The inquiry gave descriptions of sexual abuse, unwanted sexual advances, emotional abuse, cronyism, racist remarks, the blurring of professional boundaries and retaliation of players who complained about how they were treated.
“Players from marginalized backgrounds, or with the least job security, were often targets of misconduct,” the report said. “At the same time, these players faced the greatest barriers to speaking out about or obtaining redress for what they experienced.”
Jessica Berman, the commissioner of the N.W.S.L., said in a news conference on Wednesday that reading the report “was a hard reality.” In an emailed statement sent earlier in the day, she said the investigation “will be critical to informing our future as we work to heal this league, take corrective action and implement systemic reform.”
Berman, who became commissioner less than a year ago, also apologized to the players, acknowledging that the league failed to protect them.
“They deserve, at a minimum, a safe and secure environment to participate at the highest level in a sport they love, and they have my unwavering commitment that delivering that change will remain a priority each and every day,” she said.
The first investigative report about the league, made public in October, was compiled on behalf of the U.S. Soccer Federation by Sally Q. Yates, a former deputy attorney general. It detailed some of the systematic abuse, including sexual and psychological abuse, that occurred in a league that in many ways lacked basic player protections and, in turn, professionalism.
The most recent report included about 220 interviews of past and present players, players’ union leaders, club staff members, league leadership and staff, and U.S. Soccer personnel. Yet some players, even one retired one, said they did not want to talk to investigators for fear of retribution from their current or former coaches.
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