Shantel H. Harrison shared a deeply troubling account of her family’s experience with the Manhattan Soccer Club, where she says her daughter faced exclusion, threats, and racism at the hands of Coach Ricky Wiseman.
Despite reporting the incident, she claims the club’s founder, Rob Million, dismissed her concerns and shifted the blame to her daughter’s abilities instead of addressing the seriousness of the complaint.
According to Harrison, her daughter’s time with the club was marked by mistreatment and exclusion.
The most shocking moment, she recalls, came when Coach Wiseman made a racially charged statement, telling her family they “are the kind of people that are not deserving,” followed by additional hateful remarks.
Harrison says Wiseman even threatened to remove her daughter from the team, leaving the young athlete discouraged and unwilling to return to the club.
Although her daughter continued to pursue soccer at the high school level without further issues, the family carried the pain of the incident.
Harrison emphasized that the difference in treatment highlighted how damaging and isolating her experience with Manhattan Soccer Club had been.
Harrison says she reached out to the club’s founder, Rob Million, to formally file a complaint.
Instead of support, she recalls receiving a dismissive response that shifted the focus away from the discriminatory remarks.
In his email, Million stated that if her child had not been given opportunities, it was “only to do with their ability to play the game at a high enough level.”
He insisted the club judged solely on performance and added that he did not know about Harrison’s Native American background before the email exchange.
While he claimed to “respect [her] heritage,” he concluded by refusing further communication on the matter.
Harrison described this dismissal as disheartening, saying it invalidated her family’s concerns and left them feeling that their years of investment in the program were wasted.
Despite her email being blocked and her local post flagged and removed, Harrison decided to share her story publicly to warn other families.
“I was only trying to submit a formal complaint as part of my healing journey,” she wrote.
“I want to share our negative experience so other families can make informed decisions before joining this local soccer club.”
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The Harrison family has since distanced themselves from organized leagues altogether, choosing not to consider local clubs again.
For them, the incident remains a painful reminder of the harm caused when allegations of racism are dismissed rather than addressed.
