National Women's Soccer League commissioner and counsel ousted following sexual coercion allegations against top coach

• League commissioner Lisa Baird is out at NWSL following accusations of institutional failure.
• The league's board of directors removed Baird and general counsel Lisa Levine on Friday.
• The news comes one day after The Athletic detailed sexual coercion accusations against coach Paul Riley.

The National Women's Soccer League's board of directors removed commissioner Lisa Baird and general counsel Lisa Levine, following sexual coercion allegations against top coach Paul Riley and accusations of institutional failure from several US women's soccer players, according to The Athletic.

The ouster comes one day after the outlet detailed accusations of inappropriate comments and sexual misconduct against the two-time Coach of the Year. League players have been made aware of Baird and Levine's removal, according to The Athletic.

It was not immediately clear who would replace them.

Hours before she was ousted, Baird released a statement announcing the league would postpone this weekend's games in light of the news.

"This week, and much of this season, has been incredibly traumatic for our players and staff, and I take full responsibility for the role I have played. I am so sorry for the pain so many are feeling," Baird said.

In The Athletic piece - which was written by women's soccer reporter Meg Linehan - NWSL players Sinead Farrelly and Meleana "Mana" Shim described instances of inappropriate behavior from Riley while they played on his teams.

Two-time World Cup champion Alex Morgan, who previously played under Riley with the Portland Thorns, confirmed having previous knowledge of their stories and told the outlet that she tried to help them report Riley's behavior to the league.

Riley was fired from his position with the North Carolina Courage hours after the report was published on Thursday.

Following the report, several players released a statement criticizing the league's response and demanding an independent investigation into the matter. The players also demanded that any staff accused of violating the league's anti-harassment policy that was put in place last spring be suspended, and asked the league to explain how Riley was re-hired following a past investigation into abusive coaching allegation.

On Friday, FIFA said it was actively looking into the accusations against Riley and said it would be reaching out to US Soccer and the NWSL for more information. Later that day, US Soccer announced it would also launch an investigation. The organization helped establish the NWSL in 2013.

"We take seriously our responsibility to vigorously investigate the abhorrent behavior that has been reported and gain a full a frank understanding of the factors that allowed it to happen, and the changes that should be made to make sure it does not happen again," US Soccer said in a statement.