her debut pro season.

Fillier currently ranks second in individual points scored on the 2024/25 PWHL stat sheet, trailing only US hockey legend and Boston Fleet captain Hilary Knight.

As for who will join Fillier and Minnesota Frost forward Taylor Heise — the inaugural 2023 PWHL Draft No. 1 pick — atop this year's draft, two NCAA standouts are likely contenders.

Should she declare, University of Minnesota forward Abbey Murphy is the projected 2025 No. 1 pick.

However, Murphy could return to the Golden Gophers for a final NCAA season following her international duty with the 2025 IIHF Women's World Championship semifinals-bound Team USA.

Should Murphy defer her pro debut, 2024/25 NCAA MVP Casey O'Brien is the likely top selectee, having already declared for the draft.

The Wisconsin captain wrapped up her NCAA campaign as this season's leading scorer, claiming 88 points on 26 goals and 62 assists en route to this year’s national championship — the third NCAA title of her college career.

LSU Hunts Repeat Title as 2025 NCAA Gymnastics Championships Kick Off

UCLA gymnastics star Jordan Chiles poses during her balance beam routine at a 2025 NCAA meet.
Jordan Chiles’s UCLA squad is hunting their first NCAA title since 2018. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Eight top squads are edging closer to Saturday’s 2025 NCAA gymnastics championships team trophy, with the pivotal semifinal round kicking off on Thursday afternoon.

No. 2-seed Oklahoma, No. 3 Florida, No. 7 Missouri, and No. 11 Alabama will hit the mat first, before 2024 winners and the 2025 bracket's No. 1-seed LSU goes to work to defend their title against No. 4 Utah, No. 5 UCLA, and No. 8 Michigan State.

The top two teams from each of Thursday's semifinals will advance to compete for the national title on Saturday.

LSU's Haleigh Bryant does a split-leap during a December 2024 gymnastics exhibition meet.
LSU's Haleigh Bryant will defend her 2024 all-around title on Thursday. (Reagan Cotten/University Images via Getty Images)

Semifinal meets will crown individual NCAA champions

First, however, five individual NCAA trophies will be bestowed on Thursday night, as the semifinal meets will determine the 2025 all-around and event champions.

In addition to the athletes on the eight qualifying teams, four all-around competitors and 16 event specialists will join the race for solo NCAA hardware, with each earning an invite as the top performer in their respective category at one of the sport's four Regional tournaments.

These individual contenders will follow a qualified team's rotation schedule during their semifinal meet.

Leading the all-around pack is LSU star and 2024 individual champ Haleigh Bryant, though she'll face stiff competition in her bid for a back-to-back championship.

Standing in Bryant's path are Oregon State's Jade Carey, Arkansas's Joscelyn Roberson, Denver's Madison Ulrich, and Washington's Mary McDonough, alongside qualified team athletes like UCLA's Jordan Chiles — Carey’s 2024 Olympics teammate.

Bryant will also defend her shared 2024 vault title, though her co-champion on that event, Cal's Mya Lauzon, will instead compete for beam and floor hardware this week.

All other 2024 event winners are also back, with LSU's Konnor McClain and Florida's Leanne Wong seeking to repeat on beam and floor, respectively. Wong will also hunt another trophy on bars, alongside last year's co-champ, Utah's Grace McCallum.

How to watch the 2025 NCAA Gymnastics Championships

The first 2025 NCAA gymnastics semifinal starts at 4:30 PM ET on Thursday, followed by the second semi at 9 PM ET.

Live coverage of both semifinal meets will air on ESPN2.

Aflac Boosts Prize Payout for 2025 WNBA All-Star Weekend

Atlanta Dream guard Allisha Gray smiles while holding her 2024 WNBA All-Star 3-Point Contest and Skills Challenge champion checks.
Allisha Gray made history by winning both the Skills Challenge and 3-Point Contest in 2024. (WNBPA)

Insurance giant Aflac is renewing their 2024 partnership with the WNBPA, raising the stakes at the 2025 WNBA All-Star Weekend by boosting prize payouts for individual competitions.

When WNBA standouts will take the Indianapolis court for the July 18th competitions, $60,000 will be on the line for this year's 3-Point Contest winner and $55,000 for the 2025 Skills Challenge champion.

Those figures reflect Aflac's overall purse increase from $110,000 to $115,000 — a move that aligns the two events' payouts with their NBA All-Star equivalents.

"Aflac's investment in us isn't a one-off. It's year two," said WNBPA president and nine-time All-Star Nneka Ogwumike. "We're excited about what's ahead as we grow this together. It's not just about the rewards; it's about building a future where our value is undeniable."

Caitlin Clark lines up a free throw during an Indiana Fever game.
Clark declined an NBA All-Star invite in order to make her individual competitions debut at the 2025 WNBA All-Star Weekend. (Kate Frese/NBAE via Getty Images)

Gray, Clark are early favorites for All-Star contest payday

While the increase achieves gender pay equity with their NBA counterparts, Aflac's initial 2024 WNBA All-Star investment already dwarfed the mere $2,575 allocated to each contest's victor in the league's current CBA.

Cashing in on that significant pay increase was Atlanta Dream forward Allisha Gray, who cleaned up at the 2024 All-Star Game by winning both solo events.

As the first-ever player to dominate both contests in a single night, Gray collected roughly 62% of her annual $185,000 WNBA salary with the dual wins.

This year, however, the champ will have some new competition to her title defense, as 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year and notable sharpshooter Caitlin Clark plans to make her WNBA All-Star 3-Point Contest debut this summer.

How to attend the 2025 WNBA All-Star Weekend

Hosted at the Indiana Fever's home of Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game will tip off on July 19th, one day after both the 3-Point Contest and Skills Challenge.

Tickets for all three events will go on sale online at 2 PM ET on April 29th.

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