«I am so sorry for the pain so many are feeling. Recognizing that trauma, we have decided not to take the field this weekend to give everyone some space to reflect,» the NWSL commissioner said in a statement.
The National Women’s Soccer League has canceled all five of its scheduled matches this weekend amid misconduct allegations against Paul Riley, the now-former head coach of the North Carolina Courage who was fired on Thursday. Riley has denied the allegations. In a statement Friday, the player’s union said it «made the difficult decision» to ask the league to postpone this weekend’s games «to give players space to process this pain.» NWSL Commissioner Lisa Baird granted the request and said the league has a «great deal of healing to do.» «I am so sorry for the pain so many are feeling. Recognizing that trauma, we have decided not to take the field this weekend to give everyone some space to reflect. Business as usual isn’t our concern right now,» Baird said in a statement. «We have made this decision in collaboration with our players’ association and this pause will be the first step as we collectively work to transform the culture of this league, something that is long overdue.
