The Rose City Rollers roller derby league has taken the unprecedented move of banning a skater after an investigation found she filed unsupported sexual harassment complaints against a teammate, bullied others and made "egregious" hits on the track.

The league at first planned to issue a one-week suspension to Madeline Morrison but this week kicked her out of the league and barred her from the Rose City Rollers' Oaks Park hangar in Southeast Portland, where its teams practice and compete.

Morrison played on the league's travel team, Wheels of Justice, two-time world champions.

The league investigation obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive details a tangled web of bad blood on and off the track involving members of the renowned team. The feud included accusations of "transphobia," a contested court order and even a call to police -- all set against the backdrop of a quirky, full-contact sport that prides itself on inclusion and empowerment.

Investigators found that Morrison, who goes by the derby name "Frisky," falsely accused teammate Drew Flowers, who identifies as nonbinary, of unwanted sexual touching, the investigation said.

The league has never banned a player before, said its lawyer, Michael Sahagian. The nonprofit Rose City Rollers, founded in 2004, is the largest of the 400 leagues in the international Women's Flat Track Derby Association with a travel team, four home teams and recreational programs.

"It's had a great impact on our league,'' Sahagian said.

"We support the #MeToo movement in the extreme," he said. "That's why it's so frustrating to have this false accusation brought against one of our members who clearly was a victim. To have this kind of blowup has caused a lot of ill feelings.''

The Rose City Rollers website includes a statement about gender inclusivity and an anti-harassment policy that says its executive director or board reserves the right to ban anyone accused of substantiated harassment, misconduct or abuse.

Morrison disputed the league's inquiry, calling it biased and incomplete.

"I had a lot of traumatic things happen to me,'' she said. "I tried to come forward in an appropriate way, but instead I was retaliated against and slandered and kicked out of the league.''

Flowers, through an attorney, said the league acted appropriately.

"The league did the right thing,'' said Edie Rogoway, the attorney for Flowers, who is known on the track as "OMG.'' "My client has been traumatized by this.''

The league began an investigation after Flowers and Morrison filed separate complaints.

Flowers alleged Morrison tried to cause injuries during tryouts.

Morrison alleged sexual harassment and inappropriate touching by Flowers, first as her coach and then as a teammate on the all-star travel team, during derby bouts, practices or gatherings. Flowers came to Portland's travel team last year after skating for New York City's Gotham Girls Roller Derby.

Morrison also sought a sexual abuse protective order in court, alleging that Flowers had grabbed her or pressed against her body three times since April 2017.

Under state law, people facing unwanted sexual abuse by someone not a family member or intimate partner can petition for a civil protection order within 180 days if they have a reasonable fear for their safety.

A Multnomah County Circuit Court judge signed Morrison's protective order against Flowers on April 30, ordering Flowers to stay away from Morrison's home, her school, the Oaks Park hangar and roller derby events.

On the eve of a court hearing where Flowers planned to challenge the protective order, Morrison dismissed her petition.

The roller derby league had members of its accountability committee conduct its own investigation and found Morrison's allegations unsubstantiated.

The investigators said they didn't find any independent witness who observed or experienced inappropriate sexual touching by Flowers. If Flowers did touch someone, it was done in a "normal derby manner'' and "not done by OMG with any sexual objective in mind."

Instead, the investigation found that Morrison exhibited animus toward Flowers based on Flowers' gender identity as a self-described "nonbinary person on the trans masculine side of things.''

Flowers complained that Morrison repeatedly referred to Flowers as a man in a way that "feels very transphobic to me,'' according to the investigation.

Morrison also made illegal "hits'' against Flowers during tryouts for the travel team and bullied or bad-mouthed other teammates, some who were afraid to come forward out of fear of retaliation, according to the investigation.

Morrison intentionally hit Flowers at full speed, striking Flowers in the middle of the back during tryouts, which would have been grounds for ejection during a derby bout,the inquiry found.

"This bullying and bad-mouthing needs to be stopped,'' league investigators wrote.

In roller derby, two teams skate around an oval track, with a team scoring points when its "jammer'' pushes past the pack or "blockers,'' and laps the other team.

Three members of the accountability team served as the investigators and were identified in the review only by their derby names, "Skippy," "Susan B" and "Spooky." Skippy is retired Washington County Circuit Judge Steven L. Price, who also serves as one of the league's photographer.

In early May, Morrison called Portland police to report alleged violations of the protective order she had obtained against Flowers.

The league concluded Morrison "baselessly'' called police, citing the call as one of the reasons for revoking Morrison's league membership.

Flowers' lawyer said Morrison misused the criminal justice system. "When people abuse this process, they put real victims at risk,'' Rogoway said.

In an email to Morrison explaining the ban, league executive director Kim "Rocket Mean" Stegeman said the accountability committee found Morrison also "sought to inflict bodily harm during the course of game play, and that those actions were rooted in transphobia.''

Morrison told The Oregonian/OregonLive that the backlash against her is unfair and inexplicable, and took issue with the findings point by point.

Morrison, who is lesbian, found Flowers' touching was sexual, she said. She said she's not transphobic.

Morrison also shared with The Oregonian/OregonLive an email in which the league's executive director suggested Morrison seek a no-contact order against Flowers.

"The bullying thing is kind of silly because we play a really violent, aggressive sport. I'm strong and I'm fast,'' Morrison said. She also said witnesses who supported her version of events were afraid to speak to investigators, fearing retaliation from Flowers.

"This has been a nightmare. I've lost everything I love,'' Morrison said. "I have no desire to be back on the league, but I do want to play roller derby somewhere else someday.''

The turmoil has prompted the league to redouble efforts to identify what's inappropriate physical contact and bullying versus sound aggressive play in roller derby's rough-and-tumble world, said Sahagian, the league's lawyer.

"We're struggling with that," he said. "We take this very seriously and will to continue investigate complaints thoroughly.''

-- Maxine Bernstein

mbernstein@oregonian.com

503-221-8212

@maxoregonian