The league did not indicate whether the games would be postponed or cancelled altogether
The National Women’s Soccer League has announced that all of this weekend’s matches have been called off amid the fallout from explosive allegations of sexual coercion against Paul Riley.
A report from The Athletic on Thursday saw former Portland Thorns players Sinead Farrelly and Meleana Shim both accuse Riley of luring them into sexual encounters when he was the team’s head coach.
Amid widespread outrage, Riley was sacked as head coach of the North Carolina Courage later on Thursday.
What was said?
“The National Women’s Soccer League announced today that given the gravity of the events of the last week, matches scheduled for this weekend will not occur,” the league said in a statement.
“This week, and much of this season, has been incredibly traumatic for our players and staff, and I take full responsibility for the role I have played,” NWSL Commissioner Lisa Baird added.
“I am so sorry for the pain so many are feeling,” added commissioner Baird. “Recognizing that trauma, we have decided not to take the field this weekend to give everyone some space to reflect.
“Business as usual isn’t our concern right now. Our entire league has a great deal of healing to do, and our players deserve so much better.
“We have made this decision in collaboration with our players association and this pause will be the first step as we collectively work to transform the culture of this league, something that is long overdue.”
What comes next?
In their statement, the NWSL did not indicate whether the matches were postponed or cancelled altogether.
The league also has three matches scheduled for Wednesday, with the status of those games also currently unclear.
In a statement on Thursday, the NWSL Players Association called for a full investigation into Riley’s actions as well as his 2016 hiring by the Western New York Flash after he departed the Thorns due to an investigtion into his behavior.
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