The U.S. Soccer Federation has launched an investigation after men’s national team boss Gregg Berhalter admitted to kicking his wife of 25 years during an argument when he was younger.
The board of directors launched an investigation after Berhalter, who sided with the World Cup in Qatar, threatened to reveal the incident involving his girlfriend Rosalind during the 1991 tournament.
US Soccer also expanded the investigation to examine “possible misconduct” against members of staff from outside the organization.
Berhalter, then a college freshman, went public with a statement posted via an unverified Twitter account, later confirmed to the PA news agency as authentic by US Soccer and co-signed by his wife.
In it she said: “One night, while we were drinking at a local bar, Rosalind and I got into a heated argument that was going on outside. He got physical and I kicked him in the legs.
“There are no excuses for my behavior that night; It was an embarrassing moment and one that I regret to this day.
“I immediately apologized to Rosalind at the time, but understandably she didn’t want anything to do with me.”
The couple settled their differences seven months later and recently celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary.
Berhalter’s future as men’s team coach is currently under scrutiny as his current contract expires.
“It was an isolated, isolated incident more than three decades ago, and a terrible decision made by an 18-year-old at a bad moment.
“Rosalind and I have embarked on a wonderful journey together. We have raised four wonderful children who are aware of what’s going on. We are proud of our marriage, our relationship, the family we’ve built and the people we’ve become.”
Commenting on the ongoing and expanded investigation, US Soccer said in a statement: “Through this process, US Soccer learned of possible inappropriate behavior directed at multiple members of our staff by people outside of our organization.
“We take this type of behavior seriously and have expanded our investigation to include these allegations.
“We appreciate that Gregg and Rosalind have spoken openly about this incident. In keeping with our commitment to transparency, we will make the results public when the investigation is complete.
“US Soccer condemns all forms of violence and takes such allegations very seriously.”