sport news Megan Rapinoe: USWNT are 'emotionally exhausted' amid NWSL abuse scandal trends now

Megan Rapinoe admitted she and her United States team-mates are 'emotionally exhausted' and angry following the publication of the Sally Yates report into 'systemic' abuse within the National Women's Soccer League.

The inquiry, carried out by former US deputy attorney general Sally Yates and published on Monday, was launched after allegations were made against former North Carolina Courage head coach Paul Riley.

Yates and her team spoke to over 200 players in the top flight of US soccer and their findings revealed 'a league in which abuse and misconduct - verbal and emotional abuse and sexual misconduct - had become systemic, spanning multiple teams, coaches, and victims.'

The report also looks into allegations against two other coaches, Rory Dames and Christy Holly, as well as investigating the claims made against Riley. All three deny the accusations.

'I mean, it's horrifying,' Rapinoe said of the report. 'I'm sure everybody read the report and have read all the reporting that's been going on the last year. Even when you know it, it's just horrifying over and over to read. It's been difficult for the players. Some of those players play in those clubs, have been coached by those coaches, likely have been abused in one form or another by some of the coaches or in some of those environments or different environments, youth environments, whatever it may be.'

Asked how the team is not emotionally exhausted, Rapinoe said: 'We are! As sick as this sounds, I feel like we're used to having to take on so much more than game-plan and tactics. I feel like we have an incredible ability to shoulder so much.

'Again, I think with how great Vlatko [Andonovski] and the staff have been, and our entire support staff have been, in really allowing us that space and just acknowledging it and being able to talk about it. It's not something that nobody's talking about or nobody feels any kind of shame in bringing up. It's something that's very open between all of us.

'I think that's very helpful. But we've had to shoulder a lot on this team. I think we have a lot of experience, particularly with the older group, whether it was the lawsuit or equal pay, or kneeling or whatever it may be. I think we have a bit of experience in that and that older players can help shield and shoulder a lot of whether it's media attention or just kind of like, what we do, how to act.

'Probably as a younger player, you're like, "What the f*** is going on? How do I even deal with this?" They can always look to us just as we could always look to our older players.'

Governing body US Soccer said it would move immediately to implement reforms. One of the teams named in the report, the Portland Thorns, fired two key executives and they also announced the dismissals of President of Soccer Gavin Wilkinson and President of Business Mike Golub, both of whom were also fired from the MLS' Portland Timbers.

A day prior, team owner Merritt Paulson said he would remove himself from 'Thorns-related decision making.'

But Rapinoe said Paulson and Armin Whistler, owner of Chicago Red Stars - another of the teams mentioned report, are 'not fit' to be in charge of NWSL clubs.