Central Valley Fuego FC coach Jermaine Jones has reportedly been suspended for the rest of the season.
According to a report from The Athletic, Jones, who was suspended without any public announcement, has been disciplined for harassment, retaliation and hostility toward players.
The backstory: Jones played as a midfielder for the U.S. National Team from 2010 to 2017 and was hired by the Fuego last November, making his debut as a head coach.
- The Fuego transitioned to a professional club in 2022 and play in the third-division USL League One.
The big picture: According to documents reviewed by The Athletic, Jones was suspended for the season after an independent investigation substantiated repeated instances of harassment, retaliation and hostility.
- The United Soccer League Players Association urged the league to investigate Jones. It also filed a labor complaint against the Fuego in April, which accused the team of interrogating players about union activities and threatening retaliation. That complaint is currently under investigation, according to the report.
- Jones has reportedly been sidelined since Aug. 30 and officially suspended on Sep. 27. He has also been put on probation for the 2025 season.
The other side: According to the report, Jones is looking to be reinstated based on an audit of the investigation.
- His lawyer told The Athletic that the audit found both substantial and procedural shortcomings, adding that Jones was subject to bias and unfair treatment by the players union.
Go deeper: Players told The Athletic that Jones told the team early in the season to not interact with the union. That formed the basis for the labor complaint.
- Further, the players described the atmosphere under Jones as tense, sharing that they had fear and mental anguish since he took charge. That was consistent with the findings of the investigation, according to The Athletic.
What they’re saying: The union disagreed with Jones’ lawyer, telling The Athletic that it has not seen any findings to substantiate the claim.
- “The USLPA acted as we always do when individuals bring serious claims of misconduct to the organization: We take those concerns to the USL per the league’s safeguarding policies,” the union said. “And then to the extent individuals request that we participate in an observational manner during investigative interviews to help safeguard against retaliation, we do so.”
