USMNT's Gregg Berhalter Says He Kicked His Now-Wife in the 1990s and Was Being Blackmailed

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U.S. Men's National Soccer Team coach Gregg Berhalter has revealed he assaulted his now-wife during an argument in college and explained the incident was being used against him in a recent blackmail attempt.

In a lengthy statement posted to Twitter Tuesday, the 49-year-old said he kicked his now-wife, Rosalind Berhalter, in the legs following an argument when they were both 18 and in college. The incident, he explained, occurred in 1991, four months after they began dating.

"In the fall of 1991, I met my soulmate. I had just turned 18 and was a freshman in college when I met Rosalind," Gregg wrote in the tweet. "One night, while out drinking at a local bar, Rosalind and I had a heated argument that continued outside. It became physical and I kicked her in the legs."

"There are zero excuses for my actions that night; it was a shameful moment and one that I regret to this day," he continued. "At that time, I immediately apologized to Rosalind, but understandably, she wanted nothing to do with me."

Gregg said he regretted the incident and sought counseling shortly after "to learn, grow and improve."

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"I told my parents, family, and friends what happened because I wanted to take full responsibility for my behavior," he explained. "Rosalind also informed her parents, family, and friends."

Seven months later, Rosalind called Gregg and they restarted their relationship.

"The lessons learned from that night over three decades ago became the foundation for a loving, devoted, and supportive relationship, which we honored and celebrated with our 25th wedding anniversary this past weekend," he added.

Gregg revealed that U.S. Soccer was contacted by an unidentified individual during the Qatar World Cup last month who told them "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."

On Tuesday, U.S. Soccer said it hired Alston and Bird LLP to conduct an independent investigation into the matter after being contacted by the person in December.

"Through this process, U.S. Soccer has learned about potential inappropriate behavior towards multiple members of our staff by individuals outside of our organization," the statement read. "We take such behavior seriously and have expanded our investigation to include those allegations."

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"We appreciate Gregg and Rosalind coming forward to speak openly about this incident," the organization continued. "Consistent with our commitment to transparency, we will share the results of the investigation publicly when it is complete. U.S. Soccer condemns violence of any kind and takes such allegations very seriously."

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Gregg's contract with U.S. Soccer expired on Dec. 31, per Yahoo Sports. It is unclear whether he will return as the coach of the men's national team.

"Last month, U.S. Soccer launched a full technical review of our Men's National Team Program," U.S. Soccer said in the statement. "With the review and investigation ongoing, U.S. Soccer will announce who will lead the January Men's National Team camp in the coming days."

"We look forward to building off the performance in Qatar and preparing for the journey towards 2026."

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.