October 29, (THEWILL) – The National Women’s Soccer League Players’ Association (NWSLPA) stated on Friday that the league had agreed to the eight demands it presented earlier this month in response to sexual coercion claims against former North Carolina Courage coach Paul Riley.
“Each of these demands is seen by the players as one step closer to the goal of taking our league back,” NWSLPA president Tori Huster said in a statement.
After the players insisted that modifications be made, the NWSL met their demands, indicating synergy between the players and the league.
As part of the collaboration, the NWSL agreed to conduct an open inquiry, which will be overseen by a five-person committee that includes two NWSLPA representatives. According to the league, the investigation will look into any incident of inappropriate behaviour and find systemic failings in player safety.
The players’ association issued a list of demands to the NWSL on October 6, containing eight specific requests. While the NWSLPA had planned to conduct its own independent inquiry, Friday’s revelation illustrates how they collaborated with the league to ensure they were fully involved in the league’s investigation.
The NWSLPA’s first demand was that every coach, general manager, board member, and owner engage freely. The players wanted the probe to be expanded to include all 12 NWSL teams to investigate whether any further mistreatment had occurred. Among their demands was that the league provided all investigative reports and results.
Players also asked for a new regulation that would require “any person in a position of power,” such as an owner, who was involved in the hiring or firing of a coach under investigation to be suspended from NWSL governance awaiting the outcome of an independent investigation.
The players want to be included in the hiring process for a new NWSL commissioner, therefore they asked to meet with potential candidates and have “an opportunity to be heard”.
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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.
