NWSL To Pay $5M After Players Suffer Sexual, Racist, Emotional Abuse From Coaches

The landmark NWSL settlement was announced by the attorneys general of New York, Illinois, and Washington, DC, on Wednesday, Feb. 5. The agreement follows investigations into claims of widespread misconduct, including emotional abuse, sexual coercion, and systemic failures that left players unprotected.

The NWSL will create a $5 million fund to pay players who experienced abuse.

"For too long, the hardworking and talented women of the National Women's Soccer League were forced to endure an unacceptable culture of abuse, harassment, and retaliation," said New York Attorney General Letitia James. "This settlement sends a clear message that such misconduct will not be tolerated and ensures players receive the compensation and protections they deserve.

"Every athlete should be able to compete in a safe, supportive environment, and I thank the brave individuals who came forward to share their experiences."

The NWSL and its players association launched the joint investigation in 2022. The probe found repeated instances of coaches verbally abusing players, coercing them into inappropriate relationships, and retaliating against those who spoke out about the improper conduct. 

Some teams failed to conduct background checks, allowing coaches previously dismissed for misconduct to be rehired elsewhere in the league. Complaints to NWSL leadership were often ignored.

By the end of the 2021 season, five of the league's 10 teams had fired their coaches over abuse accusations. The joint investigation and a separate one led by former US Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates exposed deep-seated problems across the league, including racial discrimination, sexual misconduct, and a lack of oversight.

Former North Carolina Courage head coach Paul Riley resigned in 2021 after a sports psychologist found he had created a culture of fear, along with engaging in emotional and verbal abuse. The league had been aware of Riley's conduct since at least 2014.

Players reported that Riley made sexualized remarks, sent inappropriate late-night texts, and pressured them into one-on-one meetings. Black players said Riley called them "thugs" and accused one player of "acting like a gang member."

At least one player who complained was swiftly traded to another team.

"This investigation was initiated by the NWSLPA because players refused to stay silent in the face of systemic abuse," said Meghann Burke, executive director of the National Women's Soccer League Players Association. "The human rights and civil rights violations they endured were enabled by a system that failed in its most basic duty: to protect its players.

"This settlement not only acknowledges those failures but, for the first time, establishes enforcement mechanisms under the law to hold NWSL accountable and to prevent future harm."

Lisa Baird resigned as NWSL commissioner shortly after the accusations against Riley became public. FIFA and the United States Soccer Federation also launched investigations.

In another instance, the Washington Spirit received claims of abuse immediately after hiring Richie Burke as the club's head coach. Despite the reports, he remained in his position for nearly three years.

The joint investigation also found that Richie Burke committed a wide range of racist and antisemitic behavior during his tenure with the Spirit. He was accused of using slurs toward Black players, wearing a surgical face mask on his head as a yarmulke, and referring to a passing drill as a "Jew star."

Richie Burke also discouraged players from taking part in social activism and racial equality movements.

"In May or June 2020, shortly after the murder of George Floyd, Burke made a comment—when players were kneeling for a photo to show solidarity for the Black Lives Matter movement—about how it would look if someone took a photo while he knelt on a practice dummy and "flipped off" the camera," investigators said. "When asked about his comment, Burke claimed that he was not making light of the incident, but rather that he was upset about it."

The settlement came amid rapid growth in popularity for the NWSL. The league founded in 2012 has expanded to 14 teams, with new teams in Boston and Denver set to join in 2026.

As part of the settlement, the NWSL must implement sweeping reforms, including rigorous vetting of coaches, dedicated human resources personnel on every team, and protections preventing coaches from having sole control over player housing or medical decisions. 

"While NWSL has made critical improvements, the victims never received any compensation for the sexual and emotional abuse they endured on the league's watch," said DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb. "No dollar amount could ever fully address the damage that was inflicted, but now my office, together with New York and Illinois, will have oversight authority to ensure that the league’s new safety policies are implemented and that current and future players are protected."

The NWSL must also conduct anonymous player surveys, offer unlimited free counseling, and provide 80 percent insurance coverage for mental health services. Teams are now required to employ a board-certified psychiatrist or psychologist and a mental performance consultant.

The NWSL must submit reports to the attorneys general every six months for the next three years, detailing how the new policies are being implemented. The league must also disclose any new complaints related to player or staff safety.

If the NWSL fails to comply, it faces an additional $2 million in penalties.

"We remain grateful to the many brave individuals who came forward to share their experiences, which has informed our approach to systemic reform," said NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman. "The NWSL is proud of the work we have done, in partnership with the NWSL Players Association, to set the standard for professional sports leagues. 

"We have worked collaboratively with the NWSLPA and the attorneys general to add greater strength to the programmatic changes we adopted in 2023 in light of the joint investigative reports, and we look forward to supporting the administrator in distributing the Players' Restitution Fund. We will continue to do the work necessary to maintain the trust of our players and build an ecosystem where the best in the world want to come."

NWSL players who suffered abuse will receive information about the restitution fund from the attorneys general.

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