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National Women’s Soccer League players briefly stopped their games Wednesday for a moment of silence on the field amid allegations of sexual misconduct in the league.
During the sixth minute of games between NJ/NY Gotham FC and the Washington Spirit, North Carolina Courage and Racing Louisville FC, Portland Thorns FC and Houston Dash, the athletes paused play to link arms at center circle, standing for a full minute before the matches resumed,CNNreports.
The demonstrations during Wednesday’s triple-header on Paramount+ andCBS Sportscome after North Carolina Courage coach Paul Rileywas firedlast week. Riley was ousted from his position following a report inThe Athletic, in which players Sinead Farrelly and Meleana “Mana” Shim came forward to accuse Riley of sexual coercion.
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Riley, who has not been officially charged, denied the players' allegations, telling The Athletic that he “never had sex with, or made sexual advances towards these players.”
In a statement posted on the National Women’s Soccer League Players Associationwebsite, the NWSL said they planned their Wednesday protests for the sixth minute of each game “in honor of the 6 years it took for Mana, Sinead, and all those who fought for too long to be heard.”
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“During that time, we ask you to stand in that pain and discomfort with us, as we consider what we have been asked to sit with for too long,” they wrote. “We call on you to consider, in that minute, what is demanded of each of us to reclaim our league and our sport.”
The organization added, “The reckoning has already begun. We will not be silent. We will be relentless in our pursuit of a league that deserves the players in it.”
The NWSL did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
source: people.com
