Agreement Supports NWSL Players Who Faced Abuse, Builds Preventive Measures

By Barry Janoff

February 5, 2025: Calling it a “landmark settlement only possible because of the players who courageously stepped forward to tell their stories and expose the league’s systemic failures,” the Attorneys General of Illinois, New York and Washington, D.C. said today they have entered into an agreement with the National Women’s Soccer League.

The agreement further cements conclusions previously found by independent investigations that numerous players had experienced verbal, emotional and physical abuse by coaches and others and that their subsequent complaints had largely gone ignored by the league and other governing soccer bodies.

Key to the settlement, a “Players’ Restitution Fund has been established designed to provide financial compensation to current and former NWSL players who have experienced serious misconduct while in the league.”

The settlement crates a $5 million restitution fund for impacted players.

Building on procedures established by the NWSL, it also implements league-wide policy changes to protect players, such as conducting rigorous vetting of prospective coaches, general managers, athletic trainers, and player safety officers; establishing multiple mechanisms for players to report misconduct; and prohibiting coaches from having exclusive control over player housing or medical decisions.


“Today’s settlement is only possible because of the players who courageously stepped forward to tell their stories and expose the league’s systemic failures,” Washington DC AG Brian Schwalb said via his office,

“While NWSL has made critical improvements, the victims never received any compensation for the sexual and emotional abuse they endured on the league’s watch.”

According to Schwalb, “No dollar amount could ever fully address the damage that was inflicted, but now my office, together with New York and Illinois, will have oversight authority to ensure that the league’s new safety policies are implemented and that current and future players are protected.”

The settlement does not preclude individual players from pursuing private legal actions against the NWSL or its teams, according to the Attorneys General.

As outlined by Schwalb, New York Attorney General Letitia James and Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, ”In 2021, players from across the NWSL  went public with allegations of misconduct and abuse at the hands of coaches and officials dating back over ten years.

“Many of these complaints had been reported to the league but were largely ignored. Two separate investigations — one commissioned jointly by the NWSL and NWSL Players’ Assn. and one by the U.S. Soccer Federation, conducted by former US Deputy Attorney General Sally Q. Yates — found systemic.”

According to the Attorneys General, “League-wide failures that facilitated verbal abuse, sexual assault, harassment, coercion, and discrimination by coaches, with no clear mechanisms in place for player safety.

“The findings of these two investigations resulted in extensive recommendations from players and attorneys to improve how the NWSL handles allegations of abuse, sexual harassment, and discrimination.”

“This investigation was initiated by the NWSLPA because players refused to stay silent in the face of systemic abuse,” Meghann Burke, NWSLPA executive director, said via the organization. “The human rights and civil rights violations they endured were enabled by a system that failed in its most basic duty: to protect its players.”

Terms of the settlement, according to the Attorneys General, also include adopting a policy that teams may not investigate themselves regarding coach misconduct and player safety, establishing a league safety officer, requiring teams to employ dedicated HR personnel and at least one mental health professional; and mandating annual training for all players and staff on how to prevent bullying, harassment, sexual misconduct, racism, and retaliation, and the reporting mechanisms available to players.


The NWSL must also provide the Attorneys General with the results of annual, anonymous player surveys of coach conduct and team culture; provide unlimited free and confidential counseling services to all players; and submit bi-annual reports to the Attorneys General for the next three years, detailing the implementation of the settlement terms and noting any complaints alleging misconduct involving player or staff safety.


The NWSL must pay a $2 million civil penalty if it materially defaults on the terms of the settlement, according to the Attorneys General.

"We remain grateful to the many brave individuals who came forward to share their experiences, which has informed our approach to systemic reform,” Jessica Berman, who was appointed NWSL commissioner in March 2022, said via the league, “The NWSL is proud of the work we have done, in partnership with the NWSL Players Association, to set the standard for professional sports leagues.

“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.”

“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.

“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.”

According to the NWSL and the Attorneys General, the Fund will be administered by Judge Barbara S. Jones (ret.), “who has extensive experience in workplace investigations and was an independent member of the committee overseeing the 2022 NWSL/NWSLPA joint investigation.”

They said more details, including eligibility requirements and how to apply, would be available in the coming weeks and will be communicated to players, past and present.

“I commend the current and former players whose courage and leadership off the field was critical to reaching today’s settlement,” Attorney General Raoul said via the DC AG’s office.

“Despite having the most to lose, these players came forward to expose abuse and a lack of accountability by those at the top of the league. Because they spoke up for themselves and their teammates, they have brought about reform that will protect future players.”

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