Jaelene Daniels and the North Carolina Courage have parted ways again after the club declined a team option on her contract for the 2023 season.

The defender retired from the NWSL in 2020 but returned to the league last December when she re-signed with the Courage. Daniels’ return immediately sparked backlash, as she had refused a call-up to the U.S. women’s national team in 2017 because she did not want to wear a rainbow-themed LGBTQ+ Pride jersey.

She reached out to Courage teammates and fans with a statement after her signing, saying, “My beliefs may call me to live differently, but my love runs deep for all.”

Courage owner Steve Malik defended Daniels’ signing in a statement. While the decision “sparked a lot of discussion internally, and with a cross section of fans,” the club felt she had made a “positive impact” on their “successful history,” Malik said.

Daniels, 29, started her NWSL career in 2015 with the Western New York Flash, the franchise that became the Courage in 2017. A two-time NWSL champion with the franchise in 2016 and in 2018, she announced her retirement in November 2020.

After the 2019 World Cup, her former USWNT teammate Ashlyn Harris — who is married to Ali Krieger, another of Daniels’ former USWNT teammates — slammed Daniels for her stance on the LGBTQ+ community, calling her intolerant and “homophobic.”

“You don’t belong in a sport that aims to unite and bring people together,” Harris said. “You would never fit into our pack or what this team stands for. Don’t you dare say our team is ‘not a welcoming place for Christians.’ You weren’t around long enough to know what this team stood for. This is actually an insult to the Christians on our team.”

When Daniels returned to North Carolina ahead of the 2022 season, she did so at a time of turmoil for the franchise. Paul Riley, who had coached the Flash and then the Courage from 2016-21, was fired after the 2021 season when sexual misconduct allegations against him were made public in The Athletic.

During the 2022 season, Daniels again refused to wear a Pride jersey. The team left her off the roster for a July home match that served as the Courage’s Pride night.

“Jaelene will not be rostered tonight as she has made the decision to not wear our Pride jersey. While we’re disappointed with her choice, we respect her right to make that decision for herself,” Nikki Stoudt, North Carolina’s communications manager, said in a statement.

Courage forward Merritt Mathias issued a statement in May saying she recognized the pain that re-signing Daniels, among other decisions by the club, caused LGBTQ+ fans in particular, and that she sympathizes “as a player who is part of the community.”

“There is a group here that truly, truly loves and supports and is here for the LGBTQ community,” Mathias said.

North Carolina Courage defender Jaelene Daniels will not compete in Friday’s Pride Night fixture after refusing to wear the club’s Pride jersey.

The defender will not be on the roster for the match against the Washington Spirit at WakeMed Soccer Park because she declined to wear the jersey, the team said in a statement to local TV station WRAL. Daniels previously refused a call-up to the U.S. women’s national team in 2017 because she did not want to wear a Pride jersey.

“Jaelene will not be rostered tonight as she has made the decision to not wear our Pride jersey. While we’re disappointed with her choice, we respect her right to make that decision for herself. We’re excited to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community with our fans, players and staff tonight and look forward to hosting our first ever Pride Festival before kickoff,” Nikki Stoudt, North Carolina’s communications manager, said in a statement to WRAL.

Daniels re-signed with the Courage in December 2021 after retiring from professional soccer in 2020. The 29-year-old competed with North Carolina in 2017, 2018 and 2019, helping the Courage to two NWSL championships.

Her 2021 signing with the team generated backlash, and the Courage issued an apology to their fanbase several days after announcing the signing.

“In response to the recent news of re-signing Jaelene Daniels, we as a club acknowledge the impact this announcement has on our community,” the North Carolina Courage said in a statement. “We’ve spent the past few days reading your messages and reflecting on our actions. We are very sorry to all those we have hurt, especially those within the LGBTQIA+ community.

“The decision to re-sign Jaelene was not made lightly and included significant conversations between organization leadership and Jaelene. The priority expressed in those conversations is the safety of our players and maintaining an inclusive, respectful space for the entire team.”

