\u201cI was rushed through airports like a criminal,\u201d she recalls. \u201cI got home and realised the enormity of it. My family picked me up from the airport, and we didn\u2019t stay in our house for a few days because we were too afraid. When we did go back, we had people knocking at our door and rubbish left there. It felt very traumatic very quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the weeks that followed, Bev decided to stay silent.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a lot I wanted to say, but I didn\u2019t want to create any more drama for the team,\u201d she says. \u201cEverything was played out in the media without any of the real facts. But you can\u2019t do anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
For legal reasons, she still hasn\u2019t been able to speak about the specifics of how it all unfolded.<\/p>\n
Bev with her wife, former Football Fern Emma Humphries. Photo \/ Nicola Edmonds<\/p>\n
An independent review found that this was not an isolated incident at Canada Soccer and it was part of \u201ca past pattern of unacceptable culture and insufficient oversight within the national teams\u201d.<\/p>\n
After a month of hiding in her home, too afraid to even drop her son Jack at kindergarten, Bev\u2019s wife, former Football Fern Emma Humphries, made the decision to return to New Zealand.<\/p>\n
\u201cVery quickly, Emma said, \u2018We\u2019re going to have to pack up and leave.\u2019 At first, I was in denial, but I realised how much I needed to for my mental health and for my little boy.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was the right choice. As soon as the former England assistant coach left the country, she felt the weight lift off her shoulders.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember the day we left Canada. I was at the airport with my hood up, trying to fly under the radar. When we landed in Sydney, I took my hood down. I felt free.\u201d<\/p>\n
Once they settled in Christchurch, Bev\u2019s biggest concern was how this would affect Jack, now 7.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis world changed overnight, and he doesn\u2019t really know why,\u201d tells Bev. \u201cMy little boy was born in Canada \u2013 he loved the team. The biggest thing was that I felt like I had let my family down and that he would have to read about it one day.<\/p>\n
Bev and Jack at a Phoenix game. Photo \/ NZ Woman’s Weekly<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a day when I\u2019ll need to have a conversation and explain it to him.\u201d<\/p>\n
For most of Jack\u2019s life, Bev has balanced motherhood with the busy schedule of an international coach. The one silver lining of that dark time was being home every day with Emma, 39, to take Jack to school, and enjoy beach walks and family camping trips.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got to spend some really special time with them that maybe I wouldn\u2019t have had if this hadn\u2019t happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
In the early months of the scandal, Bev thought she\u2019d never work in football again. While she never lost her love for the game, the thought of returning to the spotlight felt overwhelming.<\/p>\n
But when Emma landed a role as director of the Wellington Phoenix Academy, Bev couldn\u2019t ignore how it felt to be back with her people.<\/p>\n
Bev chose to face the music as the Phoenix women\u2019s team coach. Photo \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n