Editor’s note: This story contains accounts of domestic violence. If you or someone you know is a survivor of domestic abuse, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or at https://www.thehotline.org/.
U.S. Soccer announced it has hired an independent firm to investigate an incident between manager Gregg Berhalter and his wife, Rosalind, from 1991.
Berhalter released a statement Tuesday, revealing the incident between himself and Rosalind when the two were early in their relationship.
“One night, while out drinking at a local bar, Rosalind and I had a heated argument that continued outside,” he said. “It became physical and I kicked her in the legs.”
Berhalter explained that he had “zero excuses” for what he did and it was a “shameful moment” that he still regrets. He said he voluntarily went to counseling and that he hasn’t repeated anything like that since.
After the two were apart for seven months, Berhalter said he and Rosalind had a discussion about their relationship and continued forward.
“We met and discussed how we had grown and decided to rebuild our relationship,” he said. “Rosalind shared that her family supported this decision and by working through what had happened, we both realized that our love, trust and respect for each other was stronger than the incident that occurred months earlier.”
Berhalter said he and his wife just celebrated their 25th anniversary and have a “loving, devoted and supportive relationship.”
Berhalter says that, during the World Cup, someone tried to “take [him] down” by using this story to “bring the end to [his] relationship with U.S. Soccer.”
“The intention of this statement is to provide transparency and to reinforce that a single bad decision made by a teenager does not necessarily define him for the rest of his life,” he said. “We will not hide from this. We didn’t then, and we won’t now.”
In its statement, U.S. Soccer said the investigation began Dec. 11 and is still ongoing. The organization also said that the investigation revealed “potential inappropriate behavior” toward members of U.S. soccer staff by “individuals outside of our organization.”
Berhalter’s contract with U.S. soccer officially expired at the end of December, and the federation has said it will announce who will manage the USMNT’s January camp within the coming days.
