The fallout from Casey Wasserman‘s inclusion in the Epstein files is growing, as Hall of Fame soccer player Abby Wambach announced Wednesday that she’s leaving the management firm, marking the first athlete to weigh in publicly on the scandal after several recording artists including Chappell Roan had already announced their intent to leave earlier this week.
“I have left the Wasserman Agency,” Wambach wrote in a post on Instagram Wednesday. “I read Casey Wasserman’s correspondences in the Epstein files. I know what I know, and I am following my gut and my values. I will not participate in any business arrangement under his leadership. I also need to say this: I’m grateful to my agent, who I’ve known for almost 20 years and trust. Casey should resign. He should leave, so more people like me don’t have to. I am unclear of my next steps. That’s OK with me, I just know where I can’t be.”
Wambach is regarded as one of the greatest female soccer players of all time, with a resume that includes six U.S. soccer athlete of the year awards, a FIFA World Cup title and two Olympic gold medals. She was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2019.
Bethany Cosentino, singer for indie band Best Coast, was the first to speak out about the issue, demanding last Friday that Wasserman step down. Since then, acts including Wednesday, Beach Bunny, Orville Peck and most notably Chappell Roan announced they were leaving. Weyes Blood was the latest musician to follow, announcing her departure from Wasserman on Instagram Tuesday night.
“No artist, agent or employee should ever be expected to defend or overlook actions that conflict so deeply with our own moral values,” Roan wrote in a post announcing her departure on February 9. “I refuse to passively stand by.”
Until Wombach’s comments Wednesday, the noise mainly focused around Wasserman’s music division, where agents are exploring options to leave or take over the music agency division outright. With Wambach out, the question becomes if others in the sports world will speak as well. Beyond the company, Wasserman faces mounting pressure to resign as the chairman of the LA 2028 Olympics committee.
Earlier this week, Wasserman had pulled out of participating in Telemundo’s Playmakers Event in Los Angeles, with the network telling THR that it was “informed by [Wasserman’s] office that unfortunately he’s no longer available to join us.”
