Racing Louisville players remember bringing their concerns about former coach Christy Holly to the organization. They also remember those concerns being dismissed.

One current and three former Racing players were in the midst of an interview with WHAS11’s Tyler Greever on Wednesday when the Louisville club issued its statement addressing the recent U.S. Soccer report into abuse in the NWSL.

The findings from U.S. Soccer’s investigation included details of Holly’s abuse of former Racing player Erin Simon, which included multiple instances of groping and unwanted sexual advances.

According to the players who spoke with WHAS11, previous concerns regarding Holly had been brought forth but were not taken seriously by the team.

The current Racing Louisville FC player I spoke with today is Louisville native and UofL alumna Emina Ekic. The three former Racing players I spoke with are Julia Ashley, Jorian Baucom and Taylor Otto. These are their reactions to the club's statement after I read it to them: pic.twitter.com/MK7enDID82

— Tyler Greever (@Tyler_Greever) October 5, 2022

Racing Louisville club president James O’Connor apologized to Simon in the letter released Wednesday, and he called hiring Holly “a mistake” that the team has learned from. He also noted that Holly was “terminated within 24 hours of us being alerted to the behavior.”

Yet the players said the team only took action once reports of Holly’s behavior reached “worst-case scenario” of abuse while dismissing other issues.

“Last year, there were so many people that went up to the higher ups and spoke and addressed their concerns,” former Racing player Taylor Otto said. “And they did absolutely nothing. They said, ‘Oh, we’ll look into it. Oh, are you sure that happened? Oh, well, what was the context?’”

Otto estimated that as many as 10 people voiced concerns over Holly’s behavior.

“So you’re telling us that you’ve changed, you’re listening and you’re going to address these issues when players come to you and you hope they feel safe coming to you,” she continued. “But how do you expect your players to feel safe coming to you about these problems when you did absolutely nothing?”

Former Racing player Julia Ashley noted that when Simon reported Holly’s abuse in August, it was the “breaking point.” But Ashley said when players brought their issues to the front office before that point, they were asked to present “the facts.”

“We went in early and spoke to James spoke to HR about all the small things that were happening — not small things, but things that accumulated over time that were smaller in comparison to the sexual abuse,” she said. “The sexual abuse is what is being brought up right now because it is the most prevalent and it is the biggest part of it.

“But all of these small things are getting pushed aside. And they’re not being recognized.”

Current Racing player Emina Ekic noted that players were told they were “weak” and that front office members brushed off Holly’s actions as “criticism” and “yelling.”

“We could still be sitting here with nothing being addressed if it didn’t get to the worst-case scenario, which was assault,” she said. “It had to escalate to the worst possible thing for us to be sitting here and talking about it and recognizing that everything that’s happened and what the club did was wrong.”

Jorian Baucom, a former Racing player who now plays for the North Carolina Courage, called out the organization for failing to call Simon’s situation what it was. She recalled the club informing players that Holly had been fired for “an inappropriate relationship.”

“What still irritates me is that James [O’Connor] and Racing will not say that Erin was sexually abused and that Christy Holly was a predator,” she said. “I’m sorry, but that’s not a relationship. He sexually abused her. And he preyed on her and what he did that needs to be addressed.

“If they’re saying they commend Erin, they need to say they need to personally apologize to her. They came out in 2021 with that statement that was so absolutely vague. We didn’t need to say Erin’s name, you could have very well still brought up the fact that a player in the organization was sexually abused by Christy Holly, and no further questions.”

In his statement, O’Connor said Racing is “not the same club that we were in August of 2021,” but Baucom said she believes she is still seeing “kind of the same patterns” with the club.

Other players have also spoken out about their time in Louisville, with Brooke Hendrix detailing the powerlessness she felt in being unable to help Simon. Simon, meanwhile, issued a statement Wednesday saying that she hopes soccer can become “a safe place.”

Cameron Brink already has her rookie of the year pick for the upcoming WNBA season, and it’s Indiana-bound star Caitlin Clark. 

In the latest edition of Kelley on the Street, host Kelley O'Hara caught up with Brink in New York hours before the Stanford phenom went No. 2 overall to the Los Angeles Sparks at the 2024 WNBA Draft. When O’Hara asked who would win the WNBA's rookie of the year, she answered without pause.

"Caitlin Clark," she said, while a fan commented that she thought Brink would take home the award. Brink later added that the extra foul granted to WNBA players will be "good for me."

"I hope it’s me," Charisma Osborne, who was later drafted by the Phoenix Mercury, said when asked her ROY prediction. "But, I don’t know — we’ll see."

Watch more of Kelley on the Street:

Maria Sanchez issued a statement on Thursday, confirming recent reports that she has requested a trade from the Houston Dash. 

