The NWSL has called off its slate of games for this weekend in the wake of a sexual coercion scandal revealed Thursday by The Athletic.
“This week, and much of this season, has been incredibly traumatic for our players and staff, and I take full responsibility for the role I have played. I am so sorry for the pain so many are feeling," NWSL commissioner Lisa Baird said in a statement.
"Recognizing that trauma, we have decided not to take the field this weekend to give everyone some space to reflect. Business as usual isn’t our concern right now. Our entire league has a great deal of healing to do, and our players deserve so much better. We have made this decision in collaboration with our players association and this pause will be the first step as we collectively work to transform the culture of this league, something that is long overdue.”
Paul Riley was fired by the North Carolina Courage after reports detailed patterns of sexual misconduct, harassment and coercion. The NWSL Players Association demanded a league investigation, which the NWSL announced has been turned over to the U.S. Center for SafeSport.
"Systemic abuse plaguing the NWSL must not be ignored," the union said.
Two games were scheduled for Friday and another three Saturday. The league did not offer a specific date for a return to play; the next dates on the schedule are Oct. 6 and Oct. 9.
Former players Sinead Farrelly and Mana Shim went on record with The Athletic detailing the trauma they experienced while playing under Riley on NWSL clubs including Western New York and the Portland Thorns.
Alex Morgan tweeted screenshots of emails between Shim and Baird from March of this year, more than six months before the allegations became public. Riley had won back-to-back NWSL titles with the Courage (2018, 2019) and had been there since 2017. Emails between Farrelly and the comissioner from this spring also became public, with Baird touting an Anti-Harassment Policy announced April 13.
Players expressed outrage throughout Thursday. Megan Rapinoe called for resignations. Becky Sauerbrunn wrote in a message "NWSL, it's time to get your (expletive) together." Nadia Nadim said the league "is such a joke."
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