Danielle Reyna, the mother of American soccer player Gio Reyna, has acknowledged that she was the source of information provided to the federation regarding a 1991 incident involving men’s national team World Cup coach Gregg Berhalter and his wife, Rosalind, according to reports.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Soccer Federation revealed it was investigating Berhalter for a decade's old confrontation in which he kicked the woman who later became his wife. The federation said it learned of the allegation on Dec. 11 and hired the law firm Alston & Bird to investigate. The USSF said Berhalter and his wife, Rosalind, had “spoken openly” about the matter, and Berhalter admitted to the kick in a statement Tuesday.
The pair eventually reconciled and went on to have four children. They have been married for 25 years.
“To set the record straight, I did call (U.S. Soccer sporting director) Earnie Stewart on December 11, just after the news broke that Gregg had made negative statements about my son Gio at a leadership conference,” Danielle Reyna said in a statement, reported by The Athletic. “I have known Earnie for years and consider him to be a close friend. I wanted to let him know that I was absolutely outraged and devastated that Gio had been put in such a terrible position, and that I felt very personally betrayed by the actions of someone my family had considered a friend for decades."
According to an ESPN report, Gio's father, Claudio, was once captained the U.S. national men's team and is currently the sporting director for MLS club Austin FC, "sent multiple messages to U.S. Soccer executives during the World Cup threatening to reveal sensitive details about Berhalter."
Last month, Berhalter revealed the team's concerns about an unnamed player, who was almost sent home from the recent World Cup in Qatar because of a lack of hustle in training, when he spoke at the HOW Institute for Society's Summit on Moral Leadership in New York. Excerpts of his remarks were later published in a newsletter by Charter Works, which analyzes management and workplace trends. It was later reported that Gio Reyna was the player in question.
Gio Reyna, who plays for Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund, was only used as a substitute in Qatar.
Danielle Reyna’s statement continues: “At the time I called Earnie, many people were trashing Gio on social media due to Gregg’s comments, and I didn’t know when or if this would stop. I just wanted Earnie to help make sure that there would be no further unwarranted attacks on my son. I thought our conversation would remain in confidence, and it didn’t occur to me at the time that anything I said could lead to an investigation. I’m not criticizing Earnie here."
Claudio released his own statement to The Athletic, which read: “I support my wife, Danielle, and her statement. I too was upset by Gregg’s comments about Gio after the U.S. was out of the World Cup, and I also appealed to Earnie Stewart on December 11 asking him to prevent any additional comments.
— With files from The Associated Press