Daniels also put out a statement of her own in December responding to fans’ criticism of her return to North Carolina.

“I remain committed to my faith and my desire for people to know that my love for them isn’t based on their belief system or sexuality,” Daniels said. “I pray and firmly believe that my teammates know how much I cherish them, respect them and love them.”

The defender’s presence on the Courage roster has remained a topic of conversation throughout the season, with teammate Merritt Mathias commenting on Daniels’ return in May.

“There’s been a very particular voice that has been heard in wanting to support the community. And personally, I don’t think we’ve done a great job of that in the past years,” Mathias said. “I don’t think that has been any secret. We didn’t have a Pride Night for three years, we didn’t wear a jersey. Everyone knows all these things and I think bringing back Jaelene (Daniels) was a decision made by the club and as a player who is part of the community, you have to work through those struggles but that is what a team is about.”

The North Carolina Courage apologized to LGBTQIA+ fans over the recent signing of Jaelene Daniels in a statement on Wednesday night.

The Courage’s decision to bring back the defender on Sunday received widespread criticism because of comments Daniels has made in the past about the LGBTQIA+ community. In 2015, Daniels tweeted that the “world is falling farther and farther away from God” on the same day the Supreme Court extended same-sex marriage laws to all 50 states. Two years later, she declined a call-up to the U.S. women’s national team over her refusal to wear a jersey honoring Pride Month, citing her Christian beliefs.

In the Courage’s initial release, team owner Steve Malik said the prospect of signing Daniels “sparked a lot of discussion internally, and with a cross section of fans.” In Wednesday’s statement, the Courage said the decision “was not made lightly.”

“The priority expressed in those conversations is the safety of our players and maintaining an inclusive, respectful space for the entire team,” the club wrote.

“Players will be supported in expressing pride in who they are and will continue to wear their Pride number with confidence and honor. We actively support Head Coach Sean Nahas’ clear mission: To make sure Courage players have a voice and feel empowered to be who they are, without fear of judgment. Jaelene and organization leadership have a productive conversation about the expectations we have set for our entire team, in and out of the locker room, and she will continue to uphold the Courage’s standards of respect and inclusion without reservation.”

The Courage then outlined specific action items they will take to “remedy the harm” of Daniels’ signing, including:

  • Continuing to host and enhance Pride games to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community
  • Continuing to outfit players in custom-made Pride jerseys
  • Continuing to participate in local Pride events, parades and festivals
  • Continuing to produce Pride x Courage merchandise with proceeds going to local LGBTQIA+ groups.
  • Continuing to fully support the club’s Athlete Ally ambassadors on both the Courage and NCFC sides.
  • Facilitate additional diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives alongside supporters and community members to improve our club culture.
  • Amplify organizations that bring awareness to LGBTQIA+ causes.
  • Identify volunteer opportunities to support LGBTQIA+ initiatives.
  • Welcome ideas from the Courage community to help hold the club accountable

Daniels put out a statement of her own on Wednesday, in which she said she looks forward to “meeting, speaking and growing” with fans over the course of the season.

Jaelene Daniels has released a statement after her signing by the North Carolina Courage sparked controversy amongst the club’s LGBTQIA+ fan base.

In the statement, Daniels wrote that she feels a lot of joy in returning to the Courage and that her love for those within the organization “has never been based on their identity.”

“My love for each of these women is rooted in who they are as a person,” she wrote. “I believe everyone regardless of gender, ethnicity, beliefs or abilities is worthy of dignity, value and love. They make me a better person, a better player, and a better teammate. My beliefs may call me to live differently, but my love runs deep for all.”

Upon the club announcing the signing, Daniels’ checkered past with the U.S. women’s national team sparked immediate backlash. In 2017, Daniels (then Hinkle) declined a call-up to the USWNT for what was later revealed to be her refusal to wear a jersey honoring members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Daniels said in 2018 that her Christian beliefs prevented her from wearing the jersey, stating that “I knew in my spirit I was doing the right thing.”

