CHICAGO, IL–Chicago Red Stars owner Arnim Whisler wrote a letter published on the club website apologizes that the club ‘has not always succeeded’ in ensuring that everyone hired in our environment is of high character and shares our positive values.

“I will continue to be accountable for what happens in the club, but I have also made changes to the organization that will allow us to do better,” said Whisler in the letter. “Specifically, in addition to adding new investment partners, we have expanded club oversight and management to include new executives and a newly formed board of directors with an advisory board. Our Chief Business Officer, Vicky Lynch, runs the Club as our lead executive and reports to the board. Going forward our HR executive will also directly report to the board. Our newly appointed Associate GM, former Red Stars player, Michelle Lomnicki, will ensure that the head coach will no longer have primary responsibility for contracts and player personnel matters. We, and the NWSL, have also implemented other changes to our processes and personnel to ensure we have a safe, supportive environment for players and staff.”

This comes two days after a Washington Post story uncovered a 1998 complaint against former Red Stars Head Coach Rory Dames that Dames had touched a former player inappropriately on her upper thigh when she was a minor, according to a police report. The report also includes statements from two other players who accused Dames of “batteries”. Police closed the investigation after the accusers decided not to file formal complaints and prosecutors declined to pursue the case.

The report continues that fourteen of Dames’s former youth players told The Post that he was verbally and emotionally abusive toward them as teenagers, for many in ways that they say left lasting psychological damage. Dames was also under investigation in 2018 by US Soccer after complaints from NWSL players, but was subsequently cleared.

Reaction to the letter on social media has been negative, though, suggesting that Whisler took way too long to respond to the allegations against Dames. Dames resigned on November 21st, one night after the NWSL Championship lost by the Red Stars to Washington Spirit, after the Post first published allegations of Dames emotionally abusing players.

Dames became the sixth coach or executive to resign or be sacked in the NWSL for reasons pertaining to misconduct. They include OL Reign coach Farid Benstiti, Gotham FC general manager (and former Red Stars GM) Alyse LaHue, Racing Louisville FC coach Christy Holly, Washington Spirit coach Richie Burke, and North Carolina Courage coach Paul Riley.

In the meantime, the Red Stars are still without a head coach with preseason training already underway. Goalkeeper coach Rade Tanaskovic has been serving as acting head coach with Julianne Sitch and Fabrice Gautrat, the husband of midfielder Morgan Gautrat, as assistants.

COMMENT:  Whatever goodwill the Red Stars have built over the last few years with their play on the pitch which led to two Championship appearances in 2019 and 2021 and an NWSL Challenge Cup Final appearance in 2020, has disintegrated. The Red Stars have left its fans and other observers in the lurch with what they apparently knew about Dames and when. The right time to have responded to the Dames allegation was immediately after the report, not nearly three months afterwards. A series of statements not attributed to anyone at the Red Stars had followed, but all have lacked any accountability.

It’s especially disappointing considering the Red Stars had been somewhat of an antithesis to the Fire and its woes both on and off the pitch for the last decade. The Fire have taken strides to improve their product recently. Now, the Red Stars are in full damage control mode, but that should’ve started more publicly a long time ago.