Police investigation allegations of player misconduct at Austin FC developmental youth academy

David Huerta, the president of the Service Employees International Union California who was arrested during an immigration raid, speaks after he was released on a bond in downtown Los Angeles on June 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File) 2026-07-27T16:35:21Z Austin, Texas (AP) — Law enforcement officials said Monday they are investigating allegations of misconduct by players at Austin-fc" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="97619" data-entity-type="organization">Austin FC’s developmental youth academy, which resulted in players being expelled and the suspension of team activities for the affected age group. In a statement issued Friday, Austin-fc-academy" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="172568" data-entity-type="organization">Austin-fc" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="97619" data-entity-type="organization">Austin FC Academy said it learned in December 2025 of allegations of “youth-on-youth” misconduct among a group of players and immediately reported it to Austin police, Major League Soccer and the U.S. Center for SafeSport. Neither the academy nor police provided details on the alleged misconduct. “We can confirm there is an active investigation in relation to this. However, the investigation involves juveniles and remains ongoing, so at this time, we are not sharing further information,” police said. The law enforcement investigation was first reported by The Guardian. The academy’s statement said it acted after hearing complaints from families, but it did not say what age group of players was involved. The academy has youth teams ranging from under-13 to under-19 that compete in MLS Next, and provides schooling for the players. The academy said the involved players were suspended and expelled, and activity for the affected academy age group was suspended. “Austin-fc-academy" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="172568" data-entity-type="organization">Austin-fc" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="97619" data-entity-type="organization">Austin FC Academy prioritizes the health and safety of our youth players above everything else,” the academy said. “We continue to fully cooperate with law enforcement throughout its ongoing investigation. Throughout this process, Austin-fc-academy" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="172568" data-entity-type="organization">Austin-fc" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="97619" data-entity-type="organization">Austin FC Academy and MLS took decisive actions guided by our unwavering commitment to the health, safety and well-being of our youth players and will continue to do so.” ___ AP MLS: https://apnews.com/hub/major-league-soccer