SANDY, Utah, Oct. 4, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — Former Real Salt Lake owner Dell Loy Hansen and ex-Utah Royals FC coach Craig Harrington are named in an investigation into alleged abuse and sexual misconduct in women’s professional soccer.
U.S. Soccer on Monday released the findings from a yearlong independent investigation, noting “racist behavior, front office sexism, and a toxic work environment” in August and September 2020 within Real Salt Lake and the former Utah Royals FC.
The report from law firm King & Spalding says “multiple complaints of racist remarks were raised” in August 2020 involving Hansen, who at the time owned the Sandy-based Major League Soccer and National Women’s Soccer League franchises.
“More than one individual also described [Hansen] as ‘touchy,’ stroking their cheeks and holding their hands,” the report states. “One of these women felt so uncomfortable that she contacted [NWSL] personnel about Hansen’s conduct in 2019. Hansen also asked this individual about her sexuality and whether she was dating a player.”
The former Royals player said “Hansen’s behavior was acknowledged by owners as a liability,” and she wondered whether the behavior was “more tolerated because he’s putting money into women’s soccer.”
Hansen put both teams up for sale shortly after the allegations surfaced, and the Royals ultimately moved to Kansas City.
The report also cites “inappropriate conduct” from Harrington, who spent nine months as Royals coach before being fired in November 2020. According to the report, “Harrington made inappropriate sexualized jokes and comments to staff, contributing to a toxic environment at the club.”
“During his tenure, Harrington told an employee a ‘joke’ about her having sex in a minivan she had recently purchased, which the employee reported to human resources,” the report states.
“A player also described an incident in which Harrington commented to both the player and a female assistant coach that ‘taking care of kids is a woman’s job.'”
Harrington told investigators the comments “were made flippantly and were not meant to be hurtful,” according to the report. “Harrington also noted that he apologized to the employee about the minivan comment.”
The Royals placed Harrington on administrative leave in September 2020 and dismissed him as coach two months later.
U.S. Soccer calls abuse ‘inexcusable’
King & Spalding’s 319-page report contains several allegations involving abuse and sexual misconduct, including “coercive sexual intercourse,” in women’s professional soccer.
“This investigation’s findings are heartbreaking and deeply troubling,” said U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone, a former member of the U.S. Women’s National Team. “The abuse described is inexcusable and has no place on any playing field, in any training facility or workplace.”
The report includes allegations against former Racing Louisville FC coach Christy Holly, who on April 21, 2021, requested player Erin Simon to “attend a game film session with him alone.”
“She knew what to expect. When she arrived, she recalls Holly opened his laptop and began the game film. He told her he was going to touch her ‘for every pass [she] f—-d up.’ He did,” the report states.
“Simon reports that [Holly] pushed his hands down her pants and up her shirt. She tried to tightly cross her legs and push him away, laughing to avoid angering him. The video ended, and she left. When her teammate picked her up to drive home, Simon broke down crying.”
In September 2021, The Athletic published an article about Paul Riley, one of the most successful coaches in NWSL history, the report states.
“The article reported that Riley left the Portland Thorns in 2015 following an investigation of a complaint by Meleana Shim, a player whom Riley sexually pursued for months and benched after she declined his advances,” according to the report.
The report says the NWSL “knew of both Shim’s report and the investigation that led to Riley’s departure from the Thorns.” It also noted that the league “failed to investigate a 2021 complaint against Riley by another player, Sinead Farrelly, whom Riley coerced into a sexual relationship in a prior professional league.”
In the days that followed the story’s publication, Riley was fired by his new team, the North Carolina Courage, and the NWSL’s commissioner and general counsel resigned, according to the report for U.S. Soccer.
Yearlong investigation reveals ‘systemic’ abuse, misconduct
In October 2021, U.S. Soccer retained Sally Q. Yates and King & Spalding to conduct an independent investigation.
“Our investigation has revealed a league in which abuse and misconduct — verbal and emotional abuse and sexual misconduct — had become systemic, spanning multiple teams, coaches, and victims,” Yates’ report states.
The investigation included “well over 200 interviews,” the report states, and included reports of “relentless, degrading tirades; manipulation that was about power, not improving performance; and retaliation against those who attempted to come forward.
“Even more disturbing were the stories of sexual misconduct. Players described a pattern of sexually charged comments, unwanted sexual advances and sexual touching, and coercive sexual intercourse.”
Findings spur immediate changes at U.S. Soccer
In addition to releasing the full findings of the investigation, U.S. Soccer announced several immediate changes recommended in the report.
“The abuse described in the report is entirely inexcusable and has no place in soccer, on or off the field,” Cone said. “Along with everyone at U.S. Soccer, I am squarely focused on the changes we will make to address the report’s findings and make soccer safer for everyone.”
Immediate changes announced by U.S. Soccer include:
- Establishing an Office of Participant Safety to oversee U.S. Soccer’s conduct policies and reporting mechanisms.
- Publishing soccer records from SafeSport’s Centralized Disciplinary Database to publicly identify individuals in the sport who have been disciplined, suspended or banned.
- Mandating a uniform minimum standard for background checks for all U.S. Soccer members at every level, including youth soccer.
U.S. Soccer also plans to create a Participant Safety Task Force made up of leaders across the sport at all levels and led by athletes themselves, Cone said.
“We need our membership across the country to join us in our push for meaningful and lasting change if we are to be effective in transforming soccer’s culture in this country for the long-term,” she said.
A new committee of the U.S. Soccer Board of Directors also will develop a plan to act on the report’s recommendations, Cone said. The group will share its plan publicly by Jan. 31, 2023, she said.
