When the National Women's Soccer League settled with three separate attorneys general earlier this year—following investigations by all three into the league's years of failure to prevent or adequately respond to player reports of harassment and sexual misconduct—the agreement came with several requirements. One was that the league would pay $5 million to players who were abused. Another was a mandate for the league to submit regular reports to the three AGs about what it was doing to keep the abuse from happening again, as well as investigating reports of misconduct it received.
This meant the largely secretive world of the private sports league and any abuse within it, a subject of reporting at multiple outlets for years now, would finally be required to face a little bit of public-facing transparency.
Defector Media filed public records requests for copies of the 2025 NWSL semi-annual compliance report with the three three attorneys general—New York, Illinois, and Washington D.C.—who would have each received a copy. New York outright rejected our request, no surprise given the state’s largely toothless public records law, but Illinois and Washington both responded with copies of the compliance report. Washington also provided us with copies of the additional documents referenced in the report (called exhibits); when we asked for them from Illinois, its AG said it could not find any records that matched our request.
Though certain information is redacted, the report and its exhibits still shed some light on what is happening and what the NWSL is doing. Per a copy of the league's own anti-harassment training, provided as an exhibit, in 2024 the league received 43 complaints directly from either a club, a player, or the players union. Because the 43 number comes from an internal document, it doesn't provide much detailed clarification on these complaints, such as how many are concerns about abuse or what specific policies might have been violated.
The official compliance report to the AGs showed that between Feb. 1 and July 31 of this year the league received five complaints regarding four separate teams, all in March or May, for reasons that included a toxic work environment, concerns about player load and injuries, and possible violation of the non-fraternization policy. The names of the teams are redacted.
One of them might be Bay FC. In March, the San Francisco Chronicle reported the league was opening an independent investigation into the team's coaching staff after two players and two team employees from the 2024 season both told the newspaper that the culture under head coach Albertin Montoya was "toxic." The Chronicle also reported that two complaints previously had been filed against Montoya, with one being cleared "after it was reviewed by a third-party investigator hired by the team." The status of the second complaint, which was sent to the league, wasn't clear.
In July, the NWSL announced that the investigation found "shortcomings" in Montoya's "communication style" but ultimately concluded he did not violate the NWSL policy. Montoya said he would leave the club at the end of this season.
Defector Media reached out to the NWSL and asked for comment on what was in the semi-annual report as well as the related documents. When asked for comment, a league spokesperson replied with a one-sentence statement: "The reports submitted to the attorneys general speak for themselves."
The documents also offer a glimpse into what the league is doing to prevent abuse going forward, like who is in charge of mental health at various teams, and what types of background checks are done on potential new coaching hires. It also sheds light on what a player mid-season survey looks like: It includes asking players if they would recommend the NWSL to other players on a scale of zero to 10, and how they feel about the statement, "The NWSL is the premier women's professional soccer league in the world."
The investigations
Per the settlement, the league was required to tell the three AGs about "any complaints, formal or informal, alleging misconduct involving player or staff safety and wellbeing, and the status of the resulting investigations, if any." This section of the compliance report is also where most of the redactions happen.
From what can be read, the first complaint came in March from what the report calls Team A. Two different reports came in regarding Team A: one regarding a toxic environment and favoritism, the second concerning a toxic work environment. All other information is redacted.
That same month, a report also came in about "player load and injury concerns" at Team B. The only part not blacked out said: "Although this matter does not strictly fall within the definition of 'Serious Misconduct Involving Player Safety' as set forth in the Assurance, the NWSL is notifying the Attorneys General of its investigation and responsive actions in this instance as part of its broader commitment to player safety and well-being."
In May, the NWSL received complaints about Team C and Team D. At Team C, the concerns were a possible violation of the league's non-fraternization policy and another potential violation that was redacted. The only part not redacted from the Team C narrative follows very similar language to that included about Team B: that the matter did not "strictly fall within" the parameters set by the state law enforcement officers, but the league was reporting it anyway. The league gave the exact same answer regarding Team D, where the report was of a toxic work environment, followed by more redactions.
