Written by Here we go again. Again.
Last week, detailed sexual harassment allegations spanning over the past decade against women’s professional soccer coach Paul Riley surfaced in The Athletic. Two former players who claimed to be harassed by Riley, Sinead Farrelly and Mana Shim, and US Women’s National Team star Alex Morgan have made several television appearances this week describing Riley’s horrific behavior.
Even more troubling are the actions of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). The league knew of the allegations in 2015. Yet, Riley was allowed to continue coaching until being fired after the allegations were made public.
Shim, appearing on CBS Mornings this week, tried to explain how this situation was allowed to go on for so long. “Big picture, our institution failed us,” she said. “The people in power, not just the coach who abused us, but the leadership team who allowed him to coach elsewhere. It was a total lack of leadership and accountability, and they didn’t care.”
I suspect the league does care about the safety of its athletes, just not as much as they care about their survival. Women’s professional soccer is not a profitable enterprise, and several leagues before it have folded. The article in The Athletic describes how the NWSL likely feared that a public scandal would mean its death.
So they kept it quiet for six years.
News of institutions lacking the courage to do the right thing regarding sexual harassment and abuse regarding athletics is nothing new. The Penn State, USA Gymnastics, Deshaun Watson, and Trevor Bauer stories have preceded this one.
And, by no means are they non-existent elsewhere. The #MeToo movement spans the entertainment industry, government, and big business.
Furthermore, these institutions breach the trust of those they should protect in other matters. Just in this past week, we have seen the credible allegations against Facebook by whistleblower Frances Haugen regarding the company prioritizing profit over the safety of teenage users of Instagram. John Stewart exposed the failure of the military to provide medical benefits by veterans affected by its use of burn pits in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Time and time again, they act out of fear, and the NWSL feared their survival. Their actions enabled a predator like Riley to continue taking advantage of vulnerable young women. The article in The Athletic is long and horrific, and it shows how he targeted players like Farrelly and Shim, who needed his support to advance their careers. He used his power over Farrelly to ensure her silence and to take his abuse “to the grave.”
Riley denies the allegations. “He’s a liar,” says Shim. “That’s what these men do. The truth comes out about their behavior, and they lie in order to cover it up. It’s so upsetting to know they continue to do this.”
She’s right, and we all know it. And when their denials don’t work, they blame the victims. Why did they allow themselves to be in those situations? Are they out for money? We have seen this playbook used over and over again.
Why? Because it works. Bill Cosby is a free man, and Bauer and Watson continue to get paid. As much as we love to blame the greedy and corrupt institutions, real change will only happen when the public believes the whistleblowers and demands accountability.
Only then will the calculus that companies, leagues, and government agencies use to make decisions factor in the public backlash along with profit and survival.
Unfortunately, it has to be this way. Only then will we select leaders who choose to do the right thing.
I saw this week that Whole Foods CEO John Mackey announced his retirement. Several years ago, he wrote a book called Conscious Capitalism that changed my whole perspective on the role of companies and other institutions.
Rather than prioritizing the demands of “stockholders” over those of employees, vendors, and other “stakeholders,” you treat them all equally. Social impact and employee well-being are equal to profit, and long-term thinking prevails over the next quarter’s financial results. Adherence to values drives decisions, and transparency is encouraged. People trust each other.
While there has been a movement in this direction, we are far from this sort of utopia. Goliath Amazon has gobbled up Whole Foods. Until leaders drive consciousness in organizations from the top down and followers demand it from the bottom up, predators in the middle like Riley will continue to have a safe space to roam free.
My hope lies in courageous whistleblowers like Shim and Farrelly. Like the USA Gymnastics team. Their actions have led to greater demands for transparency and change, and they are chipping away at the culture of silence. Maybe one day soon, we will finally reach the tipping point where we are sympathetic and force action and provide a safe space to roam free to pursue their goals.
A safe space that Sinead Farrelly did not have.