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NWSL investigation: Misconduct occurred at ‘vast majority’ of clubs

(Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The NWSL and NWSLPA released the report on their joint investigation Wednesday, which uncovers new details of “widespread misconduct” in the league.

The NWSL, its clubs and U.S. Soccer failed to protect players, per the report, which both reiterates and expands upon the U.S. Soccer investigation released in October. The investigation pulls back the curtain on just how entrenched such abuse was in the league.

“Misconduct against players has occurred at the vast majority of NWSL clubs at various times from the earliest years of the League to the present,” the report found.

“This report clearly reflects how our league systemically failed to protect our players,” commissioner Jessica Berman said in a statement, followed by an apology to players for the NWSL’s “failures and missteps.”

“They deserve, at a minimum, a safe and secure environment to participate at the highest level in a sport they love, and they have my unwavering commitment that delivering that change will remain a priority each and every day,” Berman continued.

The NWSL and NWSLPA started the investigation in October 2021 after a 2021 report in The Athletic detailed allegations of sexual harassment and coercion made in 2015 against then-Portland Thorns head coach Paul Riley. In the wake of The Athletic’s report, Riley was fired as head coach of the North Carolina Courage.

Riley’s misconduct continued in his time with the Courage. He engaged in grooming behaviors toward one player, and other players reported abusive conduct and comments, per the report.

Riley did not participate in the joint investigation.

The report also exposed further details of Chicago Red Stars owner Arnim Whisler’s failure to protect players.

Whisler disregarded player complaints about former head coach Rory Dames. He also reportedly considered keeping Dames on staff in a role that would not involve players, even with full knowledge of the Washington Post’s 2021 report into his misconduct. While Whisler later asked Dames to resign, the owner still paid him for the remainder of the year.

Whisler has committed to selling the Red Stars after being ousted by the club’s Board of Governors.

The NWSL investigation focused not just on these clubs but on the entire league. Several names not mentioned in Sally Yates’ report for US Soccer also were implicated in the report, among them: former Gotham FC general manager Alyse LaHue, former Houston Dash coach Vera Pauw and former Utah Royals coach Craig Harrington.

  • LaHue made unwanted sexual advances toward a player during her time with Gotham FC, per the report. Among the advances were text messages, including one that read, “I don’t see us as friends.” While LaHue initially participated in the investigation, she canceled a follow-up interview and declined multiple requests to reschedule.
  • Pauw weight-shamed players and “attempted to exert excessive control over their eating habits” as Dash coach in 2018, per the report. Players said Pauw “wanted to exert control over ‘every aspect of their lives.'” While Pauw appeared for an interview, she “refused to cooperate,” according to the report. She also provided a written statement denying the allegations.
  • Harrington, who served as an assistant coach of the Red Stars in 2018-19 and became head coach of the Royals in 2020, “blurred professional boundaries with players,” the report reads. Harrington would drink with players at bars, sometimes to excess, and also made sexual comments to and about players, per the report. Harrington denied the allegations, but the report states that the investigative team “did not find his denials to be credible when viewed against the accounts of multiple other witnesses.”
  • Former NWSL general counsel Lisa Levine mishandled player complaints, per the report. And then when interviewed by the investigative team, she “deflected criticism of the NWSL’s failure to act in response to these complaints onto the players themselves,” the report reads.

“While this report is the culmination of a tireless effort by many, it was players who took the first steps to bring us to this moment,” NWSLPA executive director Meghann Burke said. “When faced with the choice between silence versus speaking out at real personal risk, players who demanded a reckoning gave the NWSL a chance at transformation. They deserve our gratitude and respect.”

The report details a systemic failure by both the NWSL and U.S. Soccer, stemming from a lack of structure and guidance in and between the organizations. U.S. Soccer managed the NWSL from 2012 until 2020.

For example, while clubs expected the league to help handle misconduct reports, the league expected teams to have processes at the HR level to handle such reports.

