If I have learned one thing from my experience in this ocean of harm, it is that change will never happen if the organizations and individuals perpetrating abuse aren’t held accountable
![The NWSL scandal is horrific but women’s soccer is rife with sexual misconduct](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/dc38c67561de2e62760da8230d242464de8935cb/0_267_4000_2400/master/4000.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctb3BpbmlvbnMucG5n&enable=upscale&s=e3cadbfe96fac26fc6f5c20b2ed7894f)
The horrific stories about North Carolina Courage coach Paul Riley – abuse that is alleged to have taken place while he was in charge at several top clubs in the National Women’s Soccer League – were personally triggering. I have heard countless accounts of harm in sport over the last few years, and the patterns in the stories of Riley’s abusive behavior – and those of his enablers – are strikingly familiar.
In February 2019, after some teammates and I had tried to report our own story of abuse and its aftermath over 30 times to no avail, I published a blog post entitled: A Horrific Canadian Soccer Story – The Story No One Wants to Listen To, But Everyone Needs to Hear.