Back to the Soccer Newsfeed

Ex-NWSL Coach Rory Dames Accused of Sexual Misconduct by Youth Soccer Players in 1998

Multiple women accused Rory Dames—who resigned as head coach of the NWSL's Chicago Red Stars in November following allegations of emotional abuse—of verbal assault and sexual misconduct during his time as a youth coach in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Molly Hensley-Clancy of the Washington Post reported Tuesday the Arlington Heights Police Department in Illinois launched an investigation into Dames' conduct in 1998 after a female player said he "touched her inappropriately on her upper thigh" and was "very verbally inappropriate."

The player who made that allegation decided against lodging a formal complaint against Dames at the time, saying she only wanted to "protect other players from [Dames'] advances," and she declined to comment to the Washington Post about Dames.