In a statement released Friday, Major Soccer League (MLS) announced it was opening an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct in the Vancouver Whitecaps organization.
MLS assured that the findings and recommendations in the report would eventually be made public.
It was the former Whitecaps women’s team player Malloree Enoch who revealed that she had to refuse numerous sexual advances from the team’s head coach in 2010 and 2011, Hubert Busby Jr.
According to Enoch’s version, Busby promised her to give her a contract with the team, then made sure they regularly shared the same room on the road to possibly pressure her for sexual favors. .
“I came home and had to rebuild my life,” she said in an interview on Friday.
Enoch says he communicated his problems to then director of player development Dan Lenarduzzi after signing his contract with the team in 2011, but no action was taken immediately.
Enoch goes on to say that the case culminated in a joint claim by several players complaining about Busby’s behavior to team management.
“It felt like ten years ago it wasn’t taken seriously,” she commented of the organization’s reaction to its serious allegations.
Axel Schuster, chief operating officer of the Whitecaps, said in a statement that the team wanted to apologize to Enoch “for letting him down.”
“We have since learned that the investigation did not reveal certain allegations that were reported this week. Our communications with players, staff and the community about the reasons for Busby’s departure were also inadequate. We should have done better, and for that, we are deeply sorry, ”he said.
Schuster added that all members of management who were involved in the case have been suspended.
The allegations have not stood the test of the courts. It was not possible to reach Busby for his comments. When questioned by the British newspaper The Guardianearlier this month he denied the charges.
Busby’s contract with the Whitecaps ended in October 2011 and was not renewed.
The Whitecaps organization did not respond to an email request from The Canadian Press seeking to clarify whether Busby’s departure was directly related to the allegations against him.
Busby, who grew up in Canada, was named head coach of the Jamaica women’s soccer team in January 2020 after initially serving in an assistant role.
Busby also represented Jamaica as a player from 2001 to 2003.
The Jamaica Football Federation say they are aware of the allegations and are due to meet with their coach on the matter on November 2.
Busby has also worked as the head coach and general manager of the Seattle Sounders women’s team as well as the US college network.
The women’s formation that bore the name Sounders was unrelated to the men’s organization in MLS. The team has since been disbanded.
For Enoch, the fact that Busby was able to continue to coach at various levels, including with young athletes, shows that there is a clear need to improve the supervision system in sport.
This is the second time that a coach of the Whitecaps women’s team has been the subject of allegations of abusive behavior.
Ciara McCormack had already sounded the alarm against former head coach of the Canadian Women’s Under-20 team, Bob Birarda, in February 2019.
Birarda faces charges of sex crimes against four victims. He faces six counts of sexual exploitation, two counts of sexual assault and one count of child luring.
These actions were allegedly taken between January 1988 and March 25, 2008. These allegations have not stood the test of the courts.
For Enoch, the fact that two coaches in the organization are the subject of such allegations demonstrates significant problems in the management of the team and the direction must be blamed.