New York City FC said an internal investigation corroborated a former female employee’s allegations of sexual harassment made against former star forward David Villa, as well as other club staff.
In a statement obtained by ESPN, NYCFC said that of the individuals found to have engaged in “inappropriate and unacceptable behavior,” only one remains with the team and has been disciplined as a result of the investigation. The nature of the punishment was not specified. Villa was not mentioned by name in NYCFC’s statement.
“The allegations made during the course of the investigation were that a small number of players and staff did not act in accordance with the club’s standards in their interactions with the intern and with other club staff,” NYCFC said in a statement released to ESPN. “This behavior included unnecessary physical contact, teasing, and comments regarding clothing and appearance. The club found that this behavior was inappropriate and unacceptable.”
ESPN reports the investigation found that Villa touched the employee in an inappropriate way and made her feel uncomfortable. Villa had previously denied all allegations, calling them “totally false.” A representative for Villa declined ESPN’s request for comment.
The former employee, who was an intern on the club’s training staff at the time, first went public with the allegations in July. She said Villa made unwelcome physical contact with her and a day went by without Villa “grabbing me or verbally harassing me but never bothered to learn my name.”
NYCFC said in its statement that upon hearing of the allegations against Villa the club immediately opened an investigation via an external law firm. ESPN reports interviews were conducted with 40 people, over half of whom were female. The report also says Villa was cooperative during the investigation.
NYCFC also said the club is in the process of making the necessary adjustments to its work environment.
“NYCFC must continually strive to do better and maintain a workplace environment and culture that reflects the Club’s standards and values,” the statement said.
“The Club is the process of implementing a series of changes within the organization aimed at ensuring that such behavior does not occur in the future, including: enhancing reporting processes for victims of misconduct; instituting enhanced education and awareness training on harassment and workplace conduct for all staff, including interns; improving the onboarding and training process for interns; and instituting clear protocols for investigating workplace misconduct.”
