It was another historic week for the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and it’s Players Association.
This week, three attorneys general from the District of Columbia, New York, and Illinois, came to a $5 million settlement with the league following an investigation into the widespread allegations of abuse and misconduct that occurred during the first decade of the its existence (2013-2022).
Alongside the settlement for NWSL players that suffered abuse, the league will also have to submit bi-annual reports to the attorneys general for the next three years. These reports will provide details into how the NWSL is complying with safety protocol changes, while also flagging any new complaints alleging misconduct involving player or staff safety in the league.
Sports Illustrated breaks down everything you need to know about the historic case…
Why is This Settlement Happening Now?
The three attorneys general started their investigation in 2022, following three former NWSL players, Kaiya McCullough, Sinead Farrelly, and Mana Shim, speaking to the media in 2021 about their experiences of alleged abuse from coaches, and the NWSL’s systemic failure in preventing or reporting the claims.
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In 2022, the players’ testimonies in The Washington Post and The Athletic forced U.S. Soccer, the NWSL, and the NWSLPA to conduct two investigations into the league. Based on those new findings, it has taken the three attorneys general two and a half years to investigate the widespread allegations and table a settlement offer to the NWSL.
“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,” NWSL commissioner Jess Berman said this week.
Since 2023, the NWSL has strengthened its anti-harassment policy, created the new role of the League Safety Officer, implemented an extensive anonymous player survey system, and an incident report system.
Who Will be Paying the Money?
The NWSL will pay the $5 million in full. Even though U.S. Soccer was a governing body of the league from 2013 until 2021, the three attorneys general found the league to be liable for the care of the players and the systemic failure to ensure accountability for the accusations against the coaches in the report.
There will also be a penalty system should the NWSL not comply with the bi-annual reporting requested as part of the settlement. An additional $2 million penalty will be issued if the NWSL fails to meet the new safety protocols or fails to adequately report findings and payment over the next three years.
Some of those new safety protocols include vetting all staff hires, new mechanisms to report incidents, prohibiting coaches’ involvement in player housing, requiring club HR and mental health staff, annual club trainings on bullying, harassment, sexual misconduct, and racism.
Where Does the Money Go?
The $5 million Players’ Restitution Fund has been established to provide financial compensation to current and former NWSL players who have experienced serious misconduct while in the league.
How Does the Fund Work?
The NWSL has retained Judge Barbara S. Jones to assess these claims once they come in. She has extensive experience in workplace investigations and was an independent member of the committee overseeing the 2022 NWSL/NWSLPA joint investigation.
Jones will serve as the administrator of the Players’ Restitution Fund, and will be tasked with examining accounts and potentially carrying out interviews with claimants or witnesses to gain more information.
Jones has up to 45 days to develop a plan and submit that plan to the Attorneys General for approval. Once approved, the administrator will notify players no less than 15 days prior to the Fund’s opening. Once open, players will then have six months to apply.
Who is Eligible?
Any NWSL player who experienced misconduct in the league between 2021 and 2022 has 180 days to file their claims. They will provide an account of what happened to them, as well as any supporting evidence. That could include treatment, physical or mental, that they sort out after falling victim to abuse.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Explained: The NWSL’s $5 Million Settlement .