Players and former staff of teams in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) have leveled several allegations and formal reports of sexual abuse, harassment, misconduct, and manipulation, as well as weight-shaming, verbal and emotional abuse, and racist and sexist remarks across its history. These allegations of crossing professional boundaries with players have led to formal investigations of and by the NWSL and many of its teams and coaches, most prominently during the league's 2021 season but including events dating to the league's inception and extending to its present.

In the findings of former US attorney general Sally Yates' report regarding an investigation commissioned by the United States Soccer Federation, she wrote that "abuse in the NWSL is rooted in a deeper culture in women's soccer, beginning in youth leagues, that normalizes verbally abusive coaching and blurs boundaries between coaches and players."

The investigations ultimately concluded that multiple forms of emotional abuse and sexual misconduct occurred across various teams and seasons; they impacted many teams, coaches, and players. This led to public protests by players and as a result, multiple coaches have been reprimanded for their behavior. Five out of 10 head coaches in the 2021 season were fired or stepped down due to misconduct allegations. Some of the more significant allegations include Coaches Riley, Dames, Burke, and Holly, who were banned from coaching and related activities in the NWSL.

Before the 14-month investigation into such allegations, there were no written rules to reprimand these coaches and other people of authority in the NWSL for gross misconduct. For the first nine years of its existence, The National Women's Soccer League operated without formal policies addressing misconduct and sexual harassment. Yet in the spring of 2021, the "Policy to Prevent and Eliminate Workplace Discrimination, Harassment, and Bullying" was implemented.

Throughout the 2021 National Women's Soccer League season, allegations of abuse surfaced in multiple teams across the National Women's Soccer League in the United States. As a result, head coaches for five of the 10 teams then in the league resigned or were fired by the end of 2021, with league commissioner Lisa Baird also resigning due to the scandal. A later investigation led to four of these coaches receiving lifetime bans from league employment, and several other coaches and executives receiving lesser discipline.

In July 2021, OL Reign announced that head coach Farid Benstiti had resigned, with the club stating that it had "great respect for Farid’s talents and all he brought to the organization." Later that year, it was reported that Benstiti had resigned following a number of complaints of abuse, including having disparaged players' nutritional habits and fitness. Later that month, NJ/NY Gotham FC announced that general manager Alyse LaHue had been fired following an investigation into a complaint of breaching league policy. Meg Linehan of The Athletic subsequently published an article reporting that the sacking was due to a breach of the league's anti-harassment policy in specific. LaHue's lawyer released a statement stating that LaHue "denies the allegations made against her."

In August, a number of former Washington Spirit players accused coach Richie Burke of abuse. Kaiya McCullough described Burke as belligerent and aggressive, and also claimed he made multiple racist and otherwise bigoted comments towards her and her teammates. Later in August, Racing Louisville FC announced that coach Christy Holly had been fired for cause, with local television station WDRB reporting that there had been complaints of a toxic culture.

In September, the Washington Spirit fired Burke. Later that month, Nadia Nadim, who had played for Gotham FC when it was known as Sky Blue FC, accused management of forging her signature on a contract extension so they could trade her to the Portland Thorns FC in early 2016.