Longtime Red Stars coach Rory Dames, who stepped down from his position late Sunday night, is at the center of multiple complaints of verbal and emotional abuse throughout his tenure, according to a Washington Post report released Monday. Dames resigned after the team competed in its second straight championship game on Saturday.
Per the report, U.S. women's national team member Christen Press, along with six other players, said Dames was verbally abusive toward them while they played under his watch. Multiple players, the report states, requested to leave the team because of it.
In 2014, Press reached out to USSF president Sunil Gulati regarding Dames' toxic methods, but Press says her concerns were dismissed "by saying Dames’ behavior was normal for a professional coach,” according to the report. She also filed a complaint against Dames with U.S. Soccer, which led to an investigation, alleging he violated the federation’s policies against "emotional misconduct."
The investigation resulted in "no apparent action."
"This type of coaching has no place in the NWSL, youth soccer or anywhere else," the NWSL players association said in a statement. "We stand with Christen Press, Jen Hoy, Sam Johnson and any player who comes forward to speak out against abuse of any kind.
"We have said it before and will say it again now: the system has failed us. Through our investigation, we will seek out the root causes of these systematic failures to prevent this from happening to future generations."
The Chicago Red Stars released a statement later Monday, saying the team stands "with the players who are fiercely advocating for change, and we are committed to doing our part to ensure a safe environment for the League’s players, staff, volunteers and fans."
"In conjunction with our players, the Chicago Red Stars several weeks ago initiated an independent review of player health and safety and the team’s culture and work environment," the statement read. "We intend to implement any recommendations in that review that will strengthen our ability to empower our players, to ensure that everyone’s voice is heard, and to foster an environment of continual growth."
Dames had coached Chicago since 2011. From 2015 to 2018, he led the Red Stars to the postseason, losing in the semi-finals each season. In 2019, Dames led the team to the NWSL championship for the first time in team history where they lost to the North Carolina Courage.
(Photo: Daniel Bartel / ISI Photos / Getty Images)
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Full statement from the NWSLPA on Dames:
Statement from the @nwsl_players on Rory Dames. #NWSL pic.twitter.com/aM4ClsVbFw
— Meg Linehan (@itsmeglinehan) November 23, 2021