San Diego Wave furiously respond to Jill Ellis allegations with defiant statement

National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) club San Diego Wave FC has unequivocally denied the allegations raised by a former staff member toward president Jill Ellis in a social media post Wednesday.

Brittany Alvarado, who worked as a Video & Creative Manager for the Wave beginning in March 2023, shared a lengthy message on social media on Wednesday in which she described the alleged treatment under club president Jill Ellis as "life-altering" and "devastating." The post has since been viewed more than 1.3 million times and prompted outrage toward the former United States women's national team manager.

“San Diego Wave FC has been made aware of a recent social media post by a former employee that contains inaccurate and defamatory statements about the club," the club's Wednesday evening statement read. "Not only does the post contain a fabricated email, but the claims made therein are categorically false, including the ones directed at our president Jill Ellis. San Diego Wave FC currently is reviewing this situation and it intends to pursue all legal avenues to appropriately address this matter.”

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The email in question was posted by Alvarado in reply to her initial message, which she claimed to have received 10 days after resigning last month, adding that these behaviors were "consistently enabled" by Ellis. "You are the most pathetic person I've ever met," the email read. "You must have no sense of work ethics or integrity. We are [ecstatic] you are no longer with the club."

Ellis was born in the United Kingdom but arrived stateside for a four-year college career at William & Mary. She remained in the collegiate ranks to begin her managerial career, starting at NC State and earning her first head coaching opportunity at Illinois. The former forward also coached various youth levels for the USWNT before taking command of the senior team in 2014.

The United States won both the 2015 and 2019 World Cup under Ellis' stewardship. But she has faced harassment allegations from former players Carli Lloyd and Sydney Leroux during Wednesday's wave of outrage. These allegations continued into southern California , with the San Diego Union-Tribune noting that former general manager Molly Downtain, along with backroom marketing, operations and media relations staffers, resigned in recent months.

"Despite its public proclamations, the organization often perpetuated discrimination against women and demonstrated a complete disregard for their long-term mental health," Alvarado claimed. "Since the team's inception, over 30 employees have been fired or quit, with nearly 75 percent of them being women, underscoring the deep issues within the club....

"On behalf of myself and my former colleagues, the treatment we endured under club President Jill Ellis has been nothing short of life-altering and devastating to our mental health. She has compromised countless lives to advance her narcissistic personal agenda, fostering an environment where abusive behaviors among her subordinates are allowed to flourish.

"The NWSL must take immediate action to remove Jill Ellis from both the San Diego Wave and the league entirely to finally protect the staff and players they have neglected and ignored for far too long. Moreover, the league has failed to fully address and implement recommendations from the Sally Yates Report and the NWSLPA Joint Investigation from 2022."