The details are absorbing and revealing at times, but the ultimate findings of the independent investigation into the allegations of domestic abuse against former U.S. men’s national team coach Gregg Berhalter and the behavior of those who accused him, Claudio and Danielle Reyna, aren’t that surprising: Berhalter behaved badly three decades ago but has atoned. The Reynas behaved badly during the Qatar World Cup but aren’t subject to U.S. Soccer discipline. And a clear policy covering communication between parents and federation employees is definitely required.
The report produced by Atlanta law firm Alston & Bird and released Monday by U.S. Soccer concludes that Berhalter was wrong to strike his girlfriend (now wife) Rosalind back when they were college freshmen in January 1992. He’s been honest and forthcoming about the incident since then, however, and his subsequent conduct has been good, investigators concluded.
Investigators found that neither Berhalter nor his brother, Jay, the former U.S. Soccer executive, misled the federation during the 2018 USMNT hiring process. No background check would’ve covered it, and “none of the questions posed to Mr. Berhalter during the … hiring process would have required him to disclose information regarding the 1992 incident.” And they determined that Berhalter poses no threat to anyone inside or outside U.S. Soccer and that “there is no basis to conclude that the hiring or employment of Mr. Berhalter would subject U.S. Soccer or any other employer to potential liability … tied to the fact of the 1992 incident.”
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Even Claudio Reyna, the national team captain who’d known for decades about the fight between Gregg and Rosalind outside of a University of North Carolina bar, concluded that Berhalter, his longtime friend, was the best choice for USMNT coach. Reyna declared that in 2018 while interviewing for U.S. Soccer’s new GM position, Jay Berhalter told investigators.
Reyna was at New York City FC at the time and left in late 2019 for Austin FC. The scandal that erupted following the U.S.’s loss to the Netherlands in the recent World Cup’s round of 16 prompted his resignation in late January. That ultimately was the most significant tangible fallout from the incident.
Berhalter’s contract expired at the end of December and, while U.S. Soccer maintains that he remains a candidate for renewal, the federation still hasn’t hired the sporting director who will make that decision (Earnie Stewart left the USSF for PSV Eindhoven last month, and the search for a successor has begun). Meanwhile, Gio Reyna, whose lack of World Cup playing time was the catalyst for all this, remains an important member of the U.S. player pool. Interim coach Anthony Hudson this week is expected to unveil the roster for the upcoming Concacaf Nations League games. The U.S. visits Grenada on March 24 and then travels to El Salvador for the March 27 group stage finale. The Americans need at least a point from those two matches to ensure a place in this summer’s Gold Cup.
“U.S. Soccer takes seriously both allegations of violence and allegations of inappropriate behavior toward our officials and staff. We appreciate Alston & Bird’s thorough and diligent work and are grateful to all who participated in this investigation,” the federation said in a Monday statement.
“U.S. Soccer’s process for determining who will serve as sporting director is ongoing, and interviews are underway. The sporting director will lead the process of determining who will serve as head coach of the men’s national team. Given the investigators’ conclusion that there is no legal impediment to employing him, Gregg Berhalter remains a candidate,” the USSF continued. “The report also identifies a need to revisit U.S. Soccer’s policies concerning appropriate parental conduct and communications with staff at the national team level. We will be updating those policies as we continue to work to ensure safe environments for all participants in our game.”
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Alston & Bird interviewed 16 witnesses during its investigation and reviewed messages, emails and texts. Some of the interesting or illuminating findings are below:
— On the evening of Dec. 11, a few days after Berhalter discussed Reyna’s World Cup behavior at a conference in New York City (without naming him, but it was apparent almost immediately who he was referencing), the Reynas reached out to Stewart. Toward the end of an hour-long phone call, Danielle Reyna told Stewart that “Gregg beat the living s--- out of her [Rosalind] in a back alleyway,” and that “everyone” at UNC knew about it.
Stewart reported the call to U.S. Soccer’s attorney later that night.
During separate interviews conducted by Alston & Bird, Gregg and Rosalind Berhalter offered similar accounts of the incident. They were each 18 years old and had been drinking. An argument inside the bar was taken outside, where Rosalind, according to the report, “hit Mr. Berhalter in the face; Mr. Berhalter pushed her to the ground and kicked her twice; Mr. Berhalter was tackled by a passerby, not known to either of the Berhalters; and Mrs. Berhalter got up and left.”
Rosalind, a member of UNC’s women’s team, was uninjured and went to practice the next day. No police report was filed. The couple split up for seven months, during which Gregg discussed the incident with his family and his coach at UNC, and he sought counseling and conducted community service on his own accord. Danielle Reyna, Rosalind’s roommate, was inside the bar and didn’t witness the fight. She declined to speak with investigators following her January statement in which she asserted that the Berhalters’ joint statement “minimized the abuse” that occurred.
— Alston & Bird said they were “less than impressed with the Reynas’ cooperation during the investigation.” Attorneys had two “brief” phone conversations with Danielle on Dec. 29. She denied ever speaking with Stewart on Dec. 11 but then called back and acknowledged the conversation. “Rosalind said there was an altercation. They got back together. They put it to bed. We never talked about it again once they got back together. She never talked about it again,” she told investigators. Claudio Reyna, meanwhile, refused to meet with investigators.
— The Reynas had a history of complaining to U.S. Soccer officials dating back to 2016, when Gio was a New York City FC academy player and a member of the U.S. U-15 team. Claudio complained about a red card issued to Gio and sent an email asking that it be overturned. A July 2018 email expressed dissatisfaction with a female referee appointed for one of Gio’s games. “And in all honest [sic] can we get real and have male refs for a game like this. Its embarrassing guys. What are we trying to prove? A game like this deserves bett[e]r attention,” Reyna wrote.
In 2019. Reyna sent texts to Gregg complaining about former U-17 coach Raphaël Wicky during the 2019 U-17 World Cup, while an unnamed USSF staffer claimed that Claudio “complained about the travel experience Gio Reyna had at the U-17 World Cup in November 2019 [and] said Mr. Reyna expected Gio Reyna to be treated better than other players.”
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— The Reynas were upset that Gio was left on the bench during the World Cup opener against Wales in Qatar and refused to ride back to the team hotel with the Berhalters following the match (they’d been on the same bus).
“Witnesses also informed us that, on separate occasions in the days that followed, Mr. and Mrs. Reyna each made a vague comment to U.S. Soccer officials suggesting they knew damaging information about Mr. Berhalter that U.S. Soccer did not know,” investigators wrote.
One witness told Alston & Bird that the day after the 1–1 draw against Wales, Danielle Reyna approached a U.S. Soccer staffer at lunch. “Once this tournament is over, I can make one phone call and give one interview, and his cool sneakers and bounce passes will be gone,” she said.
— Claudio Reyna sent the following text to Stewart after the Wales game: “What a complete and utter f—ing joke. Our family is disgusted in case you are wondering. Disgusted at how a coach is allowed to never be challenged and do whatever he wants.” Reyna messaged GM Brian McBride: “Our entire family is disgusted, angry, and done with you guys. Don’t expect nice comments from anyone in our family about US Soccer. I’m being transparent to you not like the political clown show of the federation.”
— Investigators concluded that the Reynas weren’t guilty of extortion or blackmail. “We obtained no information that could suggest that the Reynas demanded to receive something of value in exchange for not disclosing information about Mr. Berhalter to others,” they wrote, adding that Stewart believed the Reynas revealed the 1992 incident “so that U.S. Soccer would not hire Mr. Berhalter for another term. Stewart also said that the Reynas told him that they were considering “starting to spread the story to others privately.”
