Gregg Berhalter, the head coach of the United States, has said that during a dispute when they were youngsters, he kicked his wife.
US Soccer is currently looking into the 49-year-old after an accusation was made against him.
In a statement on Tuesday, Berhalter said that someone had approached him during the World Cup and threatened to “take him down.”
There are no justifications for what I did that night, he declared.
The declaration, which was also signed by his wife Rosalind, included specifics of the 1991 incident.
“We had been dating for four months when an incident happened between us that would shape the future of our relationship,” the statement read.
“One night, while out drinking at a local bar, Rosalind and I had a heated argument that continued outside. It became physical and I kicked her in the legs.”
Rosalind “had nothing to do” with Berhalter immediately following the incident, according to Berhalter, but they eventually met to mend their friendship seven months later.
Since then, they have been together, and over the New Year holiday, they celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary.
“Upon learning of the claim against US Men’s National Team head coach Gregg Berhalter on December 11, 2022, US Soccer immediately appointed Alston & Bird LLP to conduct an independent investigation into the matter,” said a statement from US Soccer released on Tuesday.
“Through this process, US Soccer has learned about potential inappropriate behaviour towards multiple members of our staff by individuals outside of our organisation.
“We take such behaviour seriously and have expanded our investigation to include those allegations.
“We appreciate Gregg and Rosalind coming forward to speak openly about this incident. Consistent with our commitment to transparency, we will share the results of the investigation publicly when it is complete.
“US Soccer condemns violence of any kind and takes such allegations very seriously.”
Berhalter, whose contract ended at the end of December, asserted that he had given the US Soccer investigation his complete cooperation.
In the following days, US Soccer said it would reveal who would be joining the men’s national team for their January camp, where they will play Serbia and Colombia.
