February 10, 2025

NWSL settlement helps brings some redress, but not closure, to a turbulent chapter in women’s soccer

The IX: Soccer Monday with Annie Peterson, Feb. 10, 2025

Fans hold signs during an NWSL soccer match at Providence Park in Portland, Oregon. (Photo credit: Soobum Im | USA TODAY Sports)

The three attorneys general from Washington, D.C., New York and Illinois announced a settlement with the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) that establishes a $5 million fund for survivors of emotional and physical abuse stemming from the misconduct scandal that rocked the league in 2021.

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While it doesn’t erase the harm inflicted on the women, it does at the very least signal some restitution for an ugly chapter in American soccer.

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On a conference call with reporters, former Racing Louisville’s Erin Simon, who was subjected to abuse by Christy Holly, spoke. I won’t go over the details here, out of consideration for those who have experienced such trauma. But it was detailed in the Yates report.

“This agreement is a massive achievement, and I’m especially grateful that it includes increased mental health support for the players,” said Simon, who is retired. “While it doesn’t change what happened or the pain caused to all the women named, unnamed and still suffering from what happened to them, it is a massive step. This is a continued fight that we cannot abandon, because of vigilance to protect the players should never stop.”

Tori Huster, the president of the NWSL Players Association (NWSLPA), also spoke about how the settlement was born out of the bravery of the players that came forward.

“This $5 million restitution fund is not a gift. Nor is it justice. This fund exists because players refuse to be silenced. And we found the courage to stand together as a collective,” Huster said. “This fund is an acknowledgment of unique failures and the harm suffered by players. It’s a testament to the players’ courage and a necessary step toward accountability. If the NWSL is safer today, it is because players fought to make it that way.”

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Details of the settlement

The NWSL is required to maintain the safeguards implemented following the two investigations into the misconduct. They include comprehensive vetting of certain team personnel, mechanisms for players to report abuse, player access to free and unlimited counseling, access to a league safety officer and policies that prevent teams from investigating themselves.

As for the fund, it will be administered by retired Judge Barbara S. Jones, who was an independent member of the committee overseeing the 2022 NWSL’s investigation with its players’ union.

Jones has 45 days to develop a plan to distribute the funds, which she will submit to the three attorneys general for approval. On approval, the players, both past and present, will be notified and they will have six months to apply.

The league will communicate the details — including eligibility requirements and how to apply — to players, past and present in the coming weeks.

“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,” NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman said in a statement. “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.”

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Also of note…

Tha Bhathal family, owners of both the NWSL’s Portland Thorns and the the city’s new WNBA team, set to launch in 2026, announced a new state-of-the-art performance center to be used jointly by both teams. It’s the first-ever such alliance between the WNBA and the NWSL.

The $150 million campus, set to open before the start of the 2026 WNBA season, will repurpose a facility formerly owned by Nike on 12 acres in Hillsboro, a city just west of Portland.

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Amenities will include locker rooms and lounges for both teams, two soccer fields and an additional outdoor training area, a gym that will house two basketball courts, strength training, conditioning and rehab areas, film theaters, a dining room and team offices.

Here are some of the renderings, courtesy of RAJ Sports:

CGI rendering of the WNBA Portland and WNBA Thorns joint practice facility — A rendering of the exterior of the Portland Thorns and WNBA Portland facilities. (Photo courtesy of RAJ Sports)

I spoke to Karina LeBlanc, who said Lisa Bhathal Merage was active in the process, set up listening sessions with athletes in designing the facility, which was announced on Thursday.

“The fact that it’s happening here in Portland, it just feels so fitting, because this is a city where we have the headquarters of the biggest brands, we have the best athletes in the world, and now we’re going to really be bringing in the best athletes in the two biggest sports in North American professional sports,” LeBlanc said. “It’s momentum. It’s a movement.”