The league also provided a copy of its 2025 anti-harassment training. This document is where the 43 complaints in 2024 are referenced. Of those 43 complaints, 20 were related to either player or staff employee experience issues; those were assigned back to the individual team's human resources or player safety officers. Fourteen were related to what the training called "employee relations and/or policy violations" and were assigned to the league safety officer/chief people and culture officer. The final nine involved independent investigations initiated by the league or clubs. No information about what they might be about was given beyond the header of "civil/criminal violations and third party investigations."
The final results of these 2024 complaints were not included in the training document or the report to the attorneys general.
How coaches are hired
The league provided information on how it conducts background checks for all potential club owners and ownership groups as well as head coaches, assistant coaches, general managers, head athletic trainers, and public safety officers. The NWSL said in the compliance report that it conducts the following for each of those hires: a criminal records check, a registered sex offender search, a SafeSport database check, a search for any civil judgments or bankruptcies, education verification, employment verification, as well as "media, social media, and internet searches" and what's described as "watch lists and political exposure checks."
The NWSL added that it tells the players union when it does a background check on a potential new head coaching hire. The union then has seven days to respond with "any concerns regarding the prospective hire's history or reputation as it pertains to the safety and wellbeing of players or staff."
Defector reached out to the NWSLPA, asking if this was happening like the league told the government. A union spokesperson said: "Our duty is to protect players and the trust they place in their union to safeguard their rights and privacy—a responsibility we take seriously. We will not comment publicly on matters that could compromise players' trust or privacy. We will, however, hold NWSL accountable."
Prospective hires also sign a form acknowledging the anti-harassment/anti-discrimination policy, the anti-fraternization policy, SafeSport training, league rules, the possibility of discipline from the commissioner, and the NWSL background check, as well as answering a few questions. One of the questions requests a list of prior employers.
The second is: "To your knowledge, have you ever been the subject of any allegation or complaint, whether formal or informal, concerning inappropriate conduct by you towards players, coaches, or other employees of sports leagues or clubs, or individuals involved in recreational sports leagues or clubs or in any other employment, volunteer or personal situation, including, but not limited to, verbal abuse, harassment, bullying, sexual harassment/sexual misconduct, discrimination, racially insensitive conduct, or retaliation?"
If the answer is yes, the person is asked to say when it happened, to describe the allegation or complaint, and to say "if you are subject to any restrictions on your ability to provide details about the event(s) or about the individual(s) involved."
How an investigation works
The league also has an investigation protocol. It provided a copy to the AGs, which we received through our public records request. The protocol submitted was part of a document dated June 2023.
According to the protocol, how a complaint would be managed depends on where it began and who is involved. If a team received a complaint labeled a "player/ownership matter," the slides said it should be reported immediately to the league safety officer and chief people and culture officer. The league kept all complaints labeled "employee relations and policy violations." The chief legal officer handled all cases of possible criminal and civil violations, as well as those involving third-party investigators.
Any complaints a team got about the front office, technical staff, or third-party vendors stayed with the team. So did a third bucket, one the document called "employee experience issues." Those same complaints, even if received by the league, were to be kicked down to the teams, per the record. However, the NWSL does have the right to call for a joint or league-only investigation "based on the contents of the matter."
How an investigation should work procedurally wasn't talked about much, except for one page of sample questions along with guidance like "Is the testimony believable on its face? Does it make sense?" and "Did the person have a reason to lie?"
The person who filed the complaint plus anyone else impacted will "receive a report out of an investigation finding and resolution," the document said.
The league does go into a bit more detail of how investigations should work in the copy it provided to the government of its anti-discrimination, harassment and bullying policy, giving about a page of investigatory guidance, such as immediately identifying any safety concerns, securing possible physical evidence, and keeping a written record of the case. There are about two more pages with general information, like how the league will preserve the investigative record for "at least seven years," who is told the findings of the investigations, and requiring all employees to cooperate with investigations.
