Report accuses Chicago Red Stars of hindering probe into abuse allegations against former coach
CHICAGO (CBS) – The Chicago Red Stars team was featured prominently in a scathing report detailing "systemic abuse" within the National Women's Soccer League.
CBS 2 investigator Megan Hickey dug into the report that alleges the Red Stars organization "hindered" the investigation.
Investigators claim the Red Stars were one of three teams that wee not fully cooperative, and that revelation comes just months after the team pledged to be more transparent.
As the Red Stars were winning their game against Angel City F.C. on Sunday, a 319-page report was about to drop.
It's the result of a year-long probe led by former U.S. Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates that focused on how complaints and allegations from women's soccer team players were ignored and overlooked, at times in favor of keeping coaches and owners in their jobs.
"The sexual misconduct varies here from really inappropriate misogynistic-type comments to unwanted sexual advances, to actual coercion by coaches," Yates said.
At least 37 pages of the report were about the Red Stars' former head coach Rory Dames.
In November, Dames was allowed to resign just ahead of a Washington Post report that claimed he had been verbally and emotionally abusive to players. The Yates report gets into even more detail.
Player surveys called Dames "abusive" and "unprofessional." The report also detailed allegations that the team's owner turned a blind eye.
"There's way more that could have been said," said a former Red Stars staff member who asked not to be identified and was interviewed for the report about her negative experiences. The staff member told Hickey she's glad the report was released, but that in some ways, it barely scratched the surface.
"Anyone who interacted with Rory has experiences they could have talked about," she said. "Staff experiences weren't really covered in any of the report."
In a statement to CBS 2, Dames denied engaging in "any misconduct as a coach, sexual or otherwise."
According to the Yates report, Dames is the owner of the Eclipse Select Soccer Club in Arlington Heights, although he's no longer listed on the staff page.
In a statement after Dames' departure the team said, "As the owners of the Chicago Red Stars, we commit to holding ourselves accountable and to doing it better."
But according to the report, the Red Stars were also one of three teams that failed to produce documents to investigators in a timely manner.
Investigators said they had to obtain some records from "other cooperating sources" to make up for it.
CBS 2 reached out to the Red Stars for comment about the report calling the organization uncooperative, and the expanded allegations against Dames. We also asked about the future of management, including the team's owner.
In statement released Monday evening, Red Stars chairman Arnim Whisler said he will "hand over operational control of the club to our executive team in Chicago" effective immediately after the report's release "in the interest of the club and the players."
"After reviewing yesterday's report, I am filled with sorrow upon reading the many stories and experiences shared by so many incredibly brave individuals who have played in the NWSL, including our beloved club," Whisler said. "I am so deeply sorry for what our players experienced during their time spent in Chicago."
For his part, Dames said he "will address the misstatements of fact and false and defamatory statements in the report but his hands are tied at this time."