Gio Reyna’s mother hits back at Gregg Berhalter blackmail accusations

On Tuesday,

head coach Gregg Berhalter admitted to a count of domestic violence incident where he kicked his wife Rosalind in 1991. The incident in question is under investigation by the U.S. Soccer but Berhalter has claimed that someone attempted to blackmail him about the incident after the World Cup who many believe to be

’s mother.

Reyna was famously snubbed by Berhalter during the 2022 World Cup and Berhalter seemed to undermine the player in veiled comments. Reyna’s mom, Danielle, has come out and said that she did in fact call US Soccer sporting director Earnie Steward because of how his son was treated but she didn’t try to blackmail anyone.

Danielle Reyna was in fact the roommate of Berhalter’s wife Rosalind in college and around the time that the domestic abuse incident took place.

Berhalter’s full statement about the blackmail attempt is as follows:

"During the World Cup, an individual contacted U.S. Soccer, saying that they had information about me that would 'take me down' - an apparent effort to leverage something very personal from long ago to bring about the end of my relationship with U.S. Soccer,"

Meanwhile, U.S. Soccer has admitted that the blackmail claims are part of their ongoing investigation into the incident. Berhalter has also been replaced by interim coach Anthony Hudson. 

And here is the full statement by Danielle Reyna:

"As part of that conversation, I told Earnie that I thought it was especially unfair that Gio, who had apologized for acting immaturely about his playing time, was still being dragged through the mud when Gregg had asked for and received forgiveness for doing something so much worse at the same age. Without going into detail, the statements from yesterday significantly minimize the abuse on the night in question. Rosalind Berhalter was my roommate, teammate and best friend, and I supported her through the trauma that followed. It took a long time for me to forgive and accept Gregg afterward, but I worked hard to give him grace, and ultimately made both of them and their kids a huge part of my family’s life. I would have wanted and expected him to give the same grace to Gio. This is why the current situation is so very hurtful and hard.”

“At the time I called Earnie, many people were trashing Gio on social media due to Gregg’s comments, and I didn’t know when or if this would stop. I just wanted Earnie to help make sure that there would be no further unwarranted attacks on my son. I thought our conversation would remain in confidence, and it didn’t occur to me at the time that anything I said could lead to an investigation. I’m not criticizing Earnie here. I very much commend the recent efforts by U.S. Soccer to address abuse of women players, and I understand now he had an obligation to investigate what I shared. But I want to be very clear that I did not ask for Gregg to be fired, I did not make any threats, and I don’t know anything about any blackmail attempts, nor have I ever had any discussions about anyone else on Gregg’s staff—I don’t know any of the other coaches. I did not communicate with anyone in U.S. Soccer about this matter before December 11, and no one else in my family has made any statements to U.S. Soccer regarding Gregg’s past at all.

“I’m sorry that this information became public, and I regret that I played a role in something that could reopen wounds from the past.”

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