December 5 – The Washington Spirit want Trinity Rodman in the National Women’s Soccer League for the foreseeable future and put a contract on the table, which sources say she was prepared to sign. But NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman vetoed the proposal, according to people familiar with the discussions who were not authorised to speak publicly.
Bloomberg first reported the failed attempt to re-sign Rodman, one of the league’s biggest stars.
“Our goal is to ensure that the very best players in the world, including Trinity, continue to call this league home. We will do everything we can, utilizing every lever available within our rules to keep Trinity Rodman here,” a league spokesperson said Wednesday night.
The Spirit’s offer was a four-year scaling contract that would pay Rodman more in the final two years, banking on a richer media-rights deal after 2027. Exact figures weren’t disclosed, but sources say the annual average was above $1 million and competitive with offers arriving from major European clubs.
Rodman signed a $1.1 million extension in 2022. That contract expired this year.
Berman and the league ruled that the structure of the new proposal violated league rules, a source said. But the NWSL’s 2025 competition manual doesn’t appear to ban year-to-year salary increases as long as clubs stay under the cap. The cap rises from $3.5 million in 2026 to $4.9 million in 2029, and the CBA sets no maximum salary for an individual player.
Because the Spirit’s offer did not violate league rules, the NWSL Players Association has filed a grievance on Rodman’s behalf. The NWSL has 14 days to respond before the case could move to a committee or even arbitration.
With Rodman attracting interest from Europe and the WSL’s financial muscle growing, there are a couple of key questions that need to be answered.
One, how can the NWSL structure competitive contracts for its top talent without boxing itself in?
Two, is the league looking at Rodman’s history of injuries and trying to insulate itself from a multi-million-dollar deal for a player who has missed considerable time since bursting on to the scene?
“All I can say is the club has been doing all it can – above and beyond – to make sure that there is a path for (Rodman) to stay,” Spirit owner Michele Kang said. Commissioner Berman added, “Particularly, we want Trinity in the NWSL, and we will fight for her.”
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