US Soccer Tries Again on 'Offensive' Court Brief

Earlier this month, the US Soccer Federation submitted a court filing about the US women's team that was seen as so outrageous it caused the federation's president to apologize and later resign. Among other things, the brief in the ongoing dispute over pay equity declared that male players had "more responsibility" and a "higher level of skill" than female players. On Monday night, the federation tried again, resubmitting the brief after it was stripped of what the federation's new president—a woman—called "offensive language," reports the Wall Street Journal.

The language in the original brief "neither represents my position nor the view of the Federation," said new US Soccer president Cindy Parlow, a former member of the women's team. The new brief also removed any reference to work by law professor Doriane Lambelet Coleman of Duke, who had complained that the original brief inaccurately cited her research as it sought to justify lower pay for women. It wasn't just the women's team that complained about the first filing—major sponsors such as Volkswagen and Coca-Cola also objected, notes USA Today. (More US Soccer stories.)