U.S. Soccer absolves Berhalter
U.S. Soccer has exonerated former U.S. Men's National Team manager Gregg Berhalter after an independent investigation revealed he is not a threat, the federation said in a statement Monday.
The investigation began in December after the parents of forward Gio Reyna reported Berhalter for kicking his nowwife Rosalind Berhalter in a 1992 incident when they were both freshmen soccer players at North Carolina. Danielle Reyna was Rosalind's roommate and friend at the time.
U.S. Soccer, upon conclusion of the investigation, considers Berhalter a candidate to coach the team again, and it will reevaluate its parent conduct policy.
Former assistant coach Anthony Hudson is currently the interim coach for the USMNT, which advanced out of the group stage in the 2022 World Cup and was knocked out of the Round of 16 by the Netherlands.
After conducting interviews with 16 voluntary witnesses — including the Berhalters and Reynas — and reviewing public documents, emails and text messages, the investigation confirmed the coach had kicked his then-girlfriend during a drunken fight, but said that USMNT was in the clear for hiring Berhalter in 2018. The report said Berhalter had previously expressed remorse for his action and it was found to be an isolated incident.
“We considered whether a plaintiff could bring claims for (1) harassment or a hostile work environment; or (2) negligent hiring or retention. We do not believe the facts give rise to these or any similar claims against U.S. Soccer,” the report said. “We are not aware of any legal theory that could hold an employer liable for an incident that (1) occurred more than 25 years before he joined the organization; and (2) was not repeated at any subsequent time . ...
“Mr. Berhalter does not pose a danger to anyone at U.S. Soccer. In light of these facts, there is no basis to conclude that employment of Mr. Berhalter in 2023 presents a risk of civil liability for U.S. Soccer or any other organization.”
Claudio and Danielle Reyna, who are both former national team players, brought up the violent act after their son saw limited playing time in the 2022 World Cup and Berhalter said that a player was nearly kicked off the team. Gio admitted on social media the comments were about him.
The report said Danielle told thenu.s. Soccer Sporting Director Earnie Stewart about the kicking incident because she “was emotional and angry” that her son was publicly humiliated. She and Claudio placed another call to Stewart regarding the incident the same month Berhalter's contract was to expire. The report concluded there was sufficient reason to believe the Reynas had intentions of undermining Berhalter's chances of renewing his contract.