What they are doing to prevent abuse
Some of what the league provided to the AGs were essentially lists. They provided a list of all the player safety officers for each team, a list of the human resources professionals at each team, and a list of each team's clinician and mental performance coach.
The list of player safety officers showed that who carries that responsibility varies by team. For some—Angel City, Bay FC, Gotham FC, North Carolina Courage, Orlando Pride, Portland Thorns, Seattle Reign, Racing Louisville, San Diego Wave—it's the person with the title most related to human resources. For the Chicago Stars, it's the medical director; at the Kansas City Current, it's the head of soccer operations; at Orlando and Washington, it also includes an attorney; Seattle has a second person listed, the vice president of soccer operations and safeguarding. In Utah, the job is held by the "player care and safeguarding manager."
The NWSL also said in the compliance report that last year it hired a licensed clinical psychologist to provide "consulting and mental health services" to the league and players. The league mandates all players and technical club staff go through SafeSport training, per the document. It had anti-harassment training done in 2025 by Huddle Up, a program conducted by the Institute for Sport and Social Justice. The league safety officer also "reviewed league-specific anti-harassment and anonymous reporting information with all players and technical staff," the compliance report said. The league also continue to hold an annual "Safeguarding Summit" for league and club HR staff to go over best practices.
Copies of the player surveys used by the NWSL also were part of the documentation. One is an exit questionnaire given to players leaving the league. The league actually has two versions: one for players who are retiring, and one for players who are not. The surveys each asked fairly standard exit questions, such as asking the player to describe their NWSL experience, how valued the player felt as an athlete within the NWSL and at their club, and how prepared they felt for success outside of the league.
The league also is required to do a yearly anonymous survey of players. The NWSL said it had previously provided the results of the 2024 player survey. The league included a copy of the midseason player survey that it said it intended to use this year. Other than certain tweaks for the specificity of professional sports, the questions read a lot like the culture surveys done at many U.S. workplaces, right down to the use of "strongly disagree," "disagree," "neutral," "agree," and "strongly agree" as response options to many prompts. (The copies provided to the AGs were only in English.)
The NWSL is required to share anonymized versions of the survey results with its clubs, US Soccer, the players union, and all the AGs. The report said the NWSL did readouts of the 2024 survey with all the clubs by the end of February of this year, and then shared the results with the players union on March 21, with more follow-up meetings with the NWSLPA representatives for each team. The following details in that section were redacted out. (When asked to confirm if the league was doing this, the NWSLPA referred to its statement.)
Some of the questions included:
- On a scale of zero to 10, how likely is the respondent to recommend the NWSL to another player?
- On a scale of one to five, how did the respondent feel about the following statement: "The NWSL is the premier women's professional soccer league in the world."
- Those who disagreed with the NWSL being the premier women's professional soccer league in the world were asked to choose why. Their options were: not enough top player talent, player salary levels, quality of facilities, quality of coaching and technical staff, match day experience, lack of competitiveness, lack of international club competition, length of season.
- Those who agreed that the NWSL was the best were also asked why they felt that way.
- Under mental health, respondents are asked: "Do you feel that your club supports its players by making mental health services and other resources readily accessible?" The options are yes, somewhat, not really, and no.
- On a scale of one to five, do they trust the league to make good decisions regarding expansion.
- On a scale of one to five, they are asked to rate their experience as a member of their team.
- On a scale of one to five, they are asked to rate their team's coaching staff's ability to provide constructive feedback.
- On a scale of one to five, they are asked if they feel safe practicing at their training facility.
- On a scale of one to five, is the league heading in a positive direction?
The survey ends by thanking the respondent for their feedback, which "is essential to the NWSL league as we consistently takes [sp] steps towards improvement."
A full copy of the compliance report can be read below or by clicking here.
