The Athletic writer Meg Lineham explained the process of writing the breaking news story that highlighted Mana Shim and Sinead Farrelly’s sexual and emotional abuse and harassment under former North Carolina Courage coach Paul Riley, adding she couldn’t help but have her own 'emotional reaction'.
Lineham recently spoke to Yael Averbuch West on 90min’s newest podcast Football Americana, commenting on the impact of her story and the next step for the National Women’s Soccer League in the United States as it deals with the aftermath of several allegations and ongoing investigations.
“This has been months in the works. They approached me, because as we see in part of the story, they had gone through a reporting process in 2015, and another reporting process in March/April of this year. When that was unsuccessful, I think the two of them showed incredible, patience is not the word, I think persistence in getting the story out there. Ultimately, it was through the avenue of reporting externally.
"I knew from that first phone call that this story wasn’t going to be crucial to the NWSL, but it was one that had to be reported to ensure that we chase down every single lead that could show the culture around the teams and under Paul Riley.
"I talked to almost every player that he coached since 2010, so it wasn’t only Shim and Farreally’s story, although they are the heart of it. It shows that not only is the behavior normalized and enabled, but also, and these are words that Sinead uses, but an institutional betrayal.”
