The attorneys general of New York, Illinois, and Washington, D.C., announced a settlement with the NWSL on Wednesday to create a pool of $5 million for all current and former players who experienced abuse in the league and establish accountability measures to prevent harm in the future.
The joint investigation launched in 2022 by New York’s Letitia James, Illinois’s Kwame Raoul, and Washington, D.C.’s Brian Schwalb found “widespread violations of players’ fundamental rights” and a league “permeated by a culture of abuse and neglect,” according to a release.
The settlement follows 2021 reports of widespread abuse throughout the league, including sexual harassment, discrimination, and workplace misconduct. That prompted an investigation commissioned by the league and its players association, and another by U.S. Soccer. That investigation, led by former U.S. deputy attorney general Sally Yates, was published in 2022. It found systemic abuse at all levels of women’s soccer, inaction by those in power, and retaliation against those who spoke up. In the aftermath of the report, several coaches were fired or barred from the league, and half of the league’s teams were fined, with Chicago and Portland both being fined at least $1 million.
U.S. Soccer tasked Yates with the investigation after former Portland Thorns players Mana Shim and Sinead Farrelly alleged sexual and psychological abuse by former coach Paul Riley.
The investigations by the trio of attorneys general found much of what was already in the Yates report. Wednesday’s news is largely about what the league is bound by the terms of the settlement to do.
Here are the details of the settlement:
- Players can file a claim for a piece of the $5 million fund, which will be administered by former U.S. District Judge Barbara Jones. Current and former players who experienced abuse of any kind will be eligible.
- The NWSL must provide free, unlimited therapy for players, and a full-time psychiatrist or psychologist and a “Mental Performance Consultant.” Players are now allowed to take mental health leave should their doctor recommend it.
- The league must submit twice-yearly reports to the three attorneys general for the next three years laying out their compliance with the settlement and any reports of misconduct it received. (The settlement is effective Feb. 1, meaning the first report is required in six months.)
- The league must conduct annual surveys of players about team culture and submit the findings to the attorneys general.
- An overhaul of reporting mechanisms and human resources, addressing the problem of abusers being rehired by another team after they were fired for misconduct. This will include increasing the ways for players to report misconduct, the vetting processes for new hires (including sending names to the NWSLPA to review), and annual trainings about misconduct, and hiring human resources staff and “player safety officers” for each team as well as maintaining a “league safety officer.” Names of new staffers will be sent to the trio of attorneys general for extra checking. At least one reporting method must be different from SafeSport, the Congressional watchdog that has been criticized for inadequately handling abuse across sports.
- Coaches cannot “control player trades, housing, medical decisions, or other aspects of a player’s life off-the-field.”
- The league faces $2 million in penalties for not complying with the terms of the settlement.
“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,” commissioner Jessica Berman said in a statement. “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.”
The NWSL has already started making changes. One source in the New York attorney general’s office tells Front Office Sports the league has taken accountability for the findings and has already begun to implement about 70% or 80% of the changes required by the settlement, which they say is not common before agreements are reached.
“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,” James said in a statement. “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.”
Players from every team, not just the teams in the three jurisdictions that reached the settlement, will be able to apply for the $5 million fund.
The settlement is the latest in a string of labor wins for the players, who also instituted a landmark new collective bargaining agreement in August that ended all drafts and trades without consent.
“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,” NWSLPA executive director Meghann Burke said in a statement. “Accountability is not a one-time event—it is an ongoing commitment that never ends. The NWSLPA will continue to ensure that this league never again prioritizes silence over safety.”
