Ireland’s national soccer association expressed its support for Vera Pauw in the face of abuse allegations against its women’s national team coach.

The Football Association of Ireland “continues to support Vera and her team as they prepare for the upcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023,” reads the FAI statement released Thursday.

The NWSL and NWSLPA on Wednesday released the findings of their year-long joint investigation into “widespread misconduct” in the league.

Pauw is cited in the report for weight-shaming players and “attempt[ing] to exert excessive control over their eating habits” during her tenure as Houston Dash coach in 2018. Players said she wanted to exert control over “every aspect” of their lives.

The 59-year-old coach, who has led the Ireland WNT since 2019, denied the report’s findings.

This has been such an incredible year with so many personal highs & lows!

Thank you to those who believe in the truth and support me. pic.twitter.com/px5xF5mH6K

— Vera Pauw (@verapauw) December 16, 2022

“I want to refute every allegation made against me from my time at Houston Dash,” she said in a statement released Friday. “Player welfare has always been of the utmost importance to me throughout my career.”

Pauw goes on to say that nutrition is an important part of professional soccer, and that she told players to look after their health, and seek the advice of “medical experts” when it came to their nutrition.

“To suggest I would body shame any human being, footballer or not, is an insult to my personal values and to my behaviour as coach and I cannot allow this claim to go unchallenged,” the statement continued.

FAI CEO Jonathan Hill was set to meet with Pauw on Friday, the Irish Independent reported, but he emphasized his support for the coach, who this year has led the Ireland WNT to its first World Cup berth.

Welcome to the first episode of Sports Are Fun! presented by TurboTax.

The debut episode of Sports Are Fun! dropped today, with soccer icon Kelley O'Hara, sports journalist Greydy Diaz, retired NWSL star Merritt Mathias, and JWS intern BJ professing their hottest takes all things women's sports.

"Obviously we're gonna have guests come on that are relevant for whatever's happening in the world of sports, but it really is going to feel like a group hang," O'Hara told JWS.

"I might think one thing, and my guest co-host is gonna think another thing. To me, that just sparks more conversations."

This week, the crew gets into WNBA offseason moves, NWSL players departing for Europe, Unrivaled's upcoming 1v1 tournament, and so much more.

'Sports Are Fun!' tackles the WNBA — hot takes included

The trio really got going on the WNBA this week, voicing their opinions on this year's free agency winners, losers, and everything in between.

"Honestly, WNBA free agency is wild every year, but this year it felt even crazier than usual," says Diaz. "There's so much movement... But we're seeing all these players sign one year deals because the CBA is up October 31st."

"This is the season where you go wherever — it doesn't even matter where you go," she continues. "I would go wherever who like whoever's going to give me the most bread."

"As much as on paper it looks like Aces might have won, I think that there's the question of too much star power. How is the chemistry going to work out on the court?" asks O'Hara, questioning the recent three-way trade that saw Las Vegas pick up Jewell Loyd while sending Kelsey Plum to LA. "KP is a dog, you know? That is the mentality and the kind of edginess that the Sparks have been missing."

"Listen, from a basketball perspective, yeah, massive," adds Mathias. "But what I am looking at is Alyssa Thomas to Mercury and DeWanna Bonner to Indiana — which means we no longer have couple tunnel 'fits!"

About 'Sports Are Fun!' with Kelley O'Hara

'Sports Are Fun!' is a show that’ll remind you why you fell in love with women's sports in the first place. Join World Cup champ, Olympic gold medalist, and aspiring barista Kelley O'Hara as she sits down with sports journalist Greydy Diaz and a revolving cast of co-hosts and friends. Together, they're talking the biggest, funnest, and most need-to-know stories in the world of women’s sports.

From on-court drama to off-field shenanigans, to candid (and silly) chats with the most important personalities in the space, this show screams "Sports Are Fun!"

Subscribe to Just Women's Sports on YouTube to never miss an episode.

The Big Ten is finally heating up, stealing the NCAA basketball spotlight from the SEC with a slate of Top 10 games sure to rattle next week's AP Poll.

No. 8 Ohio State tips off the top-ranked party first, embarking on a West Coast trip that will see them face No. 1 UCLA on Wednesday before battling No. 7 USC on Saturday.

Top 10 ups and downs

The Trojans took a slight hit in Monday's updated AP rankings after falling to unranked Iowa on Sunday, with USC's second loss of the season sending them three spots down to No. 7 while still retaining their Top 10 status.

Fellow Big Ten newcomer No. 1 UCLA locked in another week at the top after a unanimous vote, but the Bruins won't be resting on any laurels — Wednesday's clash with Ohio State will only be their second Top 10 matchup of the season.

Meanwhile, No. 4 Texas, No. 5 UConn, and No. 6 LSU all benefitted from USC's skid, each inching up one spot while the rest of the Top 10 remained unchanged.

A Big Ten race to the finish

Even though UCLA is the only undefeated team left in Division I basketball, the Bruins' shot at claiming the Big Ten's regular-season title will likely be determined in the final few weeks of the 2024/25 campaign.

With only one conference loss each, both the Buckeyes and Trojans currently sit tied for second-place behind UCLA on the Big Ten table, though those standings could shift with this week's matchups.

After putting their Wednesday date with Ohio State in the rearview, the Bruins must still face longtime crosstown rival USC twice in the last seven games of their season's schedule.

