• Loading stock data...
Saturday, June 7, 2025

NWSL Players Criticize League For Finishing Game, Not Changing Rules After Savy King Incident

The NWSL players union is demanding the league change its rules to suspend games when lifesaving measures are required on the field.

Savy King
Jessica Alcheh-Imagn Images

Six days after Angel City FC defender Savy King collapsed on the field during a game, the NWSL has yet to publicly announce any changes to league protocols. 

King was transported to a local hospital on Friday after a “medical event” on the field. Angel City later said in a statement that King required surgery after doctors discovered a heart abnormality, and the team called her prognosis “excellent.”

Angel City and the Utah Royals finished the match, which players and the union took issue with. Nearly a week later, the NWSLPA is displeased with the league’s refusal to admit the game should have been suspended or that league protocols need to be changed.

“We reviewed their statement,” NWSLPA executive director Meghann Burke told Front Office Sports. “They commented that ‘the seriousness of this incident requires a deliberate process that is careful and methodical,’ making it sound like that is the reason why it’s taking so long. The reality is these decisions are made in real time. A decision needed to be made last Friday night. They didn’t have five days at that point to make the right decision. Then five days later they still hadn’t decided whether or not this game should have been suspended.” 

The union is calling for the immediate suspension of any game in the event that life saving measures are used. The league says its “process” will eventually “include necessary revisions that prioritize the consideration of player, staff and fan well-being.”

King was attended to on Friday night for about 10 minutes before being stretchered off the field and taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. The match resumed with 12 minutes of stoppage time added. 

Burke said multiple conversations have been had with the league, but declined to get into the explanation provided as to why a decision to suspend the match wasn’t made in the moment. Asked if future games would be suspended, and who decided to resume play, the league provided its Wednesday statement and then said “we have nothing further to add at this point.” 

“In no world should that game have continued,” Washington Spirit and USWNT forward Trinity Rodman wrote on Instagram. 

Current NWSL rules state “certain event categories automatically trigger the League Office into an evaluation of whether delay or postponement is necessary.” 

According to Burke, this is the only time in the history of the NWSL that life saving measures were necessary during a match. In 2023, Bills safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest during a game against the Bengals and had to have his heartbeat restored on the field. The Monday night game was suspended and eventually canceled, though it briefly appeared that the NFL was going to restart the game; it took the league over an hour to ultimately cancel. The teams never made the game up.

As a result of the NWSL collective bargaining agreement ratified in 2022, each team is obligated to meet medical staffing requirements. Burke commended Angel City FC staff and local EMT’s immediate response, but added that she would expect the same care no matter where a medical emergency like this happened. 

Four matches are scheduled for Friday. Burke said she has no information on whether the league will issue another statement announcing a new protocol requiring the immediate suspension of a match if life saving measures are used. 

“This is a human issue,” Burke said. “The right thing to do was to call this game. It doesn’t take this long to realize that.” 

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Aliyah Boston
exclusive

Sky–Fever Will Not Break WNBA Attendance Record

United Center renovations mean the league attendance record is off the table.
Tamika Catchings

The Sky–Fever Rivalry Wasn’t Born Yesterday

The teams fixated on each other well before Clark and Reese.

Texas Knocks Down NIL-Heavy Texas Tech to Win WCWS

Even without making NIL headlines, the Longhorns invest big in softball.

Featured Today

Jan 24, 2017; Davidson, NC, USA; The Davidson Wildcats student section cheers during the first half against the Duquesne Dukes at McKillop Court at John M. Belk Arena. Davidson defeated Duquesne 74-60.

Every College Wants a Flashy Basketball GM Hire Right Now

The role is more important than ever, and the definition is ever-evolving.
August 31, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; The Goodyear blimp flies over Ohio Stadium during the first half of Saturday’s NCAA Division I football game between the Akron Zips and the Ohio State Buckeyes.
June 6, 2025

Why the Goodyear Blimp Is at Every Major Sports Event

The airship wasn’t built to cover sports. Now it’s a regular presence.
May 27, 2015; Paris, France; Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (CRO) knocks the clay off her shoe during her match against Simona Halep (ROU) on day four of the French Open at Roland Garros
June 4, 2025

Roland-Garros’s Iconic Red-Clay Surface Is a Precise Alchemy

The exact science behind maintaining the French Open’s red clay.
Alex Jensen introductory press conference on Monday, March 17, 2025.
June 3, 2025

Alex Jensen Started Utah Utes HC Job While Still Coaching the Mavs

How Jensen began building an NCAA program while patrolling the Dallas sideline.
Apr 29, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (44) points to the dugout after hitting an RBI single during the seventh inning against the Detroit Tigers at Daikin Park.

Trump Travel Ban Not Expected to Impact MLB, NBA—for Now

The ban is a full restriction on 12 countries and a partial ban on others.
NBA Finals
June 6, 2025

NBA Finals Continue to Strip Away Pageantry

Fans once again complained about the lack of visible Finals markings.
UFL
June 6, 2025

UFL Ratings Dropped 20% in Second Season

The UFL is in its second season after a XFL-USFL merger.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

In Episode 7 of Portfolio Players, go inside the boardroom with Avenue Capital CEO and former Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry on Giannis’s future, women’s sports, and upstart leagues like TGL and Unrivaled. 
June 6, 2025

Silver: NBA Local Media Woes Could Hurt Expansion Momentum

Las Vegas and Seattle have long been rumored as expansion cities.
June 5, 2025

NHL Not Opening Expansion Bids—but Houston, Atlanta Still in Mix

The question of additional franchises will stay in a more unstructured process.
June 4, 2025

Manfred: MLB Wants New Media-Rights Deal Before All-Star Game

Talks continue with three bidders, and a decision is expected soon.
Jun 4, 2025; Paris, FR; Coco Gauff of the United States celebrates winning her match against Madison Keys of the United States on day 11 at Roland Garros Stadium.
June 4, 2025

Coco Gauff Is Last Hope for U.S. to End French Open Drought

Gauff last made the French Open final in 2022.