Red Stars majority owner Arnim Whisler has begun the process of selling his stake in the National Women’s Soccer League club, multiple sources confirmed to the Sun-Times Thursday.
Whisler used a third-party adviser to facilitate the sale, sources confirmed, and an email was sent from the Red Stars board chair Kim Vender Moffat to shareholders Thursday morning detailing his move.
One source familiar with the situation said it’s very early in the process and the club is still actively looking for investors. The biggest change since October is Whisler’s willingness to sell.
Whisler, the majority owner of the club since it was founded in 2007, was urged to sell his stake by the board of directors and the entire Red Stars roster following the release of former U.S. Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates’ report in October detailing systemic abuse that permeated the league. The report exposed Whisler’s knowledge of verbal and emotional abuse by former Red Stars coach Rory Dames dating back to 2014. Despite his knowledge of the abuse, Whisler allowed Dames to remain on staff until he resigned last November hours before the Washington Post published a report detailing claims of abuse.
The Post’s report and an explosive report by The Athletic contributed to the eventual investigation conducted by Yates which yielded a scathing over 150-page report detailing the failings of the league and specific owners to protect players.
Following Yates’ report, Whisler issued a statement announcing he would be stepping away from decision-making roles saying, ‘‘Our organization is committed to rebuilding trust and respect among players and staff towards our league and club, and I recognize that my current presence is a distraction.”
Portland Thorns owner, Merritt Paulson announced his intention to sell the club Thursday hours before news of Whisler’s plans were reported. The Thorns were another team exposed by investigative reporting over the last year and Yates’ report nearly two months ago.
The Red Stars had no comment on Whisler’s engaging of a third-party adviser and the NWSL has yet to respond to the Sun-Times request for comment.
