American Football Investigates 1991 Incident involving Greg Berhalter

American Football Investigates 1991 Incident involving Greg Berhalter

Greg Berhalter, who coashed the club, pleaded guilty Tuesday to allegations related to a 1991 incident in which he kicked his wife Rosalind in the legs during a fight outside a bar. The incident was reported to US Soccer last month and occurred when Berhalter was an 18-year-old defender at the University of North Carolina. In a lengthy social media post signed by him and his wife, Berhalter wrote:

"There are no excuses for that night; it was a shameful moment and I am sorry to this day." "At the time, I immediately apologized to Rosalind, but understandably she didn't want to do anything with me. I told my parents, family and friends what happened because I wanted to take full responsibility for my behavior. Rosalind also informed her parents, family and family of friends. While the authorities have never intervened in this, they have voluntarily sought advice to help learn, grow, and improve – one of the most valuable decisions they have ever made. To this day, this type of behavior has never been repeated."

Berhalter went on to say that Rosalind called him seven months later and that the couple reconciled — they've been together ever since and have four children together — and suggested that the previously unknown incident emerged as part of an apparent blackmail attempt. "Someone contacted US Soccer, saying they had information about me that would 'frustrate me'—an obvious attempt to take advantage of something very personal long ago to end my relationship with US Soccer," Berhalter wrote. On his unverified Twitter account, which FOX Sports was able to confirm its credibility. In its own statement Tuesday, the U.S. Soccer Federation said it became aware of the allegations on Dec. 11, just over a week after the Netherlands eliminated the U.S. team in the round of 16 at the Qatar World Cup. The USSF said it immediately launched an independent investigation into both the incident and Berhalter's alleged extortion.

"Through this operation, American football has learned of potentially inappropriate behavior toward many of our crew members by individuals outside our organization," the U.S. Soccer statement said. "We take such behaviour very seriously and have expanded our investigation to include these allegations. "We appreciate Greg and Rosalind's coming forward to speak openly about this incident." "In line with our commitment to transparency, we will share the results of the investigation publicly when it is completed. American football condemns acts of violence of any kind and takes these allegations seriously." Berhalter, a former two-time U.S. World Cup defender, was hired to lead the national team in December 2018, 14 months after Americans failed to qualify for that year's World Cup — their first men's tournament in more than 30 years. He led the team to the CONCACAF Gold Cup and Nations League titles in 2021, and last March the U.S. team qualified for the World Cup for the first time in eight years.

Whether Berhalter, who managed teams in Sweden and MLS before taking over as national team, is considered ongoing or not, the USMNT coach will likely rely on both the outcome of the investigation and the technical review that American football sporting director Ernie Stewart is still conducting. The U.S. will kick off the 2023 list later this month with friendlies against Serbia and Colombia in Los Angeles. "As the review and investigation continues, American football will announce who will lead the men's national team camp in January in the coming days," the federation's statement said.