“[Former U.S. Soccer president Sunil] Gulati also stated that U.S. Soccer relied on the league and the club to develop their own policies regarding misconduct, but he did not recall ever conveying to the clubs that they were responsible for setting up these policies,” the report states.

Background checks were not mandated until August 2021, when the league implemented a policy requiring them for head coaches. In September, that was expanded to assistant coaches and other staff directly involved with players.

NY Liberty Reclaims No. 2 in the WNBA Standings Ahead of All-Star Game

New York Liberty stars Natasha Cloud and Sabrina Ionescu celebrate with teammate Breanna Stewart during a 2025 WNBA game.
The New York Liberty head into WNBA All-Star weekend as the league's No. 2 team. (Catalina Fragoso/NBAE via Getty Images)

The New York Liberty appear to be back on track, with the reigning champs leapfrogging the Phoenix Mercury to reclaim the No. 2 spot in the WNBA standings on Wednesday night.

Led by a 24-point, 11-rebound double-double from star forward Breanna Stewart, the Liberty punched a 98-77 win over a Caitlin Clark-less No. 6 Indiana Fever, as the 2025 WNBA All-Star captain remains day-to-day with a groin injury.

With Wednesday's victory, New York is now riding a three-game winning streak into All-Star weekend — and there's even more good news is on the horizon for the Liberty with starting center Jonquel Jones expected to return from her ankle injury after the break.

As for now-No. 3 Phoenix, New York's gain is the Mercury's loss, as their Wednesday clash with the league-leading Lynx ended 79-66 in Minnesota's favor while injured Phoenix stars Satou Sabally and Kahleah Copper rode the bench.

Expansion upstart Golden State has also started to skid, leaving the Valkyries entering the break at No. 9 with three consecutive losses — including a 67-58 stumble against the No. 4 Seattle Storm on Wednesday.

Elsewhere, the No. 8 Las Vegas Aces have begun to regroup, entering the All-Star break on a two-game winning streak behind 2024 MVP A'ja Wilson and her combined 71 points and 26 rebounds over the last two games.

With the second half of the 2025 season tipping off following this weekend's All-Star festivities, momentum will be at a premium as early performances roll into postseason trajectories.

Italy Tops Norway to Advance to 1st Euro Semifinals in 28 Years

Italy striker Cristiana Girelli celebrates one of her two goals during their 2025 Euro quarterfinal win over Norway.
Italy reached their first Euro semifinal since 1997 on Wednesday. (Image Photo Agency/Getty Images)

World No. 13 Italy advanced to the 2025 Euro semifinals on Wednesday, defeating No. 16 Norway 2-1 in dramatic fashion to make it past the tournament's quarterfinals for the first time since 1997.

Captain Cristiana Girelli played hero, scoring both of Italy's goals — including a 90th-minute game-winner to successfully avoid extra time.

"I felt something different, something special," Girelli said following the match. "I have seen in the eyes of my teammates a special light."

Norway, however, faced a disappointing tournament exit, after captain Ada Hegerberg missed a penalty before scoring the team's lone goal in the second half.

Next on the 2025 Euro quarterfinals pitch are No. 6 Sweden and No. 5 England, as the European heavyweights face off in one of the round's most-anticipated matchups.

Sweden topped Group C with three emphatic wins, setting them up to take on the runners-up of the competition's notorious "Group of Death" — the reigning Euro champion Lionesses.

England enters the matchup on a two-game winning streak, picking up points against the No. 11 Netherlands and No. 30 Wales after falling to No. 10 France to open group play.

"They're relentless when it comes to tournament football," England captain Leah Williamson said of the Tokyo Olympic silver medalists. "They're just a very organized team."

How to watch Sweden vs. England in the 2025 Euro quarterfinals

The 2025 quarterfinals continue with Sweden taking on England at 3 PM ET on Thursday, live on FOX.

