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Washington Spirit defends new coach against allegations of verbal abuse

The Washington Spirit on Monday issued a statement in support of new coach Richie Burke, whom parents of a youth player have accused of directing “abusive language and subversive behavior” toward their son when he played on Burke’s club team last year.

"We take these concerns very seriously and have taken great care to gather all available information,” the National Women’s Soccer League team said.

The statement came in response to a comment posted on the team’s Instagram account over the weekend by Kellie Herring, of Hillsboro, Va. The Spirit later deleted the comment while it said it looked into the matter.