Tag: Jill Ellis

San Diego Wave president Ellis sues former team employee for defamation

The said an ex-Wave employee “undertook a completely unexpected and malicious campaign to defame Ellis”

San Diego Wave president Jill Ellis has filed a defamation lawsuit against Brittany Alvarado, the club’s former video and creative manager.

Earlier this month, Alvarado accused Ellis of fostering an abusive environment at the NWSL team in a lengthy post on X.

Among a long list of accusations, Alvarado said that Ellis “has been nothing short of life-altering and devastating to our mental health.”

Ellis responded by saying that Alvarado was making “false accusations,” noting that she had been cleared of any wrongdoing by an independent, third-party investigation.

After Alvarado’s statement, three other former team employees corroborated her description of an environment at the Wave that is damaging to mental health.

At the time of Alvarado’s accusations, the Wave released a statement saying the club would “pursue all legal avenues available” in response. Ellis has now filed a suit as an individual, alleging defamation and intentional interference with contractual relations.

The lawsuit requests a jury trial and for Alvarado to pay punitive damages, as well as an order to prevent Alvarado from continuing to publish or republish the accusations against the former U.S. women’s national team head coach.

According to the lawsuit filed by the Harder Stonerock law firm, Alvarado “undertook a completely unexpected and malicious campaign to defame Ellis and destroy her hard-earned stellar reputation and livelihood.”

One of the issues highlighted in the suit is an email Alvarado included in her post on X, which was supposedly sent to her from a “senior leadership member” with the Wave.

“You are the most pathetic person I’ve ever met,” the email said. “You must have no sense of work ethics or integrity. We are ecstatic you are no longer with the club.”

According to the lawsuit, Alvarado “knowingly relied upon an obviously fake email purporting to be from a team executive to Defendant, to lend supposed validity for her false and defamatory allegations of abuse against Ellis.”

The lawsuit claims that Alvarado covered up the fact that the email — purportedly from the Wave’s head of marketing and communications Justyne Freud — was sent from a Hotmail account and not a Wave team account.

“In the Fake Email, Defendant knowingly redacted inconsistent email addresses in the header and signature block which would readily confirm to a reasonable reader that the email was not sent from a valid Wave FC email account for the purported sender (Justyne Freud), but instead was generated from a fake and unofficial Hotmail account,” the lawsuit states.

The email address in question, justyne.freud@hotmail.com, also sent an email to NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman (copying the head of human resources, Lauren Lopez), stating that Freund was resigning because she “no longer ha[d] the patience for the stupidity of this league, the employees, and most, Jill Ellis.”

Freund has not resigned from her position.

The suit goes on to say the “Wave FC had serious issues with Defendant’s performance and conduct from the beginning of her employment,” highlighting several alleged instances of unprofessionalism including “multiple instances when Defendant fraternized with players outside of work in violation of Wave FC’s internal rule requiring employees to maintain professional boundaries with the team’s athletes at all times.”

The lawsuit also says that Ellis has suffered numerous repercussions from Alvarado’s accusations.

It said: “Among other damages to Ellis, Defendant’s False and Defamatory Statements have already caused: a long-time sponsor to cancel a previously scheduled speaking engagement with Ellis; another organization to cease negotiations for Ellis to present a keynote address at an event in September; and the postponement of an honorary degree from a prestigious university. These damages are continuing to grow.”

Alvarado’s legal representation sent a statement to The Athletic in response to the suit.

“Our client, a courageous former employee, has stepped forward to exercise her First Amendment rights, shining a light on the pervasive gender discrimination and emotional abuse within the organization. Her voice, echoing the experiences of many, calls for immediate and substantial change to protect both staff and athletes from further harm. This is not just a plea for justice; it’s a demand for a safe, respectful, and equitable environment for all,” Casey Hultin of Hultin Law said.

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San Diego Wave president Ellis hits back at ‘false accusations’

The ex-USWNT coach did concede there had been allegations of mistreatment investigated

San Diego Wave president Jill Ellis has responded to what she called “false accusations” from a former team employee, who alleged that Ellis has fostered an abusive environment at the NWSL club.