In it, she revealed that the club has been aware of the request "since late March."

"This has all taken a toll and isn’t an easy thing to talk about, but I want to confirm that I’ve requested an immediate trade," she wrote. "My expectations and reasons have been clear. I trust that my current club’s management will honor my decision in a timely manner and proceed with accepting a trade."

"I’m eager to refocus and dive back into what I love most: playing football," she concluded.

Thank you, everyone, for the outpouring of kindness and support. pic.twitter.com/gcnN7dhCJU

— Maria Sanchez (@Maria17_7) April 19, 2024

Reports of Sanchez's trade request first surfaced on ESPN last week, and were later confirmed by multiple sources. 

In December of last year, Sanchez signed a three-year contract with the Dash valued at $1.5 million including bonuses and an option year. It was the largest contract in NWSL history at the time — a figure that would be eclipsed by multiple contracts in the following months. 

Sanchez spent the offseason as a restricted free agent, meaning that Houston could match any other team's offer to retain her rights. Should the Dash trade Sanchez, her current contract terms would remain intact, limiting potential buyers to teams able to afford to take on an inking of that size.

The Dash has yet to address the trade, instead reiterating to ESPN that Sanchez is "under contract, a choice she made in free agency at the end of 2023." 

Both the NWSL trade window and transfer window close tonight, April 19th, at 12 a.m. ET. The window will stay closed through the next 11 regular season games, reopening on August 1st, 2024.

The four-time league champion Seattle Storm unveiled their new practice facility on Thursday, with Storm co-owner Lisa Brummel dubbing Interbay's Seattle Storm Center for Basketball Performance the team’s "new home."

"It's just such a special space," Brummel told Fox 13 Seattle. "I think when the players get here, it's gonna be overwhelming."

The sprawling 50,000-square-foot, $64 million property is just the second designated practice facility to be designed and built expressly for a WNBA team, with the Storm further noting that 85% of all design and engineering team members involved in the project's construction were women and people of color. The finished product holds two professional indoor courts, two 3x3 outdoor courts, a state-of-the-art locker room, and players' lounge, plus designated areas for strength and conditioning, kitchen, dining, and nutrition, and recovery. 

"This facility reflects our commitment to providing our athletes an exceptional environment that supports their growth, health, and performance," said Storm co-owner Ginny Gilder in an official team release. "It’s built for women, by women, embodying our dedication to leading the way in professional women’s sports."

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For their part, the team can't wait to make the faciilty their own.

"It's amazing," Storm guard Jewell Loyd told Fox 13. "Not having to drive everywhere around, knowing you have access anytime of the day to get into the gym, to workout." 

Head coach Noelle Quinn said she predicts the team is "never going to leave this building."

"Which is a good thing for me," she continued. "You talk about having an edge in performance. We want our athletes to not only perform on the court, but get whatever they need."

All of the Storm's staff and operations will now live under one roof, and the team also has plans to launch a youth basketball program operating out of the building.

The Caitlin Clark effect is quickly making its mark on the big leagues, as WNBA host teams around the country rush to upgrade their Fever games to larger arenas in order to accommodate surging ticket sales.

With Clark mere weeks away from her Indiana Fever debut, both the Las Vegas Aces and Washington Mystics have officially relocated their scheduled home games with head coach Christie Sides' squad. On Thursday, the Mystics became the latest to adjust their plans, moving their June 7th matchup from Entertainment & Sports Arena in Southwest DC to the more centrally located — and much larger — Capital One Arena "due to unprecedented demand."

The Mystics home court's capacity taps out at 4,200, while Capital One Arena — home to the Wizards, Capitals, and Georgetown Hoya's Men's Basketball — can fit nearly five times that crowd at some 20,000 spectators.

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"The move to Capital One Arena will allow for additional fans in the stands as well as premium hospitality options, including Suites and the all-new all-inclusive courtside Hennessy Lofts," the team announced via Thursday's press release.

The Aces were one of the first teams to switch venues, aiming to take on the Indiana Fever in front of as many as 20,000 fans inside T-Mobile Arena on July 2nd. That’s a sizable a boost from their home venue, which holds just 12,000.

For those still planning to face the Fever in their home arenas, ticket prices have skyrocketed. Previously scheduled construction has already forced the LA Sparks to relocate their first five games — including their May 24th clash with the Fever — to Long Beach State's Walter Pyramid. The temporary venue is quite the downsize, holding just 4,000 in comparison to Crypto.com Arena's near-19,000. As of Friday, the get-in price for that game started around $400.

Despite fans launching a Change.org petition urging relocation, the Chicago Sky say they're unable to move their June 23rd Fever meeting from Wintrust Arena's 10,000-seat facility to the 23,500-seat United Center due to a concert. Tickets for that game start around $325 as of Friday.