Commissioner: NWSL 'not afraid' of investigation

NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman says the ongoing probe into systemic maltreatment successful the NWSL, conducted jointly by the league and the NWSL Players Association, is adjacent much important present that the findings of the Yates report person been made public.

The Yates report, released connected Oct. 3, revealed the extent of systemic intersexual and affectional maltreatment perpetrated by immoderate of the league's erstwhile managers. The study besides elaborate however league and U.S. Soccer Federation executives ignored reports from players of that maltreatment and successful immoderate cases allowed the alleged perpetrators to support coaching.

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Berman, successful an exclusive interrogation with ESPN up of Sunday's NWSL playoff semifinal matches, said those findings haven't diminished the value of the associated investigation, which is expected to beryllium implicit by the extremity of the year. Berman noted that the probe is inactive needed to exposure further incidents of abusive behavior, arsenic good arsenic instrumentality further corrective enactment and institute further reforms.

"In bid for this league and the players to heal, and to rebuild the foundation, credibility and spot successful the league, we person to marque definite that the subordinate relation successful peculiar is comfy and assured successful the process," Berman said. "And for that reason, the associated probe is perfectly paramount to our quality to determination guardant due to the fact that they person a spot astatine the array successful the benignant of oversight, from a process perspective, successful however the associated probe has been carried retired since past November."

Earlier this month, successful an interrogation with CNN, U.S. Soccer Federation president Cindy Parlow Cone said 3 further reports of maltreatment had been brought to the USSF's attraction and had been forwarded connected to the U.S. Center for SafeSport. Berman added that the reporting of further cases isn't thing the league should shy distant from.

"We can't beryllium acrophobic of allowing that to happen," Berman said astir reporting caller cases. "That's what needs to happen. That means that the process and the strategy is moving arsenic intended due to the fact that we'd beryllium fooling ourselves to deliberation that misconduct successful each enactment environments doesn't happen. Of people it happens. The cardinal to a steadfast situation is, of course, trying to bounds those situations done acquisition and training, which we perfectly are focused on. And besides creating the benignant of civilization wherever radical consciousness escaped of retaliation, escaped of reprisal, and person religion that if they rise their manus and bring a ailment forward, that it volition beryllium taken earnestly and investigated to conclusion."

Berman besides hopes that this play much of the absorption volition beryllium connected the games themselves than connected what was elaborate successful the Yates report. The Portland Thorns volition big the San Diego Wave successful the day's archetypal semifinal, with OL Reign taking connected the Kansas City Current successful Seattle. The archetypal circular was witnesser to grounds crowds successful San Diego and Houston.

"My anticipation for the players, frankly much than anyone, but for the league arsenic well, is that the fans, our sponsors and the media tin instrumentality a infinitesimal to observe however unthinkable our athletes are, however unthinkable the attendance records person been frankincense acold successful the playoffs, that this is simply a merchandise that's phenomenal and experiencing unthinkable momentum," she said. "We should instrumentality a infinitesimal to beryllium capable to admit and observe that and enactment the players, due to the fact that that's what they want."

There has been a backlash successful immoderate cities to the findings successful the Yates report, with fans calling for the ouster of Thorns proprietor Merritt Paulson arsenic good arsenic Chicago Red Stars proprietor Arnim Whisler. Paulson announced that helium is stepping down arsenic CEO of the Thorns and the MLS Portland Timbers. Whisler has besides been removed from the Red Stars' committee of directors, though some men support their respective ownership stakes.

"I deliberation successful the past 2 and a fractional weeks, what I've seen is what feels, astatine slightest to me, a small spot similar a displacement to accountability, wanting to guarantee that our stakeholders -- whether it's fans, sponsors, media, players -- are going to clasp america accountable to getting this right," she said. "And they should clasp america accountable, and we volition get it right. I clasp that benignant of constructiveness. They should request excellence. They perfectly should request a harmless and steadfast and affirmative situation for our players to beryllium capable to bid and play, and we volition enactment tirelessly to present that for them."

When it comes to reforms the league has made, Berman pointed to the CBA negotiated with the NWSLPA and its implementation of minimum standards for the league. She besides pointed to inheritance checks for coaches and enforcing licensing standards. Berman added that determination person besides been enhancements to the league's anti-harassment argumentation arsenic good arsenic to reporting mechanisms. She said the league is by nary means finished addressing these areas.

"No one's taking a triumph lap," she said. "We're not done. We person a batch of enactment to do, but I think, foundationally, the circumstances are precise antithetic than they were 12 months ago."