Former Wave video and creative manager Brittany Alvarado made explosive allegations on X this week, calling the former U.S. women’s national team coach “devastating to our mental health.”

The Wave strongly pushed back on Alvarado’s claims in a statement on Wednesday, even saying that they would consider legal action against their former employee.

After Alvarado’s statement, three other former team employees have corroborated her description of an environment at the Wave that is damaging to mental health.

On Thursday, Ellis released a statement through the Wave that conceded there had been allegations of mistreatment made at the club. The 57-year-old said that all of those claims had been investigated, sometimes through an independent third party, and the club had been cleared of all wrongdoing every time.

The statement from Ellis is below:

Mental health is a priority at our club for everyone, and we have support measures in place to help those in need. Our staff and I will always honor how someone feels. Over time, we have actively responded to employees who have shown or expressed needs related to their mental health. I want to reinforce that Wave FC has a robust Employee Assistance Program that is promoted regularly to employees. 

I will continue to protect former and current employee confidentiality. When allegations of mistreatment have been made, we have taken them seriously and investigated them thoroughly. In addition, when appropriate, independent third parties have assisted us in evaluating our workplace. At no time have those evaluations uncovered any wrongdoing by the club. 

What we do is all about fostering a culture of respect, inclusivity, and excellence. The false accusations in today’s post are not only personally damaging but also take away from the incredible work and progress we’ve achieved together as a team. It’s important to address this information promptly and effectively.

Our focus remains on moving forward and continuing to build a strong, unified club.

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‘There is so much work to be done’ – Wave star Morgan responds to Ellis accusations

Multiple former Wave employees accused the club of fostering an abusive culture

San Diego Wave forward Alex Morgan has responded after multiple former club employees accused the NWSL team of fostering an environment that was detrimental to mental health.

Former Wave video and creative manager Brittany Alvarado released a lengthy statement on Wednesday accusing club president Jill Ellis of creating a culture of abuse at the club.

“[Ellis] has compromised countless lives to advance her narcissistic personal agenda, fostering an environment where abusive behaviors among her subordinates was allowed to flourish,” Alvarado said on X.

Alvarado added that Ellis “has been nothing short of life-altering and devastating to our mental health.”

In a statement, the Wave categorically denied the accusations, calling them “inaccurate and defamatory,” while adding that the club would be pursuing all legal avenues.

Jenny Chuang, another former Wave employee, responded to Alvarado’s post by saying: “I was placed on suicide watch during my tenure with the Wave in 2022. I begged for help while my mental health declined rapidly.”

The accusations from Alvarado and Chuang were followed by a similar statement from Bernadette O’Donnell, the club’s former senior communications manager and Abigail Lozano, a former community relations coordinator for the Wave.

“By the end, I had no hope for my life and didn’t want to be alive anymore most of the time,” O’Donnell said.

“After experiencing the toxic work environment enabled by leadership, my mental health quickly deteriorated,” Lozano said. “This resulted in my resignation, to protect myself.”

In the wake of the statements from her club’s former employees, Morgan responded with a post of her own on X.

Morgan and Ellis have a long relationship, as the striker was a key player during the Englishwoman’s five-year tenure as U.S. women’s national team head coach. Ellis then made Morgan the Wave’s signature acquisition ahead of the club’s inaugural NWSL season in 2022.

Notably, Morgan appeared to concede that there were at least some problematic elements in the team’s culture, concluding by saying: “It is clear that there is so much work to be done.”

“I am disappointed to hear about the allegations made by multiple former Wave FC employees today,” Morgan said.

“As players, we have worked hard to build a team that is surrounded by an inclusive, positive and safe environment.

“But it’s important to me that we are creating that environment for both players AND staff throughout the entire organization.  Equity in the workplace is something I have and will continue to advocate for.

“I want to be proud of what we are building at the Wave but it is clear that there is so much work to be done.”

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Ex-San Diego Wave employee accuses Jill Ellis of ‘devastating’ abusive behavior

The former USWNT boss allegedly “compromised countless lives to advance her narcissistic personal agenda”

A former employee of the San Diego Wave has publicly accused club president Jill Ellis of “life-altering and devastating” abuse.

