The NWSL brought the hammer down on the Washington Spirit on Tuesday, announcing that coach Richie Burke has been fired for cause after he was suspended for allegations of verbal and emotional abuse in August and that the club cannot participate in league governance matters for an unspecified length of time. The NWSL conducted a third-party investigation after the Washington Post detailed Burke's alleged inappropriate conduct last month and it expanded after more troubling allegations concerning owner Steven Baldwin came to the surface, shedding light on a toxic club culture.
"Based on the investigation's findings and the NWSL's determination that the Washington Spirit head coach cannot work with any NWSL players, the Washington Spirit's head coach has been terminated for cause," the release read. "After considering the substance of the report, and taking into account prior actions of the Spirit, the NWSL's board of governors has determined that the Spirit and its ownership have failed to act in the best interests of the League."
The release continued to say that representatives from the Spirit will not be allowed to participate in league governance. The league has started a process where Washington needs to respond to the violation handed down to them within 14 days. The final investigative report will stay confidential to protect the confidentiality of those who spoke to investigators, per the release.
The initial report from the Post detailed that Burke "made racially insensitive jokes" toward Black players, and he was described as "unbelievably volatile" by former players. Four players left the team because of Burke's treatment, per the Post.
As things evolved to involve Baldwin, one of the club's co-owners, Y. Michele Kang, wrote a letter to investors imploring Baldwin to sell the team.
The NC Courage fired coach Paul Riley Thursday after former players have come forward to accuse him of sexual coercion and the NWSLs players union called for an investigation.
In a statement, the team said the very serious allegations of misconduct led to Rileys dismissal.
Assistant coach Sean Nahas was named the interim head coach.
In a story published Thursday morning by the Athletic, Sinead Farrelly and Mana Shim said Riley lured them into sexual relationships and socialized with his players while coaching the NWSLs Portland Thorns and two previous teams. The owner of the Thorns told the Athletic that Riley was fired in 2015 in part because of the accusations against him.
Riley was then hired by the Western NY Flash, who moved to the Triangle and became the Courage when they were purchased by Stephen Malik in 2017. Under Riley, a 58-year-old Englishman who has coached in the United States since 1986, the Courage has emerged as the leagues preeminent team, winning two NWSL championships, three regular-season titles and distinguishing itself against some of the best European teams in exhibition competition.
The Courage, currently third in the NWSL standings, on Wednesday announced that a scheduled press conference with Riley ahead of Fridays home game against the Washington Spirit had been postponed four minutes before it was scheduled to take place. ... The NWSL Players Association on Thursday called for any league staff accused of violating the leagues anti-harassment policy, no matter when it occurred, to be suspended immediately and that the league disclose how Paul Riley was hired within (the) NWSL after departing another NWSL Club subsequent to an investigation into abusive conduct before a collective-bargaining session scheduled for Friday.