OL Reign acquire third-round draft pick from North Carolina for Schuyler DeBree

Defender sat out last season while addressing mental health challenges.

OL Reign announced today that they sent the NWSL rights to defender Schuyler DeBree to the North Carolina Courage in exchange for the Courage’s natural third-round pick in the 2022 draft. The Courage subsequently announced that they have signed DeBree to a two-year contract. She had already been training with North Carolina this preseason with the permission of the Reign.

OL Reign now holds five picks in the 2022 NWSL Draft, including its natural third- and fourth-round picks, Portland’s first-round pick, Kansas City’s second-round pick, and this third-round selection from the Courage.

After a standout college career at Duke, DeBree was drafted by the Washington Spirit in the second round of the 2018 NWSL College Draft before moving to AC Sparta Praha of the Czech first division. She then joined the Reign in July 2019 and made the gameday roster twice that season, but did not feature in either match.

Following the 2019 season, she took a leave of absence from the club, which she later revealed was due to an ongoing battle with severe depression, anxiety, OCD, and ultimately, suicidal ideation (content warning), which led the Reign to grant her early leave to return to her family on the east coast to seek additional support, eventually relocating to stay with her uncle in North Carolina. Through the help of her family and therapy, she eventually got through the darkest stages and restored balance to her life, including now talking openly about the struggles she dealt with throughout college and as she transitioned into the pro game, in hopes that others who might be dealing with similar issues might find resonance and hope.