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Richie Burke blames ‘cancel culture’ for Washington Spirit abuse fallout

Former Washington Spirit coach Richie Burke (Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Richie Burke gave his first public interview in a documentary that aired this week since being fired as head coach of the Washington Spirit last September due to alleged abusive behavior. Burke told ESPN’s Lisa Salters during the E:60 report, “Truth Be Told: The Fight for Women’s Professional Soccer,” that his firing was due to “cancel culture.”

During the segment on the Spirit, Burke repeatedly denied any wrongdoing despite reports from several players of verbal abuse, emotional abuse and racism.

“This word ‘abuse,’ I think it’s ridiculous that people gravitate toward this,” Burke said in the documentary. “If the punishment for shouting at people is that your career is over and done with, then I think that’s the example of what cancel culture is exactly like.”

His actions, however, went past “shouting,” as first detailed in a Washington Post report by Molly Hensley-Clancy and then expanded upon in Sally Yates’ report for U.S. Soccer, released on Monday. According to that report, in 2020 player surveys Spirit players described Burke as someone who played “major psychological games with [non]-starters, using demeaning language and also threatens to waive us” and who “would ‘lost his s—t’ one day, and then apologize the next.”

Kaiya McCullough, who left the Spirit in September 2020, detailed her experiences with Burke to Hensley-Clancy and Salters in the E:60 documentary. McCullough said that she has played for numerous “hard” coaches, but that Burke crossed the line in multiple ways.

“What felt different about Richie was the way Richie yelled was often causing harm,” she said. “It just felt like he would berate people. Soccer became something that I feared.”

OL Reign forward Bethany Balcer tweeted her support for McCullough and the other Spirit players on Tuesday evening, condemning Richie’s comments about “cancel culture.”

“Yelling at someone and verbal abuse are two different things,” she wrote.

Tori Huster, who played for Burke since 2019 and remains a member of the Spirit, said “plenty of conversations” were had with Burke to try to get him to understand the consequences of his verbally and emotionally abusive behavior.

Burke denied this in his E:60 interview.

“If they have referenced that, I can’t recall it and I can’t remember it,” he said.

McCullough remembers going home after practice and crying multiple times because of Burke’s conduct.

On one occasion, following the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, McCullough and her teammates decided to kneel and take a picture before a Challenge Cup game that season in protest of police brutality.

Burke, she says, took a practice dummy, placed it on the ground and kneeled on it, stating, “Why don’t we do this for the picture?”

Floyd was killed when Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck during an arrest and cut off his ability to breathe.

Burke addressed the situation in the documentary, brushing it off as a joke: “I said to the photographer, ‘How would it look if I knelt down on this mannequin and flipped off the camera, as if to say “up yours” for kneeling on the neck of a man?’”

This wasn’t the only instance of racism McCullough, who is Black, says she witnessed or experienced. Burke, she says, used the N-word multiple times in front of her and committed microaggressions against her and teammates.

Burke denies this as well.

“One of our leaders, she came to me and said, ‘What do you know about microaggressions?’ And I said, ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’” Burke told Salters. “‘I imagine they’re small acts of aggression. I don’t know.’ She says, ‘I think you should look it up … Kaiya thinks that you unconsciously have microaggressions toward Black people.’ I’m like, ‘What?’”

After the documentary aired, McCullough took to Twitter to express her desire to move on from Burke’s abuse.

“That is the last time you’ll see an interview from me about that chapter in my life. Please don’t ask me to talk about it anymore,” she wrote. “I feel like I’ve said my piece, I’ve found my peace, and given all of myself that I can. I’m ready to move forward. thank you.”

NWSL Replaces Entry Draft with New Player Combines

San Diego Wave center back Trinity Armstrong controls the ball during a 2025 NWSL match.
18-year-old defender Trinity Armstrong signed directly with the San Diego Wave following the elimination of the NWSL draft structure. (Joe Scarnici/NWSL via Getty Images)

The NWSL is changing up its athlete acquisition process, with the league announcing on Wednesday that it will replace the CBA-eliminated draft with a pair of player combines starting this December.

Dividing prospects into two groups — adults and college-aged (U18-23) and youth (U13-17) — the three-day programs will showcase player talent and allow clubs to sign standouts as free agents.  

To maintain competitive balance across the NWSL and set incoming 2026 expansion teams Boston Legacy FC and Denver Summit FC up for success, the league already revised several roster-building mechanisms, including adopting a new allocation money structure as well as intra-league loans.

Like the abolishment of the draft and the new mechanism requiring athletes to acquiesce to their own trades, the new NWSL combines will give players more freedom over their careers while also better aligning the growing US league with global soccer standards.

"As the women's soccer landscape continues to rapidly evolve, a Combine is a strategic platform that will allow us to support NWSL clubs in early talent evaluation and provide players with exposure to a professional environment," said league director of youth development Karla Thompson in Wednesday's statement.

"This initiative is about widening the lens...and ensuring that talent, wherever it resides, has a continued pathway to our league."

