Women’s Soccer: NJ Press Lets Governor Murphy Off The Hook

July 20. That’s the last time the New Jersey press wrote a word about Governor Phil Murphy and the women’s professional soccer team, Sky Blue FC, of which he is majority owner.

I think this is the part of the post where I’m supposed to write something along the lines of “imagine the continued beating Murphy would be taking if he were a Republican,” so that’s out of the way.

It was on July 20 that Murphy was quoted by NJ.com:

"At the end of the day, the buck stops with me and my fellow owner," said Murphy, who co-owns the team with Steven Temares, the CEO of Bed, Bath & Beyond.

"We take this very seriously. It's not tolerable. It will not go on."

Unfortunately, since July 20 the only reported improvement to Murphy’s team has been that an RV has been parked at the practice facility in an attempt to rectify the problem of having no bathrooms, showers or running water. I’ll assume there are quality towels in the RV, at least there should be with the CEO of Bed, Bath & Beyond as a co-owner of the team.

Why is the state’s press not following this? The man said the buck stops with him. They should be asking questions like has he made any improvements, did Murphy pay folks less than the equivalent of a $15 per hour employee (we know he did) and the list of potential questions goes on.

On the $15 per hour issue an August 8 piece by Deadspin has shown what a giant hypocrite Murphy is on that issue:

Sky Blue uses part-time staff to fill nearly every position. From trainers, to assistant coaches, to general manager Tony Novo, the team’s staff is paid part-time salaries for what amounts to full-time work. Former assistant coach David Hodgson was initially hired as a sport scientist for Sky Blue FC. “I got [connected with] Sky Blue via U.S. Soccer,” he told Deadspin, “who had mandated that every club needed to have a sports scientist on the books. I was 30 minutes away and U.S Soccer trusted me to do a good job.”

Originally, Hodgson said, the club wanted to bring him on as an unpaid intern. “They offered me no money,” he recalled, “and I’m like, ‘I’m 38, I don’t do internships with a master’s degree.’ U.S. soccer pushed them and they gave me $15,000. And that’s how that happened.”

Hodgson took over as interim head coach, alongside Grieg and goalkeeper coach Jill Loyden, after Sky Blue parted ways with Christy Holly in August of 2017. He returned as an assistant coach before being let go in June.

That’s right, Phil Murphy wanted a professional, with a master’s degree, to work for free. True, he eventually paid $15,000 for a season that lasts 6 months, but that is less than the $15,600 a $15 per hour employee would have made.

While Murphy was campaigning on $15 per hour he was paying less. There is documented proof and still not one member of the NJ press has called him out on his hypocrisy.

As to the well-documented housing woes of Murphy’s soccer team, the blame was placed on “summer rentals.” Of course, that’s total BS given that the team is based in Piscataway. Again, not one member of New Jersey’s press is calling Murphy out on the BS.

If New Jersey’s press is going to continue to let Murphy off the hook for the horrible treatment of the women on his soccer team and his hypocrisy on pay and gender equality then The Bob & Steve Show will do our best to keep reminding New Jerseyans of the BS Murphy is feeding us.