NWSL GMs: Player reforms 'gone too far' since abuse scandal - ESPN

Two years after abuse scandals rocked the NWSL, some league general managers are now voicing concerns that reforms for players have «gone too far,» a survey by ESPN found, which has prompted pushback from the players association.

In an anonymous ESPN survey of GMs from each of the league's 14 teams, all unanimously said that the culture of the league has undergone a drastic shift in accountability since a pair of investigations in 2022 uncovered systemic abuse across the NWSL.

But a prevailing sentiment was that «the pendulum has swung too far the other way,» a phrase two separate GMs used verbatim. «I think it's still a very stressful place for staff,» a GM said.

«I think you have to be very calculated in every conversation, every interaction that you have with athletes. We have to err on the side of extremely positive or conservative policies that I think in any other professional or corporate environment wouldn't really necessarily exist.»

Last month, the league and the players' association signed a new six-year collective bargaining agreement that grants total free agency upon the expiration of contracts, the elimination of player drafts, a higher salary cap, a sizable increase in minimum salaries and expanded parental leave and childcare benefits.

The new CBA is the result of reforms put in place after the scandal.

The league implemented training programs for coaches and made key hires to oversee hiring practices, all of which built upon the first, historic CBA signed in 2022.

The GMs, who spoke to ESPN on condition of anonymity so that they could freely voice opinions about a range of topics for the survey, were asked about reforms, and some volunteered concerns.

«There's a fear amongst staff about what you can