San Diego Wave Denounces Former Employee's Allegations of Poor Work Environment Under Jill Ellis

This story has been updated to reflect additional comments from NWSL players.

A former San Diego Wave employee claimed on social media that the club “perpetuates discrimination against women and has a complete disregard for (employees') long-term mental health.” The club has denied the allegations.

A post on the account of Brittany Alvarado, Wave's former video and creative director, on X alleged that of the more than 30 employees who have been fired or resigned since the team began operations, nearly 75% were women, and that the negative treatment of employees was part of an unhealthy work environment fostered by Wave president Jill Ellis.

The post called on the league to remove Ellis from her position with the Wave. Alvarado’s LinkedIn account shows she started working for the club in March 2023, with a follow-up post from Alvarado’s account indicating she resigned on June 7, 2024.

The Wave posted a response on its social media denying the allegations.

“The San Diego Wave has been made aware of a recent social media post by a former employee that contains inaccurate and defamatory statements about the club,” the statement said.

The Wave added that they were reviewing the situation and “intend to use all available legal avenues to address this matter appropriately.”

Alvarado further alleged that the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) has failed to fully implement the recommendations of the 2022 investigative reports conducted by Sally Yates and the NWSLPA, which detailed systemic unhealthy and abusive work environments at the league and club levels.

The Wave recently fired head coach Casey Stoney on June 24. Stoney had previously led the team to first place in the league in the 2023 regular season and third place overall in 2022. In 2024, the Wave was 3-2-6 at the time of Stoney's firing. Stoney responded on social media that she was disappointed that she “didn't have the time to bring a championship to San Diego.”

While she didn't directly link Stoney's firing to her decision to speak out, Alvarado cited Stoney in particular in her post as a positive influence.

An NWSL spokesperson said: “The safety, health and well-being of everyone associated with our league is our top priority. We take all reports of potential misconduct seriously, engage qualified independent investigators to thoroughly review these allegations and take action when allegations are supported by the facts uncovered. We have imposed corrective measures in every case where reports have been substantiated, up to and including the termination of individuals who fail to uphold our values ​​and standards.

“We encourage anyone with information about possible wrongdoing to report this misconduct to the League’s Chief Safety Officer. Individuals can also report this misconduct anonymously through Real Response by texting 872-259-6975.”

Former U.S. women's national team player Sydney Leroux has also criticized Ellis in the past when she was head coach of the USWNT from 2014 to 2019.

In 2020, Leroux told “The Crack Podcast,” hosted by DaMarcus Beasley and Oguchi Onyewu: “I liked her as a person, not (as a coach). … We won despite (Ellis). She’s not good for people’s mental health, that’s for sure. The best thing to do was for her to leave.”

Leroux shared her support for Alvarado on Wednesday, writing on X: “It’s the courage of one person to start telling their story in the hopes that more people will feel comfortable enough to one day tell theirs.”

Longtime USWNT star and Wave forward Alex Morgan said she was disappointed to hear the allegations made by former Wave employees.

“As players, we have worked hard to build a team that is surrounded by an inclusive, positive, and safe environment,” Morgan wrote on X. “But it is important to me that we create that environment for both the players AND the staff across the organization. Equity in the workplace is something I have and will continue to champion.”

“I want to be proud of what we are building at the Wave, but it is clear that there is still a lot of work to be done.”

(Ira L. Black – Corbis/Getty Images)