Lisa Baird, Commissioner of the National Women’s Soccer League, the top league in American women’s football, has been ousted from her post after almost 19 months on the job amid allegations that a former coach engaged in sexual harassment and misconduct toward players, according to US media reports.
The decision comes in the wake of claims of misconduct, including sexual coercion, levelled by two former players against North Carolina coach Paul Riley.
While there has been no statement from the NWSL or Baird herself, the Associated Press reported the proceedings after a person with knowledge of the situation told them about the same.
Earlier in the day, the NWSL, in a statement, announced that the games scheduled for this weekend will not be played as the league deals with the fallout from allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct against the former coach.
U.S. Soccer suspended Riley’s coaching license following a report on The Athletic, in which former NWSL players Sinead Farrelly and Mana Shim recounted their experiences with Riley.
However, Riley told The Athletic the allegations were “completely untrue.”
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The NWSL Players’ Association has called for an independent investigation of the allegations levelled at Riley. The union also demanded the suspension of any league or club staff who have been accused of violating the league’s anti-harassment policy or of failing to report misconduct, no matter when it occurred.
The union also demanded to know how Riley was hired by another club after allegations of misconduct surfaced while he was with the Thorns.
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Additionally, FIFA, football’s top governing body, on Friday opened an investigation into the case. It is rare that an international governing body gets involved in a controversy involving a member association. US Soccer also announced an independent investigation on Friday.