In a lengthy post on X, former Wave video and creative manager Brittany Alvarado also said Ellis has fostered an abusive environment at the NWSL team, adding that the former U.S. women’s national team head coach has “no place” in the sport.

In a statement, the Wave categorically denied the accusations, calling them “inaccurate and defamatory,” while adding that the club would be pursuing all legal avenues.

After a successful run with the USWNT that included World Cup titles in 2015 and 2019, Ellis stepped down as head coach. The Englishwoman took some time away from the game before she announced in 2021 that she would take over as Wave president ahead of its expansion NWSL season of 2022.

In her statement on X, Alvarado said she moved across the country to take her “dream job” with the Wave last year. But she quickly grew disillusioned by the behavior of Ellis, whom she said “has been nothing short of life-altering and devastating to our mental health.”

“She has compromised countless lives to advance her narcissistic personal agenda, fostering an environment where abusive behaviors among her subordinates was allowed to flourish,” Alvarado added.

Alvarado said the Wave’s culture has led to over 30 employees being fired or quitting since the team’s inception, with nearly 75 percent of those employees women.

Alvarado also turned her ire on the NWSL, saying that the league was notified of Ellis’s behaviors and “consistently failed to take meaningful action and has instead turned a blind eye to a pattern of profoundly damaging behaviors.”

She continued: “The NWSL must take immediate action to remove Jill Ellis from both the San Diego Wave and the league entirely to finally protect the staff and players they have neglected and ignored for far too long.”

Alvarado also said the NWSL has “failed to fully address and implement” the recommendations from both the Yates report and the joint NWSL/NWSLPA investigations into misconduct in the league.

Those investigations were conducted in 2022 after a series of allegations of abuse and sexual misconduct against multiple NWSL coaches in 2021.

Pro Soccer Wire reached out to the NWSL, and a spokesperson provided the following response:

“The safety, health, and well-being of everyone associated with our league is our highest priority. We take serious any and every report of potential misconduct, hire qualified independent investigators to review those allegations thoroughly, and act when allegations are supported by the facts uncovered. We have mandated corrective action in every instance where reports have been corroborated, up to and including the removal of individuals who do not live up to our values and standards.

“We encourage anyone with information of potential wrongdoing to report that misconduct to the League Safety Officer. Alternatively, individuals may report anonymously via Real Response, by texting 872-259-6975.”

Another ex-Wave employee responded to Alvarado’s social media post saying she was placed on suicide watch when she worked for the team in 2022.

Alvarado said she resigned from her position in June and received an email from a senior leadership member 10 days later. She posted the email on her X account, with the sender’s name obscured.

“You are the most pathetic person I’ve ever met,” the email said. “You must have no sense of work ethics or integrity. We are ecstatic you are no longer with the club.”

In the club’s statement, the Wave accused Alvarado of fabricating the email that she posted.

“San Diego Wave FC has been made aware of a recent social media post by a former employee that contains inaccurate and defamatory statements about the club. Not only does the post contain a fabricated email, but the claims made therein are categorically false, including the ones directed at our President Jill Ellis,” the statement said.

“San Diego Wave FC is currently reviewing this situation and intends to pursue all legal avenues available to appropriately address this matter.”

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Jill Ellis to U.S. Soccer: If you need a USWNT coach, I know just the guy

Tony Gustavsson has a big backer: former USWNT boss Jill Ellis

The last truly successful U.S. women’s national team coach has an idea for the program’s next step.

Jill Ellis, whose reign from 2014-19 saw the USWNT win two World Cups, says that Australia manager Tony Gustavsson — her top assistant during that run — should be on U.S. Soccer’s shortlist once a seemingly inevitable coaching change comes to pass.

Gustavsson “should definitely be a strong candidate for the [USWNT] job,” Ellis told ESPN in an interview published on Tuesday.

Ellis’ successor Vlatko Andonovski remains in his post on a contract that runs through the rest of 2023. However, after following up a disappointing Olympics with the USWNT’s worst-ever finish at a World Cup, it is widely expected that U.S. Soccer will accelerate that timeline and look for new leadership.

