Philadelphia Union sporting director Ernst Tanner continues to be under investigation by Major League Soccer and remains on administrative leave with no resolution expected to come soon, multiple sources told the Guardian last week.
Tanner was the subject of wide-ranging allegations of misconduct raised by a Guardian investigation late last year, including a complaint made by the MLS Players Association to the league alleging multiple instances of racist, sexist and homophobic behavior. After the Guardian published its story, the Union placed Tanner on administrative leave and MLS reopened an investigation into his behavior that had been closed early in 2025 due to lack of corroboration. Tanner has denied the allegations throughout, saying he will cooperate fully with the league as he “[works] to clear my good name and reputation”.
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MLS’s initial investigation was done using in-house counsel, but the league has retained labor law firm Littler Mendelson to handle the new investigation, said multiple sources with direct knowledge of it, who like all sources in this report spoke to the Guardian under the condition of anonymity. Littler Mendelson is a global law firm specializing in labor and employment law. Among other notable clients, the firm has represented Starbucks, Amazon and Delta Air Lines in their anti-unionization efforts.
However, the investigation has not reached any conclusion in the three months since it was reopened. The Guardian understands that part of the reason for the delay is that investigators had reached an impasse regarding non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) that remain in effect between some potential sources and the Union.
It is somewhat common for MLS clubs to have departing employees sign NDAs, which generally prohibit them from speaking about their experiences at their previous employer. Multiple sources with knowledge of the ongoing investigation into Tanner have said that, because of these types of agreements, some potential interviewees have not received adequate assurances from investigators that they won’t be subject to legal action if they participate.
The Guardian understands that MLS had hoped a new investigation would work around any existing NDAs, with the league previously offering assurances to potential sources in its initial effort. Two sources familiar with the ongoing investigation told the Guardian last week that multiple potential sources in the investigation do not feel that they’ve received…
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