{"id":14527,"date":"2022-10-28T19:27:45","date_gmt":"2022-10-28T19:27:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/?p=14527"},"modified":"2022-10-28T19:27:45","modified_gmt":"2022-10-28T19:27:45","slug":"report-finds-systemic-sexual-misconduct-in-u-s-womans-soccer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/report-finds-systemic-sexual-misconduct-in-u-s-womans-soccer\/","title":{"rendered":"Report Finds Systemic Sexual Misconduct in U.S. Woman\u2019s Soccer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A report by an independent investigation commissioned by the U.S. Soccer Federation found that emotional abuse and sexual misconduct were systemic in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/womens-national-soccer-team-settles-equal-pay-act-claim\/\">women\u2019s professional soccer<\/a>.\u00a0 The report also revealed that the sport\u2019s governing bodies and team executives repeatedly failed to take corrective action after being notified of complaints.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Summary of Findings<br \/>\n<\/strong>The 300-page report summarized the key findings as follows:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Verbal and emotional abuse and sexual misconduct had become systemic, spanning multiple teams, coaches, and victims.<\/li>\n<li>Abuse in the NWSL is rooted in a deeper culture in women\u2019s soccer, beginning in youth leagues, that normalizes verbally abusive coaching and blurs boundaries between coaches and players.<\/li>\n<li>The verbal and emotional abuse players describe in the NWSL is not merely \u201ctough\u201d coaching. And the players affected are not shrinking violets. They are among the best athletes in the world. They include members of the U.S. Women\u2019s National Team (\u201cNational Team\u201d), veterans of multiple World Cup and Olympic tournaments, and graduates of legendary NCAA Division I soccer programs.<\/li>\n<li>In well over 200 interviews, there were numerous 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.<\/li>\n<li>Teams, the League, and the Federation not only repeatedly failed to respond appropriately when confronted with player reports and evidence of abuse, they also failed to institute basic measures to prevent and address it, even as some leaders privately acknowledged the need for workplace protections.<\/li>\n<li>Abusive coaches moved from team to team, laundered by press releases thanking them for their service, and positive references from teams that minimized or even concealed misconduct. Those at the NWSL and USSF in a position to correct the record stayed silent. And no one at the teams, the League, or the Federation demanded better of coaches.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Barriers to Reporting Abuse<br \/>\n<\/strong>The report notes numerous systemic issues that created barriers to reporting abuse, namely, the league did not have an anti-harassment policy until last year. \u00a0Furthermore, most teams lacked a human resources department. There wasn\u2019t an independent, anonymous reporting line until last fall and the league and U.S. Soccer didn\u2019t have someone on staff responsible for player safety.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Significance to Employers<br \/>\n<\/strong>This scandal serves as a valuable reminder that sexual harassment and abuse continue to be serious problems. While this situation involves women\u2019s soccer, the problem <a href=\"https:\/\/atlantabar.org\/?pg=Blog&amp;blAction=showEntry&amp;blogEntry=63606\">has existed<\/a> and continues to exist in other areas of professional sports and workplaces across all industries.\u00a0 For example, recent headlines have highlighted sexual harassment and discrimination claims involving the <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20230728224013\/https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/2022\/10\/13\/dan-snyder-washington-commanders-nfl-owners-dirt\">Washington Commanders<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/news\/nba-investigation-robert-sarver-suns-official-release\">The Phoenix Suns<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2022\/09\/24\/business\/goldman-sachs-huge-lawsuit-sexual-harassment\/index.html\">Goldman Sachs<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eeoc.gov\/newsroom\/eeoc-sues-bojangles-sexual-harassment-and-retaliation\">Bojangles<\/a>, and a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eeoc.gov\/newsroom\/eeoc-sues-teamsters-local-union-455-sexual-harassment\">Teamsters Local Union<\/a> to name a few.\u00a0\u00a0 Although it is impossible to prevent harassment from occurring, employers are empowered to take certain steps to curtail harassment and stop it from continuing.\u00a0 Moreover, they have a legal obligation to do so.<\/p>\n<p>Here are 5 essential steps every employer should undertake to help maintain a safe and healthy work environment:<\/p>\n<p>1. Implement a sound anti-harassment policy with multiple avenues to lodge a complaint.<\/p>\n<p>2. Educate management and employees about the policy.<\/p>\n<p>3. Take complaints seriously &#8211; properly investigate allegations.<\/p>\n<p>4. Take corrective action if violations occur.<\/p>\n<p>5. Protect employees from retaliation.<\/p>\n<p>These steps might seem simplistic, but they go a long way to protect employees and an organization\u2019s reputation.\u00a0 The end of the year is great time to review and update employment policies and implement harassment training.<\/p>\n<p>As always, please <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/attorney\/kenneth-n-winkler\/\">let me know<\/a> if I can help.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A report by an independent investigation commissioned by the U.S. Soccer Federation found that emotional abuse and sexual misconduct were systemic in women\u2019s professional soccer.\u00a0 The report also revealed that the sport\u2019s governing bodies and team executives repeatedly failed to take corrective action after being notified of complaints. Summary of Findings The 300-page report summarized [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":14528,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_mo_disable_npp":"no","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,10],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Report Finds Systemic Sexual Misconduct in U.S. Woman\u2019s Soccer - Berman Fink Van Horn P.C.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bfvlaw.com\/report-finds-systemic-sexual-misconduct-in-u-s-womans-soccer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Report Finds Systemic Sexual Misconduct in U.S. Woman\u2019s Soccer - Berman Fink Van Horn P.C.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A report by an independent investigation commissioned by the U.S. Soccer Federation found that emotional abuse and sexual misconduct were systemic in women\u2019s professional soccer.\u00a0 The report also revealed that the sport\u2019s governing bodies and team executives repeatedly failed to take corrective action after being notified of complaints. 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