Gio Reyna's mother admits to leaking accusations on USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter but player's father denies threats
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Updated 04/01/2023 at 20:44 GMT
Gio Reyna made the headlines during the 2022 World Cup when the Borussia Dortmund winger confirmed he was the player that USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter had nearly sent home. Berhalter was then subject to a U.S. Soccer investigation following allegations of violence in his earlier life. Those allegations are now confirmed to have come from Reyna's mother, Danielle.
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Gio Reyna’s mother has confirmed that the investigation into US men's national team coach Gregg Berhalter was triggered by information she shared with U.S. Soccer sporting director Earnie Stewart during the 2022 World Cup.
It's the latest development in a saga that began when Reyna was told by manager Berhalter that he would have a limited role at the recent Qatar showpiece.
Berhalter then, without naming Reyna, spoke at a leadership conference after the USA had been knocked out of the tournament about how he had nearly had to send a player home.
Reyna revealed on social media thereafter that he was that player, and shared his own perspective on the situation.
On Tuesday, Berhalter shared a message on social media that told of how someone had shared information on him during the World Cup with a view to "take him down", and revealed that it pertained to a domestic violence incident in 1991 involving his now wife Rosalind, which prompted U.S. Soccer's investigation.
And on Wednesday came the statements of Reyna's parents, Claudio and Danielle, in which the latter admitted to being responsible for sharing the information with Stewart on December 11.
In her statement to The Athletic, Danielle Reyna said: “To set the record straight, I did call Earnie Stewart on December 11, just after the news broke that Gregg had made negative statements about my son Gio at a leadership conference.
“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 devasted 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.
“As part of that conversation, I told Earnie that I thought it was especially unfair that Gio, who had apologised for acting immaturely about his playing time, was still being dragged through the mud when Gregg had asked for and received forgiveness for doing something so much worse at the same age.”
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Giovanni Reyna
Image credit: Getty Images
The incident between Berhalter and his wife Rosalind happened at the University of North Carolina when he was 18 years old.
He and Rosalind had a “heated argument” which “became physical” and involved Berhalter “kicking Rosalind in the legs”.
The incident was told to the couple’s family and friends at the time but not reported to authorities.
On why he released the information now, Berhalter said in his tweet: “During the World Cup, an individual contacted U.S. Soccer, saying that they had information about me that would ‘take me down’ — an apparent effort to leverage something very personal from long ago to bring about the end of my relationship with U.S. Soccer.
"This is a difficult step to take, but my wife, Rosalind, and I want to clearly and directly share the truth."
Danielle Reyna added in her response: “Without going into detail, the statements from [Berhalter] yesterday significantly minimise the abuse on the night in question.
“Rosalind Berhalter was my roommate, teammate and best friend, and I supported her through the trauma that followed. It took a long time for me to forgive and accept Gregg afterward, but I worked hard to give him grace, and ultimately made both of them and their kids a huge part of my family’s life.
"I would have wanted and expected him to give the same grace to Gio. This is why the current situation is so very hurtful and hard.”
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Giovanni Reyna
Image credit: Getty Images
She concluded: “I’m sorry that this information became public, and I regret that I played a role in something that could reopen wounds from the past.”
Claudio Reyna denied making threats to anyone, as well as supporting his wife.
“I support my wife, Danielle, and her statement," he said. "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.
“While in Qatar, I shared my frustrations about my son’s World Cup experience with a number of close friends, Earnie and Brian McBride among them. However, at no time did I ever threaten anyone, nor would I ever do so.”
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