In addition to her sister and partner, Shim (bottom row, centre) also confided in Portland Thorns teammate Alex Morgan about Riley's behaviour. According to The Athletic, the two tried to find a way for Shim to file an anonymous complaint with management, but there were no options to do so at the time. Finally, on Sept. 16, 2015, Shim sent an email detailing the accusations to four major players in the organisation: Thorns owner Merritt Paulson, general manager Gavin Wilkinson, human resources director Nancy Garcia Ford, and Riley. She also forwarded the email to then-NWSL commissioner Jeff Plush.
A week later, the Thorns announced that Riley's contract would not be renewed for a third season. However, the organisation failed to mention that there had been an investigation into Shim's claims, which ultimately led to the coach's dismissal. Instead, Riley's firing seemed to be a result of the team's poor record that season, as well as a desire to return home to family.