Team owner Dell Loy Hansen and Utah Royal players. Photo: Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
SALT LAKE CITY– Two former members of the once Utah Royals were named in an investigation into systemic abuse in the National Women’s Soccer League.
Former acting U.S. Attorney General Sally Q. Yates released the findings of her independent investigation Monday. The report named both former Royals owner Dell Loy Hansen and former head coach Craig Harrington among those who were accused of inappropriate conduct of some kind.
According to the report, in August 2020, multiple complaints were made about Hansen making racist comments. Multiple people, “also described [Hansen] as ‘touchy,’ stroking their cheeks and holding their hands,” the report stated.
One player reported Hanen’s alleged behavior to League personnel in 2019. Hansen put the team up for sale, “shortly after the allegations surfaced,” the report said.
The report also named Harrington, citing accusations of him making, “sexualized jokes and comments to staff, contributing to a toxic environment at the club.”
Harrington also allegedly commented to a player and an assistant coach that, “taking care of kids is a woman’s job.”
The report said that Harrington, while he didn’t specifically recall that comments, did not mean for them to be hurtful.
Harrington was later dismissed from his duties as head coach in November 2020.