Golden State Valkyries Boss Natalie Nakase Wins 2025 WNBA Coach of the Year

Golden State Valkyries boss Natalie Nakase lifts her 2025 WNBA Coach of the Year trophy before a playoff game.
Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase is the first inaugural expansion team boss to be named WNBA Coach of the Year. (Jed Jacobsohn/NBAE via Getty Images)

Despite falling from the playoffs on Wednesday night, Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase is still ending her season on a win, with the WNBA naming the first-year expansion team sideline boss the 2025 Coach of the Year this week.

Nakase picked up 53 out of the sports media panel's 72 votes to take the title, with fellow sideline rookie Karl Smesko (Atlanta Dream) trailing with 15 votes while veteran leaders Becky Hammon (Las Vegas Aces) and Cheryl Reeve (Minnesota Lynx) tied for third place with two votes apiece.

"What this does, is it reflects on [our] whole organization," said Nakase, sharing credit with her team and staff. "Without [the players], we wouldn't have had a winning season and we wouldn't be where I am today now."

Golden State made WNBA expansion history under Nakase

In leading Golden State to a 23-21 regular season — a league record for wins by an expansion team in their first campaign — Nakase also minted the Valkyries as the first-ever expansion franchise to make the WNBA Playoffs in their debut season.

That success came from the team's strong defense, as the Valkyries held opponents to a league-wide low in both points per game (76.3) and field goal percentage (40.5%) on the year.

Before joining the Valkyries, Nakase served as an assistant coach in Las Vegas, helping guide the Aces to back-to-back championships in 2022 and 2023.

"Natalie has been a fierce leader from the very moment she was announced as head coach," said Golden State GM Ohemaa Nyanin. "Her core philosophy of connectivity and emphasis on high character has created an environment where everyone can thrive. Her unique approach to leadership and ability to hold players accountable with care while staying true to her values has been remarkable."

"I love playing for a fiery coach who always wants to win and believes in her players so much," said Valkyries — and former Aces — guard Kate Martin.

Winner-Take-All Games Cap 1st Round of the WNBA Playoffs

Indiana Fever teammates Aliyah Boston and Lexie Hull chest-bump in celebration of their Game 2 win in the first round of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs.
The Indiana Fever forced a winner-take-all Game 3 against the Atlanta Dream in the first round of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)

The new WNBA home-away-home first-round format has upped the dramatics in the 2025 Playoffs, as multiple home-court upsets have forced Game 3 deciders this week.

The No. 6 Indiana Fever's Game 2 win over No. 3 Atlanta set up Thursday's elimination game, with the injury-riddled Fever taking down the Dream 77-60 on Tuesday to keep their playoff dreams alive.

The No. 7 Seattle Storm also earned themselves a Game 3, facing No. 2 Las Vegas in Thursday's nightcap after snapping the Aces' 17-game winning streak in Tuesday's 86-83 Game 2 shocker.

Indiana and Seattle remain the series' underdogs, ceding home-court advantage as Atlanta aims to build on their first playoff win since 2016 while Las Vegas shoots for a third title in four years.

"Our backs were definitely against the wall in this, and we know that we've just been through so much this season," Fever center Aliyah Boston said postgame. "Coming out with this win and then giving ourselves another chance in Game 3, emotions are high."

How to watch Game 3 action in the 2025 WNBA Playoffs

The first round's Game 3 finales begin with two winner-take-all matchups on Thursday night, beginning when the No. 6 Indiana Fever tackles the No. 3 Atlanta Dream at 7:30 PM ET on ESPN2.

Shortly afterward, the No. 6 Seattle Storm will take on the No. 2 Las Vegas Aces, also airing live on ESPN2.

Minnesota Books Trip to WNBA Semifinals with Golden State Sweep

Minnesota Lynx teammates Napheesa Collier, Courtney Williams, Kayla McBride, and Bridget Carleton celebrate their first-round sweep in the 2025 WNBA Playoffs.
The Minnesota Lynx overcame a 17-point deficit to close out their 2025 WNBA Playoffs first-round series against the Golden State Valkyries on Wednesday. (Matthew Huang/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The No. 1 Minnesota Lynx became the first WNBA team to punch their ticket to the 2025 semifinals with a dramatic come-from-behind win on Wednesday night, fighting back from a 17-point deficit to sneak past the No. 8 Golden State Valkyries 75-74 and sweep their first-round playoffs series.

Bolstered by a strong crowd traveling down to San Jose for the relocated home matchup, the Valkyries broke out into an early lead, but the 2025 expansion side couldn't hang on in the final seconds as the top-seeded Lynx rallied.

"I am just so proud of our effort," Minnesota forward Napheesa Collier said postgame. "I think it shows the grit and the resilience that this team has and what we've been talking about for two years."

The Lynx secured the only sweep in this year's best-of-three opening postseason round, with every other series moving to a Game 3 decider.

"The games that we've watched demonstrate that level of desperation for teams in elimination games," Minnesota head coach Cheryl Reeve reflected.

How to watch the Minnesota Lynx in the 2025 WNBA semifinals

The No. 1 Minnesota Lynx will next face the lowest seed to advance past this week's first round, with Thursday and Friday Game 3 action determining their opponent.

The 2025 WNBA semifinals will then tip off on Sunday, with live coverage airing on ESPN platforms.

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