October 01, (THEWILL) – The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) has confirmed that Friday matches scheduled for this weekend would be cancelled due to the Paul Riley scandal.
Riley was accused of inappropriate conduct by former players across three clubs and three leagues beginning in 2011, according to an article published by The Athletic. The North Carolina Courage fired Riley for “very serious allegations of misconduct.” just hours after the report was published.
Players from across the league slammed the NWSL’s response after the revelation surfaced on Thursday, claiming that the league had been made aware of Riley’s behaviour on many occasions and had failed its players.
Lisa Baird, the commissioner of the NWSL, made the announcement in a statement that read:
“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. 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.”
OL Reign and USWNT star Megan Rapinoe said in a tweet: “Never once during this whole time was the right person protected. The league was informed of these allegations multiple times and refused multiple times to investigate the allegations.”
Orlando Pride’s Alex Morgan wrote: “The league must accept responsibility for a process that failed to protect its own players from this abuse.”
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
