As described by
Defector Media, "The Yates report was a 319-page document that's difficult to summarize because it covers so much, but one way to put it would be that the document was a deep-dive into the systemic abuse that occurred in the NWSL and why it was allowed to happen, with a focus on three specific ex-coaches: Paul Riley (Portland Thorns, North Carolina Courage), Rory Dames (Chicago Red Stars), and Christy Holly (Sky Blue FC, Racing Louisville). All three coached in the league for years. All three were accused by former players of egregious workplace misconduct. All three got head coaching jobs after players, repeatedly, reported abuse." The report documented allegations of sexual and emotional abuse by former managers of the NWSL and noted failures at team, league, and USSF leadership levels in addressing player concerns. The report stated that owners and USSF inaction allowed coaches and managers accused of abusive behavior to continue working in the sport. The report recognized nine key findings:
Lack of fundamental player safety measures The report noted that the league did not have an anti-harassment policy until players demanded one in 2021, •
Racing Louisville FC and former
Sky Blue FC manager and
United States women's national soccer team opposition scout
Christy Holly, accused of engaging in a romantic relationship with
Christie Pearce, who he managed at Sky Blue; alleged sexual harassment and abuse of another player he managed at both Sky Blue and Racing Louisville FC; and verbal and emotional abuse of multiple players across teams It also highlighted systemic issues at clubs, such as then-Thorns head coach
Cindy Parlow Cone reporting allegedly sexually harassing comments from Thorns head of business
Mike Golub, and Thorns owner
Merritt Paulson allegedly attempting to discuss the illicit distribution of a United States women's national team player's nude photographs with Thorns players. The report also alleged that players, staff, and coaches engaged in inappropriate fraternization that chilled reporting of abuse or normalized it to the point of players being unable to recognize it. The report noted that Riley, Dames, and Holly had all married former players, which further "desensitized the system about power imbalances" and systematically normalized power imbalances that fostered abuse. The report also suggested that the entities' focus on sustaining the league financially blinded them from addressing these systemic player safety problems.
Obstruction of investigations The report alleged that Portland Thorns FC, Racing Louisville FC, and Chicago Red Stars impeded Yates' investigation, with the Thorns interfering with witness access and using legal arguments to impede access of relevant documents, the Red Stars taking more than eight months to produce relevant documents, and Louisville refusing to provide documents about Holly and using a
non-disclosure agreement to justify preventing current and former employee witnesses from answering questions.
Failed responses encouraging further abuse The report noted "institutional failures [by clubs, the league, and USSF] that perpetuated misconduct", which endangered additional players after the fact and further encouraged retaliation against whistleblowers.
Scope extending beyond professional adult soccer The report also noted that it had received reports beyond the scope of its NWSL investigation that suggested the scope of its systemic abuse issues extended into American youth soccer, where many NWSL coaches had previously worked, or owned, operated, or directed youth clubs. The report suggested the culture of abuse and players' reluctance to report misconduct originated in similar power imbalances at the youth level. == Recommendations ==