The new commissioner of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), Jessica Bermansaid Wednesday that while it is disappointing that another league coach has been accused of misconduct, the programs that were put in place in the wake of last season’s league scandals are helping to ensure that the concerns of the leagues are addressed. players.
The Houston Dash suspended coach James Clarkson on Tuesday after the team received a report about a joint investigation by the league and its players’ association into alleged discrimination, harassment and abuse. Clarkson’s future will be decided “based on the final results of an ongoing investigation,” the team said.
“This is the manifestation of the process that the league and the players’ association put in place that provided a pathway for people to raise issues and for those issues to be properly investigated and handled,” Berman said. “While we never like things like this to happen, the fact that the process worked as planned and that all the relevant parties worked together on the interim solution and the next steps has been really important and overall constructive for the progress that we have made. the league is succeeding on this issue.” Berman, who began his work on April 20, says he cannot discuss the details of the investigation because it is ongoing.
Clarkson is the longest tenured coach in the NWSL. He was the only one still on his team who was a manager at the start of the last NWSL season. All the others voluntarily left the league in search of new opportunities. They went to other teams within the league, quit or were fired for alleged misconduct.
The Houston Dash planned to name an interim coach before the regular season begins at home against the San Diego Wave on Sunday. “As an organization, our highest priority is creating and maintaining a safe and respectful work environment for our players and staff, which we believe is critical to our success on the field,” the Dash said in a statement.
Last year five technicians resigned or were fired
In 2021, five other NWSL coaches resigned or were fired due to allegations of abuse or harassment, and Gotham FC fired their general manager. The Washington Spirit fired coach Richie Burke in September after a league investigation into alleged violations of the NWSL’s anti-harassment policy and North Carolina coach Paul Riley was fired later that month after The Athletic will publish the accounts of two former players who reported misconduct, including sexual misconduct and coercion. Riley denied the allegations.
Commissioner Lisa Baird resigned Oct. 1 after roughly 19 months on the job, with the players’ association demanding a joint union league investigation into the abuse. The league and US Soccer currently have several open investigations.
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