In 2019, USWNT goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris called Daniels intolerant and homophobic.

“You don’t belong in a sport that aims to unite and bring people together,” she wrote. “You would never fit into our pack or what this team stands for. Don’t you dare say our team is ‘not a welcoming place for Christians.’ You weren’t around long enough to know what this team stood for. This is actually an insult to the Christians on our team.”

In her statement on Wednesday, Daniels asserted that she remains committed to her faith and her “desire for people to know that my love for them isn’t based on their belief system or sexuality.”

“I pray and firmly believe that my teammates know how much I cherish them, respect them, and love them.”

She then added that she looks forward to “meeting, speaking and growing with more of you – the fans – as this club continues to be one of the best in the world on and off the field.”

The Courage also released a statement on Wednesday, stating that they remain committed to their LGBTQIA+ fanbase and asserting that “significant conversations” were had between leadership and Daniels.

Jaelene Daniels has agreed to a one-year contract with the North Carolina Courage, the club announced on Sunday, in a move that has sparked much backlash due to controversial comments Daniels has made in the past regarding LGBTQ+ rights.

Daniels, 28, previously played for the Courage from 2017-19, making 46 appearances with the team. A two-time NWSL champion, she was named the Courage’s 2019 Defender of the Year in a team vote.

With the contract, which includes an additional one-year option for 2023, Daniels returns to the NWSL after she retired in 2020 and gave birth to her first child in August.

“It was a huge blow when Jae decided to retire after the Challenge Cup in 2020, but we understood her decision and are thrilled for her and Matthew on the arrival of their baby, Zoe,” Courage president and GM Curt Johnson said in a statement. “Jae has been a huge part of our biggest moments as a Club and she is someone that we are excited to welcome back. She is one of the most decorated players in league history and will be a valuable part of our 2022 team and beyond.”

Despite the Courage front office’s optimism, the signing has received widespread public criticism due to Daniels’ checkered past with the U.S. women’s national team. In 2017, Daniels (then Hinkle) declined a call-up to the USWNT, citing “personal reasons” at the time. Later, she said that her Christian beliefs prevented her from wearing a jersey designed to honor members of the LGBTQ+ community. In a 2018 video from the Christian Broadcasting Network, Hinkle said she “felt so convicted that it wasn’t my job to wear this jersey.”

“I’m essentially giving up the one dream little girls dream about their entire life, and I’m saying no to [it],” she added. “I knew in my spirit I was doing the right thing. I knew that I was being obedient.”

After the USWNT won the World Cup in 2019, goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris responded to a tweet with Hinkle’s interview and the suggestion that the USWNT is “not a very welcoming place for Christians.”

Harris, who is married to former USWNT defender Ali Krieger, wrote that Daniels’ religion “was never problem.”

“The problem,” Harris wrote, “is your intolerance and you are homophobic. You don’t belong in a sport that aims to unite and bring people together. You would never fit into our pack or what this team stands for. Don’t you dare say our team is ‘not a welcoming place for Christians.’ You weren’t around long enough to know what this team stood for. This is actually an insult to the Christians on our team.”

In a release, Courage owner Steve Malik said the decision “sparked a lot of discussion internally, and with a cross section of fans.”

Ultimately, the club decided to re-sign Daniels because of her “positive impact she had on the Courage’s successful history,” he said.

This past season was a tumultuous one for the Courage, who were at the center of the scandal involving former coach Paul Riley. The club fired Riley in the wake of former players’ accusations of emotional coercion and sexual abuse and have since hired Sean Nahas as permanent head coach. Nahas led the team to the quarterfinals of the NWSL playoffs, where they lost to the eventual champion Washington Spirit in extra time.

“Jae and I had some very good conversations leading up to her signing and bringing her back into where she wanted to be, and that is here in N.C.,” Nahas said. “To add such a great talent to our team, one who knows us and is comfortable with what we do, is something that we are looking forward to as we begin to move forward into the 2022 season.”