NWSL Report: New Allegations Against Paul Riley, NC Courage

[ad_1]

North Carolina Courage head coach Paul Riley, center, looks on from the sideline in a 2017 game. Fabian Radulescu File photo

A joint league-union report into widespread misconduct in women’s professional soccer released Wednesday includes new allegations against former North Carolina Courage coach Paul Riley.

Kaleigh Kurtz, a Courage player since 2018, told investigators she raised complaints with team officials about Rileys’ actions, including peppering her with questions about her love life, telling her about her sexual preferences and scolding her about her weight by calling her chubby.

Kurtz eventually asked to be traded, calling Courage playing for Riley’s 2019 season hellfire, according to the report.

The National Womens Soccer League and its players’ association, the NWSLPA, worked jointly on the report, the second to fall into misconduct by NWSL coaches and administrators. US Soccer released its own report in October into systemic abuse within the NWSL, but the latest investigation goes deeper, received more cooperation from players like Kurtz and includes new information about Riley and Courage.

NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman said she hopes this report, along with the American football report, will mark the beginning of a cultural awakening in the sport.

Reading this report is difficult, Berman said during a virtual press conference on Wednesday. It’s a harsh reality. Reading these words touched me.

According to the report, Kurtz told investigators that she had not reported Riley’s behavior in the past for fear of being labeled a troublemaker, but that she felt comfortable being named in this report because players who come forward would be protected.

A representative for Courage said via text that the team was still reviewing the report Wednesday afternoon and not ready to comment. The report noted that Riley did not respond to investigators.

NWSL Players Association executive director Meghann Burke said the report shows how unfair the climate has been for female soccer players.

The weight our players have had to carry over the generations has been heavier than anything I can imagine. Burke said at Wednesday’s press conference.

Due Diligence Questions

Courage fired Riley in August 2021 after The Athletic reported detailed sexual misconduct and other player abuse while coaching the Portland Thorns in 2014-15. Despite leaving the Thorns following an investigation into his behavior, the Western New York Flash hired him in 2016. Steve Malik bought the Flash and traded him to Cary to become the Courage in 2017.

Wednesday’s report noted a lack of transparency from the league when the Courage tried to decide whether to retain Riley as coach, with only a few details provided and not a full copy of the team’s investigation, and the insisting that his contract was not renewed as opposed to being fired.

The people of Courage learned of an earlier investigation into Riley while at the Thorns and attempted to find out more, but neither the Thorns nor the NWSL provided them with the 2015 investigation report. , and Courage received sparse and incomplete descriptions of the allegations and the investigation. findings against Riley, according to Wednesday’s report.

But the report also criticized Malik and the Courage for their lack of due diligence after learning of Riley’s potential misconduct in Portland: This information suggested that Riley could pose a danger to players, but the Courage did not took adequate steps to learn the findings of the investigation, reflecting a lack of appreciation of the power dynamics between players and coaches, and the Courage employed Riley despite knowledge of this allegation.

And after US Soccer eliminated Riley as a potential candidate to coach the United States Women’s National Team in 2019 due to the allegations against him, the report noted that no action was taken by the NWSL. or Courage: Despite discussions between US Soccer, the NWSL, and the Thorns and Courage regarding Riley’s unsuitability to coach the USWNT, no action has been taken to remove him or prevent him from coaching players of the NWSL.

With Riley no longer coaching in the league, Berman was asked Wednesday if any discipline was coming for owners, like Malik.

Now that the report is out, Berman said, our top priority will be reviewing the findings and determining what the appropriate next steps should be.

Kurtz: Abuse continued with Courage

Kurtz, a Greer, SC native who played college football for South Carolina from 2014 to 2016, told investigators that after reading Rileys’ conduct in Portland, she identified his conduct towards her as abusive. and realized that he had groomed her for sexual activities. abuse.

She said Riley texted her from a bar while on a road trip to Portland, saying how much he wished she were there. Kurtz said Riley frequently texted him from bars. Following the 2019 season, she asked to be traded at an end-of-season meeting. Riley indicated that he would do what he could for her, with Kurtz saying he said, you know I love you. Riley later told Kurtz she had no business value, so she stayed with Courage.

After the 2020 season, Kurtz asked to be traded again, tearfully telling Courage assistant general manager Bobby Hammond how uncomfortable she was playing for Riley. Hammond insisted that Kurtz would not quit the team, even after reporting Riley’s comments about his weight to him. Hammond did not ask follow-up questions about Rileys’ behavior.

Hammond told investigators he admitted to Kurtz that sometimes coaches choose their words poorly and shared his complaint with Courage director of football Curt Johnson.

Several other players described Rileys fixation with players’ weight and that he made unrealistic and seemingly arbitrary demands, according to the report.

When Riley denied Johnson that he had shamed players, Johnson told Riley to talk to players about their fitness, not their weight. The report says Malik told investigators he took no action against Riley after a player complained about inappropriate weight-related comments because once he reported the incident to the NWSL , he assumed the league would intervene.

A culture of fear

The report states that another player told Courage management that Riley had been verbally abusive and had created a culture of fear in which players could not express opinions, and that other coaches had allowed Riley to engage in this behavior.

In addition to the 2015 allegations and Kurtz’s new allegations, the report includes other accusations of inappropriate behavior by Riley. The players told investigators that Riley made them feel like he could influence their call-up to the United States Women’s National Team.

Courages 2021’s decision to re-sign Jaelene Daniels, who refused to wear an LGBT pride jersey for the USWNT, was also cited as an example of how players felt the league and its clubs weren’t not serious about fighting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

A Courage player said he felt the club was heading in the right direction in 2021 after Riley was sacked, according to the report, but the clubs signing Daniels was a telling move and did not fit the bill. direction we thought. were heading towards.

The club publicly apologized for re-signing Daniels but kept her on the list. In October, the team announced that they would not be taking their contract option for the 2023 season.

This story was originally published on December 14, 2022 at 4:39 p.m.

Raleigh News & Observer related stories

Steve Wiseman has covered Duke athletics since 2010 for the Durham Herald-Sun and Raleigh News & Observer. He placed second for both rhythm writing and breaking news in the 2019 Associated Press Sports Editors National Competition. Previously, Steve worked for The State (Columbia, SC), Herald-Journal (Spartanburg, SC), The Sun Herald (Biloxi, Miss.), Charlotte Observer and Hickory (NC) Daily Record covering beats such as NFL Carolina Orleans Panthers and New Saints, University of South Carolina Athletics and SC General Assembly. It has won numerous awards from state-level press associations. Steve graduated from Illinois State University in 1989.

[ad_2]