(NewsGlobal.com)- The coach for the US Men’s National Soccer Team last week announced that he had been blackmailed during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and decided to go public about a 1991 incident in which he kicked his future wife.
Coach Gregg Berhalter, whose contract expired after the Qatar World Cup, posted a statement on Twitter last Tuesday in which he said someone had contacted US Soccer during the World Cup claiming to have information about him that would take him down. Berhalter concluded that it was “an apparent effort to leverage something very personal” as a way to end his relationship with US Soccer.
To diffuse the threat, Berhalter said that he and his wife Rosalind agreed to come forward about the 1991 incident.
In his statement, Berhalter goes into great detail about the 31-year-old drunken altercation that took place when he and Rosalind were dating during college, explaining that it was a “terrible decision made in a bad moment.”
He closed the statement by saying he was cooperating with US Soccer’s investigation into the matter.
In a statement last Tuesday, US Soccer said after it learned of the allegation against Berhalter on December 11, it hired a law firm to conduct an independent investigation into the matter.
In its statement, US Soccer said the investigation had already uncovered “potential inappropriate behavior” toward “multiple members of our staff by individuals outside of our organization.” It commended Berhalter and his wife for coming forward and said it would share the results of the investigation once it is completed.
It is unclear whether Berhalter will continue as coach of the Men’s National Team.
According to its statement, US Soccer is conducting a “full technical review” of the team’s program and expects to announce who will be leading the team camp “in the coming days.”
Berhalter began his coaching career with the LA Galaxy in 2011. He joined as coach of the US Men’s National Team in 2018.
