NC Courage Coach Paul Riley Fired After Accusations Of Sexual Coercion By Former Players

The North Carolina Courage announced Thursday afternoon that the team has fired head coach Paul Riley, effective immediately. The decision comes after multiple former players accused Riley of sexual coercion.

The allegations were detailed in a lengthy investigative story published by The Athletic Thursday morning. Sean Nahas has been named as interim head coach for the rest of the season, the team says. He starts that position at today's training.

In a statement issued Thursday afternoon, NWSL Commissioner Lisa Baird said she was "shocked and disgusted to read the new allegations" and that the NWSL is reporting the allegations to the US Center for SafeSport for investigation. She said the league is also implementing new measures to protect players including a new anonymous reporting process.

According to The Athletic, players contacted Baird directly earlier this year with their concerns. Baird told them a previous 2015 investigation into Riley's behavior had been "investigated to conclusion," the outlet reports.

https://www.wunc.org/sports/2021-09-30/north-carolina-courage-coach-paul-riley-accused-sexual-coercion-athletic-nwsl