NWSL GMs: Player reforms ‘gone too far’ since abuse cases

Two years after allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse rocked the NWSL, some league general managers are now voicing concerns that reforms for players have “gone too far,” a survey by ESPN found, which has prompted pushback from the players association.

In an anonymous ESPN survey of GMs from each of the league’s 14 teams, all unanimously said that the culture of the league has undergone a drastic shift in accountability since a pair of investigations in 2022 uncovered systemic abuse across the NWSL.

But a prevailing sentiment was that “the pendulum has swung too far the other way,” a phrase two separate GMs used verbatim.

“I think it’s still a very stressful place for staff,” a GM said. “I think you have to be very calculated in every conversation, every interaction that you have with athletes. We have to err on the side of extremely positive or conservative policies that I think in any other professional or corporate environment wouldn’t really necessarily exist.”

Last month, the league and the players’ association signed a new six-year collective bargaining agreement that grants total free agency upon the expiration of contracts, the elimination of player drafts, a higher salary cap, a sizable increase in minimum salaries and expanded parental leave and childcare benefits.

The new CBA is the result of reforms put in place following allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse that made headlines in 2021.

The league implemented training programs for coaches and made key hires to oversee hiring practices, all of which built upon the first CBA signed in 2022.

The GMs, who spoke to ESPN on condition of anonymity so they could freely voice opinions about a range of topics, were asked about reforms, and some volunteered concerns.

“There’s a fear amongst staff about what you can say, what you can’t say, what you have to ask players’ permission for, what you don’t, if you’re going to get in trouble for this,” one GM said. “And that means, to me, it’s gone too far.”

NWSLPA chief Meghann Burke, however, said that it was “disingenuous” for GMs to simultaneously support improved player protections and then claim that the players have too much power.

“I flatly reject that there is an evidentiary or factual basis for the narrative that players have too much power,” Burke told ESPN, adding that she has heard such opinions privately for years, including by some individuals who have since been removed from the league.

“It is disingenuous to simultaneously agree that the league has been completely transformed and we’ve created a healthier, better work environment and culture, and to simultaneously claim that players have too much power, because you can’t have one without the other. The players did the work of transforming this league. There was no savior — no league, no team, no one else who was going to come in and transform NWSL. It was the players themselves.”

GMs pointed to the inability to hold, or perhaps a fear of holding, a one-on-one meeting with a player over game tactics or performance.

Burke believes these to be misinterpretations of what is not allowed.

A coach or GM and a player meeting for a coffee in a public space, to cite one hypothetical, is allowed, Burke said.

“Humans change a lot slower than rules and words on paper,” she said, adding that she has empathy for those trying to keep up with the changes. She said she is genuinely encouraged that people are thinking about their behaviors, and such reflection will help the rules crystallize over time.

“I think it’s OK that people aren’t sure, and that’s part of this process of transformation, is that I do think as we get comfortable with the changes that have been implemented, in the next couple years, people aren’t going to wonder,” Burke said.

The league front office, echoing the concerns of the GMs, is also actively thinking about how to better support coaches, not just players. In an exclusive interview with ESPN earlier this year, NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman said that players cannot be at their best without top coaching, and the league must provide coaches with more resources to understand what’s appropriate and what isn’t.

Berman stressed that this work must be done in addition to — not instead of — improving the league for players.

“They should feel super aware of what they do, but not to the point where they feel unsupported or paralyzed,” Berman said of coaches.

“We are trying to do that for the coaches and the sporting staff, the technical staff, to make sure that we have their trust as well. We need the players’ trust, we need the coaches’ trust, and we all need to work together to make sure we’re providing the best possible work environment for everybody. That’s to the players’ interest as well. The players need that, too.”

The league has implemented training programs for coaches. For the past two years, the NWSL partnered with the Positive Coaching Alliance to host a summit on “establishing and maintaining team and organizational culture,” and how to build trust and facilitate difficult conversations.

The NWSL has also made key hires to oversee HR and other strategies, including Lauren Lopez as chief of people and culture in December 2022 and Olivia Wynn, a former U.S. Department of Justice investigator, as director of league safety in June 2023.

Berman’s four-year term as commissioner began on April 20, 2022.

“You don’t want [coaches] to feel like everyone is waiting for them to make a mistake,” Berman said. “We want them to feel like we’re a world where, putting aside the people who did horrible things, we’re all human. Everyone makes mistakes. As long as you’re — as I said in every press release when we’ve issued discipline — acknowledging wrongdoing and willing to work on yourself, and express a commitment to be better, and you go through your remediation and your training, we want people like that. We don’t expect perfection.”

One GM said of the heightened scrutiny after reforms: “It’s been slightly detrimental — and I think that it’s warranted to be clear.”

This drastic shift in accountability came after it was alleged that Paul Riley, who coached multiple NWSL teams, sexually coerced players while coaching the Portland Thorns.

Former Chicago Red Stars coach Rory Dames and former Washington Spirit coach Richie Burke were also alleged to have verbally and emotionally abused players.

Games were canceled as players refused to take the field following the report on Riley, putting the future of the league in doubt.

An investigation commissioned by U.S. Soccer and led by former U.S. attorney general Sally Yates, published in October 2022, confirmed the reports of abuse and uncovered other allegations of abuse from former Racing Louisville coach Christy Holly.

A second investigation by the league and the NWSL Players Association followed.

The investigations detailed how previous NWSL leadership failed to heed the concerns of players and enabled abusive coaches.

In the time since, the NWSL and the NWSLPA signed their first collective bargaining agreement in early 2022, and agreed to a new one last month.

The players’ association was first created in 2017 and became an AFL-CIO affiliate in 2021, joining the NFL and MLB players’ unions on the AFL-CIO Sports Council.

The league and players also collaborated to develop a coach’s code of conduct and a non-fraternization policy, each of which has been cited publicly this year in the firings of staff members of the Kansas City Current and the Houston Dash.

Prompt adjudication of those two recent incidents are signs that the processes are working. But those were also black-and-white scenarios: Any relationship involving a player or coach (or anyone with power over the player) is strictly prohibited.

Some general managers expressed worry to ESPN about the gray areas of everyday interactions, and whether a player complaint could disproportionately damage the reputation of a coach or staffer over a misunderstanding.

“The league has gone from one end of the spectrum to another,” another GM said as part of the survey. “We need to find a middle ground.”

These sentiments were shared repeatedly, but were not unanimous.

Several GMs spoke only positively about the changes made due to reforms, with one GM stating that the balance did need to shift back toward the players following the league’s reckoning with alleged abuse from coaches.

As another GM put it: “The conversations that we are having in the process have fueled more transparency and openness amongst our teams, which is very healthy.”