Gustavsson, meanwhile, helped Australia to the country’s first-ever World Cup semifinal, igniting Matildas fever in a country geared towards Aussie Rules football, cricket, and rugby.

Australia’s run at the World Cup ended with a 3-1 defeat against England on Wednesday, but the 50-year-old is reportedly under contract with Football Australia until September 2024.

Ellis: Australia run ‘pretty remarkable’

In the interview, Ellis said that she was particularly impressed with how Gustavsson navigated the injury absence of star striker Sam Kerr. The Australia captain picked up a calf injury just before the World Cup began, and was only able to make one 11-minute appearance in the host nation’s first four games of the tournament.

Given Kerr’s status as arguably the best striker on the planet, and Australia’s lack of out-and-out No. 9 candidates, Ellis said that Gustavsson’s solutions were something to admire.

“I don’t think people are giving him and his staff enough credit for having navigated most of this tournament without arguably one of the best players in the world,” said Ellis. “Most of us as coaches would not have said Australia was even close to being a contender without Kerr, so that’s pretty remarkable what they’ve been able to navigate as a staff.”

More relevant to the USWNT, Gustavsson was a major factor during the Ellis era. The Swede, who rose to prominence in women’s soccer during two seasons in charge of a star-packed Tyresö FF side from 2012-14, was widely seen as the tactician within Ellis’ staff, and famously designed the attacking set pieces that the USWNT seemed to lean on whenever they found themselves in a jam.

Gustavsson found himself under some pressure in recent years, as Australia’s form was not exactly consistent. The Matildas fell 7-0 to Spain, were defeated twice by Canada, and lost a quarterfinal to South Korea in the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup (a continental tournament doubling as World Cup qualifying). Had Australia not sealed a World Cup place by being co-host, that defeat would have cost the team a spot in this year’s big event.

However, late last year Australia beat three future World Cup knockout round teams (South Africa, Denmark, and Sweden), and in 2023 managed friendly wins over Spain, England, and France. Even without Kerr, the Matildas won a difficult, physical Group B before eliminating Denmark and France.

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USWNT loss to Spain marks first consecutive losses in over five years

The loss to Spain marks the first back-to-back defeats of the Andonovski era

The U.S. women’s national team’s trip to Europe for some big-time friendlies did not go according to plan.

The USWNT fell 2-0 to Spain on Tuesday, marking their first back-to-back losses in over five years. Goals from Laia Codina and Esther González were enough to give Spain their first-ever win over the USWNT.

The USWNT had entered this FIFA window on a 13-game winning streak, including a CONCACAF W Championship run that saw them avoid conceding even a single goal, but a 2-1 loss to England was followed by a lethargic performance against a Spanish side that was missing many top players after much of the squad said they would no longer play for head coach Jorge Vilda.

To find the last time the USWNT fell in two straight games, you have to go all the way back to the Jill Ellis era, and far into it. At the 2017 SheBelieves Cup, they fell to a 1-0 loss to England, who got their winner in the 89th minute. That lead into arguably the worst loss of Ellis’ tenure, a 3-0 capitulation against France in the USWNT’s final visit to RFK Stadium.

Vlatko Andonovski, who had entered this pair of games having lost just twice in 49 games (41W-6D-2L) since being appointed USWNT boss, will be hoping for a similar turnaround that the 2017 team showed.

Inflection point

After the loss to France, the USWNT went on a 27-game unbeaten run, winning 25 times. Ellis turned away from some unsuccessful tactical ideas after those losses, and while the team did lose to high-level European opposition before the 2019 World Cup (France won a January 2019 friendly 3-1 in Le Havre), momentum and cohesion within the program had clearly shifted in a positive direction throughout 2018.

While the USWNT entered this window short-handed due to injuries to many regulars, and also had the emotional toil of the Yates investigation to work through, some patterns — an inability to truly control the midfield in possession, and leaving too much space in defensive transition among them — predate those issues.

With the 2023 World Cup less than a year away, Andonovski has good cause to examine whether this is just a blip, or if this is his version of that critical moment in the Ellis era.

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