National League Soccer Coach Fired After Accusations of Sexual Coercion

After a bombshell investigation from The Athletic was published Thursday, women’s soccer team North Carolina Courage announced it had fired head coach Paul Riley “following very serious allegations of misconduct.” The National Women’s Soccer League Players Association had called for an investigation into Riley in the wake of The Athletic’s report, which quoted a dozen players, including two named players, Sinead Farrelly and Mana Shim, who accused Riley of sexual coercion and inappropriate comments stretching back over a decade.

Farrelly said that during her rookie season Riley groomed her, frequently buying her drinks. He coerced her into his hotel room after a particularly heavy night of drinking, where they had sex. “I felt under his control,” she told The Athletic. She was also prodded by Riley to kiss Shim while they were alone in his apartment—the coach told them that, if they did, the team wouldn’t have to run a loathed drill that week. Farrelly and Shim kissed and quickly left, despite his proposition they stay the night.