In protest of their NWSL match, members of Gotham FC and Washington Spirit join hands. (1:47).
A source confirmed to ESPN that Larry Best has resigned as the president of sporting operations for the NWSL's Washington Spirit.
The Washington Post reported Best's resignation first. Spirit declined to comment.
Best was under fire after the NWSL's investigation into Spirit's workplace culture. The Post reports that Richie Burke, now-former manager, was found to have abused the team's players and that team executives were aware of the behavior. Also, Best used offensive nicknames for female staff members and players.
This move is due to Steve Baldwin, Spirit's controlling shareholder, looking to sell his stake and hopes to close the deal by the end the year. Baldwin has been pressured by the players to sell to Y. Michele Kang as a fellow owner, though it is not clear who will take Baldwin's shares.
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Baldwin, who owns the Spirit since 2019, is locked in a dispute with Kang over the team's control. According to The Washington Post, a deal for Baldwin to sell his stake in the Spirit to Kang was broken only for Kang to reconsider his decision. Baldwin stated that he would be retiring from his roles of CEO and managing partner earlier, but he did not mention selling his stake at the time.
The Spirit's turmoil comes amid a leaguewide reckoning about abuse allegations against coaches and executives. Four coaches were fired or forced to resign from North Carolina Courage, including Paul Riley, the former North Carolina Courage manager, who was fired after two allegations of sexual coercion by former players of the Portland Thorns.
This news comes as the National Women's Soccer League Players Association announced (NWSLPA), that the NWSL had agreed to all demands made by the union following instances of sexual coercion and verbal abuse of players.
The U.S. Soccer Federation (FIFA), the NWSL, and the NWSL Players Association (NWSL Players Association) are all investigating allegations of abuse that surfaced over the past month.