How to watch the Big Ten college basketball this week

No. 8 Ohio State will tip off their LA trip against No. 1 UCLA at 9:30 PM ET on Wednesday, with live coverage streaming on Peacock.

Then, the Buckeyes will contend with No. 7 USC at 9 PM ET on Saturday, airing live on FOX.

AP College Basketball Top 25: Week 14

1. UCLA (21-0, Big Ten)
2. South Carolina (21-1, SEC)
3. Notre Dame (19-2, ACC)
4. Texas (22-2, SEC)
5. UConn (21-2, Big East)
6. LSU (23-1, SEC)
7. USC (19-2, Big Ten)
8. Ohio State (20-1, Big Ten)
9. TCU (21-2, Big 12)
10. Duke (17-5, ACC)
11. Kentucky (19-2, SEC)
12. Kansas State (21-2, Big 12)
13. North Carolina (20-4, ACC)
14. NC State (18-4, ACC)
15. Oklahoma (16-6, SEC)
16. Maryland (17-5, Big Ten)
17. Georgia Tech (18-4, ACC)
18. West Virginia (17-4, Big 12)
19. Tennessee (16-5, SEC)
20. Michigan State (18-4, Big Ten)
21. California (19-4, ACC)
22. Florida State (18-4, ACC)
23. Alabama (18-5, SEC)
24. Vanderbilt (18-5, SEC)
25. Oklahoma State (18-4, Big 12)

The NWSL is officially pulling back the curtain, with Prime Video green-lighting For the Win: NWSL, a new docuseries centered on the league's 2024 playoffs and Orlando's victorious NWSL Championship run.

According to the league's Tuesday announcement, the four-part series offers "unprecedented access" by taking viewers inside "one of the most thrilling seasons in NWSL history."

It "[covers] the intensity, resilience, and passion that define the league’s top teams and star players as they battle for the ultimate prize: the Championship trophy."

"Through exclusive interviews, locker-room access, and heart-pounding match highlights, the documentary captures the nostalgia, emotion, and fierce competition that shapes a playoff run within the fastest growing league in the world."

The series promises coverage of retiring USWNT icon Alex Morgan, newly minted Orlando champion and Brazilian legend Marta, as well as Washington Spirit stars Trinity Rodman and reigning NWSL Rookie and Midfielder of the Year Croix Bethune.

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For the Win: NWSL joins wave of women's soccer documentaries

Women's soccer has been entering the realm of sports documentaries for years, with behind-the-scenes looks into the USWNT, the NWSL's Angel City FC, WSL side Chelsea FC, and more popping up on screens worldwide.

The latest offering of For the Win: NWSL comes backed by sports stars, with a producing team helmed by Connor Schell and Libby Geist of Words + Pictures as well as the aforementioned Morgan and Gotham FC investor and NFL legend Eli Manning.

While no premier date has been set, the series will stream exclusively in over 240 countries and territories on Prime Video, which also serves as one of the NWSL's broadcast partners.

Prime is also gearing up to kick off the upcoming NWSL season by exclusively airing the 2025 Challenge Cup on March 7th. That contest boasts a rematch of the 2024 championship game between the Orlando Pride and the Washington Spirit.

The streamer will then begin their 25-match Friday night regular-season run when the Pride hosts the rebranded Chicago Stars FC on March 14th.

Ex-Spanish football federation president Luis Rubiales is officially on​ trial for forcibly kissing striker Jenni Hermoso during the 2023 World Cup trophy ceremony, with Hermoso taking the stand on Monday.

"I felt disrespected," Hermoso told the Spanish court. "I think it was a moment that stained one of the happiest days of my life."

"My boss was kissing me, and this shouldn't happen in any social or work setting."

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Hermoso describes coercion efforts by Rubiales during trial

Though he denies the charges, Rubiales is on trial for sexual assault as well as for attempting to coerce Hermoso into telling the public that the kiss was consensual.

"I didn't hear or understand anything," Hermoso said about the moment Rubiales assaulted her. "The next thing he did was to grab me by the ears and kiss me on the mouth."

Hermoso testified that Rubiales asked her to record a social media video with him on the flight home from Australia to essentially exonerate him in the public eye.

"I said no," Hermoso told the court. "I was not going to do anything, that I was not the cause of this."

Three other men, including the team's former head coach Jorge Vilda, are also on trial for their attempts to force Hermoso into publicly supporting Rubiales in the incident's aftermath.

The trial is expected to last 10 days, with other high-profile witnesses — including some of Hermoso's World Cup teammates — scheduled to take the stand.

Rubiales faces possible prison time

According to Spanish law, Rubiales faces up to four years in prison if convicted for both charges.

That said, prosecutors are pushing for a sentence of two-and-a-half years (one for the assault and one-and-a-half for coercion). They are also asking the court for €50,000 in damages and a permanent ban on Rubiales from ever serving as a sports official again.

Intense pressure forced Rubiales to resign as the federation's president three weeks after the assault, and he's currently serving a FIFA-imposed three-year ban from soccer that is set to expire in 2026.

Notably, Spanish law has an often-employed buy-out clause for convicted criminals with sentences under two years, meaning Rubiales could avoid incarceration by paying increased damages if the court hands him a sentence of less than 24 months.

As for Hermoso, she explained to the court that public attention from the incident has deeply impacted her life. While her tenure with Liga MX side Tigres allows her an escape from the Spanish media when she's in Mexico, that respite dissipates whenever she returns to Spain.

"I have not been able to really live freely," she told the court on Monday.