NWSL Fines Red Stars Co-Owner Sarah Spain and Gotham FC GM Alyse LaHue

After speaking out in support of Chicago Red Star’s Sarah Gorden, Red Stars co-owner Sarah Spain and Gotham FC GM Alyse LaHue have reportedly been fined.

LaHue and Spain were allegedly fined for violating a memo reportedly sent out by the NWSL urging front office members not to comment on the ongoing investigation.

Source with knowledge of the situation tells me Chicago owner Sarah Spain & Gotham FC GM Alyse LaHue were indeed fined by the NWSL for tweeting about the Houston racial discrimination investigation after the league sent its board of governors notice & directed them not to comment

— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) April 14, 2021

The fines come after tweets from Spain and LaHue in which they spoke out and showed their support for those involved.

Owners too, @sarahlgorden. https://t.co/tL470a53eB

— Sarah Spain (@SarahSpain) April 13, 2021

I am disappointed by some of the events that took place in @NWSL over the last weekend, and especially so in some of the responses.

Soccer in America has not always been welcoming for black players, but I have hoped for a safe place in our (women's) pro league. [con't below]

— Alyse LaHue (@alahue) April 13, 2021

Reportedly, the directive does not apply to the league’s players.

Gorden’s spoke out this weekend in a Twitter thread that went viral after the game, detailing how she and her boyfriend were racially profiled by a security guard.

At first I didn’t realize this was a racial issue until I saw white @HoustonDash players surrounding the stadium talking closely to their family and we were the only ones targeted

— Sarah Gorden (@sarahlgorden) April 10, 2021

When asked by Gorden why the guard was only talking to her and her boyfriend, the guard alleged he would address the other players later. Gorden asserts that the guard never approached the other players.

The Dash initially apologized, citing COVID-19 safety being partially behind the incident. After receiving backlash, the team issued another statement stating, “we recognize now that the initial statement was off the mark and we apologize to Sarah, the NWSL and our fans.”

Red Stars assistant coach Scott Parkinson posted on Twitter Saturday, calling the situation “extremely upsetting” and that his instincts “told me they were being unfairly treated because of the color of their skin.”

“I wasn’t upset that it was one of our players,” Parkinson added. “I was upset that the only people being harassed were people of color.”

Gorden’s fellow teammates also took to Twitter with a joint statement in support: “It is unacceptable that a player is left in tears due to the actions of a stadium employee…we stand with our teammate and will continue to speak out against unjust and unequal treatment, especially for our teammates of color.”

The NWSL also issued a statement stating that an investigation was launched Saturday and asking that respective clubs “refrain from commenting further.”

The league added that their policy is part of an “ongoing commitment to creating and maintaining a safe and respectful work environment free from all forms of harassment and discrimination based on a person’s race, religion, national origin, or any other protected status.”

Loads took to Twitter to express their disappointment over the NWSL’s policy.

So the NWSL is fining teams for speaking out against racism....

This is abominable. https://t.co/97hSU6SfAn

— Alex Ibaceta (@alexibaceta23) April 13, 2021

With these decisions, the NWSL's Disciplinary Committee is basically saying, "Stick to sports."

The NWSL needs to do better. A lot better. https://t.co/QOG6rG9mvA

— GOALS (@goals_sports_) April 14, 2021

Just to be clear, what's happening in the NWSL is censorship.

— Kai (@hiyakaiya) April 14, 2021

The league has yet to respond to any of the backlash or to provide updates on the ongoing investigation.