WNBA Announces 4-Point Shots, New Rules for 2025 All-Star Game

A diagram of the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game court features four circles in which shots made will be worth four points each.
The 2025 WNBA All-Star Game court will have four small areas in which shots made will be worth four points each. (WNBA)

The WNBA has set the scene for this weekend's 2025 All-Star Game, laying out a handful of special rules meant to liven up the on-court action.

The game will introduce four major changes: a four-point shot, a 20-second shot clock, live-play substitutions, and automatic points for free throws.

While four-point shots aren't a new All-Star Game invention, last year's matchup between the WNBA All-Stars and Team USA did not feature them.

To sink a four-point shot on Saturday, the shooting player must have contact with one of the four marked circles on the court, located 28 feet from the rim.

With four seconds taken off the shot clock to speed up the game, All-Star squads will also be able to make a one-player substitution while the ball is in play — so long as the team in question has possession in their backcourt.

As for the "No Free-Throws" rule, free-throw shooting will only occur in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter, plus the full length of any overtime period(s).

Prior to the final two minutes of regulation, players will be automatically credited the maximum available point(s) incurred by the foul.

How to watch the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game

The 2025 WNBA All-Star Game will tip off in Indianapolis at 8:30 PM ET on Saturday.

Live coverage of the game will air on ABC.

Simone Biles Headlines Women’s Sports Winners at 2025 ESPY Awards

US gymnast Simone Biles holds her trophy at the 2025 ESPY Awards.
Team USA gymnast Simone Biles won two trophies at the 2025 ESPY Awards on Wednesday. (Christopher Polk/Getty Images)

Women won big at Wednesday's 2025 ESPY Awards, with star athletes from across women's sports earning top honors for outstanding performances over the past year.

Leading the charge was seven-time Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast Simone Biles with ESPYS for both Best Athlete, Women's Sports and Best Championship Performance for her trio of golds at last summer's Paris Games.

"Six-year-old me, who first started tumbling on my parents' sofa in the living room, is floored to be standing before you right now," Biles shared in one of her speeches.

Biles's Team USA teammate Suni Lee, who brought her doctor to the awards, won Best Comeback Athlete after battling kidney disease to return to top the Olympic podium.

The night's Best Breakthrough Athlete was USA Rugby star and 2024 Olympic bronze medalist Ilona Maher, who used part of her speech to encourage young women and girls, telling them to "Take up space. Pitch it faster. Run harder. Put another plate on the bar. And never tone it down."

Also snagging honors as the top athletes in their respective sports were Coco Gauff (Best Tennis Player), Caitlin Clark (Best WNBA Player), Katie Taylor (Best Boxer), and JuJu Watkins (Best College Athlete, Women's Sports).

Meanwhile, USWNT icon Alex Morgan and WNBA legend Diana Taurasi shared this year's Icon Award in recognition of the new retirees' impacts on their respective sports.

"Our mission has always been very similar," Morgan said in her acceptance speech alongside Taurasi. "We fought to leave our game in a better place than where we found it."

Penn State volleyball head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley accepts the 2025 Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at the ESPY Awards.
Penn State volleyball coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley led her team to an NCAA title while battling cancer. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Off-court efforts earn 2025 ESPY Awards

Sports leaders whose impact surpassed the proverbial playing field also took home trophies on Wednesday night.

In recognition of her foundation's commitment to promoting diversity and providing tennis opportunities to underserved communities, US legend Sloane Stephens won this year's Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award.

Later, Penn State volleyball head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley earned a standing ovation alongside her Jimmy V Award for Perseverance.

Schumacher-Cawley, who became the first woman to helm a national title-winning volleyball team by leading her Nittany Lions to the 2024 NCAA Championship last December, did so while battling breast cancer.

"Cancer changed my life, but it didn't take it," said an emotional Schumacher-Cawley. "It didn't take my belief, it didn't take my spirit, and it didn't take my team."

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