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NOS Football•
Gregg Berhalter has made a remarkable statement. The national coach of the US soccer team at the World Cup in Qatar says in a statement that he kicked his now-wife Rosalind during an argument 31 years ago. They met as students at the time. In the press release, Berhalter writes that he was blackmailed during the World Cup: “They had information about me that would have brought me down.”
He and his wife now want to “share the truth” about what happened between them in 1991. He says he and Rosalind dated for four months and got into a fight at a local bar. The “heated discussion continued outside,” writes Berhalter. “He got physical and I kicked her in the legs.”
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Berhalter calls it an “embarrassing moment that I still regret to this day.” She says Rosalind wanted nothing to do with him after that, that they both shared the story with their immediate environment, and that she willingly sought help. That was one of the most precious decisions she ever made, she says. “To this day, that kind of behavior has never been repeated.”
After seven months, Rosalind contacted him again and they eventually got married and had four children.
The US national team coach is now sharing it because he wants to be transparent, but also to indicate that “one bad action by a teenager shouldn’t necessarily follow him for the rest of his life”.
The statement was signed by both Gregg and Rosalind Berhalter.
US Soccer also later shared a statement saying it learned of the allegation against Berhalter on December 11 last year and immediately hired an agency to conduct an independent investigation into the matter. The investigation is still ongoing.
The American Football Federation reports that outsiders’ allegations against several staff members surfaced during this trial. They say they appreciate that Gregg and Rosalind want to talk openly about the incident between them.
It is not yet known whether Berhalter will remain as national coach. In its statement, US Soccer says it will announce it this month.
