San Diego Wave President Jill Ellis has called allegations of an abusive work environment made by a former employee of the National Women’s Soccer League team “false” and “personally damaging.”
Ellis released a statement to The Associated Press on Thursday in response to a social media post by Brittany Alvarado, the team’s former video and creative director. Alvarado called on the NWSL to fire Ellis, the former U.S. women’s national team coach.
Alvarado claimed the workplace was discriminatory and said it took a toll on his mental health in a lengthy post on X, formerly Twitter.
Ellis said mental health issues were a priority for the club and stressed it had supports in place, including an employee assistance program. She added that when allegations of abuse arose, the team investigated.
“In addition, where appropriate, independent third parties have assisted us in assessing our workplace. At no time have these assessments revealed any wrongdoing on the part of the club,” Ellis said.
Ellis, who coached Team USA to World Cup titles in 2015 and 2019, added that the Wave is committed to building a strong, unified club.
“Our job is to foster a culture of respect, inclusion and excellence. The false accusations contained in (Wednesday’s) post are not only personally damaging, but they also undermine the incredible work and progress we have made together as a team,” Ellis said in the statement.
The Wave newspaper called Alvarado’s allegations defamatory. The team said it was exploring possible legal avenues to resolve the issue.
Forward Alex Morgan, who played for Ellis on both World Cup-winning teams, released a statement on social media saying she was disappointed by the allegations.
“As players, we have worked hard to build a team that is surrounded by an inclusive, positive and safe environment,” Morgan said. “But it is important to me that we create that environment for both the players AND the staff across the organization. Equity in the workplace is something I have and will continue to champion.”
An NWSL spokesperson told ESPN on Thursday: “The safety, health and well-being of everyone associated with our league is our top priority. We take any reports of potential misconduct seriously, engage qualified independent investigators to thoroughly review these allegations, and take action when allegations are supported by the facts uncovered. We have imposed corrective action in every instance where reports have been substantiated, up to and including the removal of individuals who fail to uphold our values and standards.”
“We encourage anyone with information about potential wrongdoing to report this misconduct to the League’s Chief Safety Officer. Individuals can also report this misconduct anonymously through Real Response by texting 872-259-6975.”
An investigation commissioned by the U.S. Soccer Federation in 2022 and led by former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates found problems within the NWSL regarding accountability, player safety and a system that failed to respond to player complaints.
Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.
News Source : www.espn.com
Gn sports
