CEO of Thorns, Timbers steps down amid scandal

Merritt Paulson, the proprietor of the NWSL's Portland Thorns and MLS's Portland Timbers, announced helium is stepping down arsenic CEO of some clubs "effective immediately."

The announcement follows the merchandise of the Yates Report, which detailed systemic affectional and verbal abuse, arsenic good arsenic intersexual misconduct successful the NWSL, including wrong the Thorns' organization.

"The Portland Thorns were created to beryllium a beacon of what is imaginable successful women's sports. A palmy squad is built connected trust, equality and accountability, and contiguous I americium holding myself accountable for not doing enough," Paulson said successful a connection connected Tuesday.

He besides apologized to the Thorns' players, the enactment and the Portland assemblage "for the mistakes we made [...] our organization's failures and mistakes were yet my responsibility, and my work alone."

Paulson had antecedently announced that helium was stepping aside from the Thorns' day-to-day activities. But his latest connection present makes that determination permanent, and the enactment volition prosecute successful a "global search" for his replacement. His connection made nary notation of whether helium volition merchantability either the Thorns oregon the Timbers. For now, the determination adds different furniture of absorption betwixt himself and the teams.

The Thorns were featured astatine galore points successful the Yates report, particularly arsenic it related to its handling of sexual misconduct allegations made successful 2015 by erstwhile players Mana Shim and Sinead Farrelly against then-Thorns manager Paul Riley. The allegations were archetypal reported by The Athletic.

"I beryllium Sinead and Mana, the Thorns players and the NWSL my tireless effort to actively marque definite what happened successful 2015 ne'er happens again," Paulson said.

But determination was much to the Thorns' engagement than what Riley is alleged to person done. While the Thorns terminated Riley for cause, the study elaborate however the nine publically described the manager's departure arsenic a nonrenewal of a declaration owed to results, and Riley's tendency to instrumentality to the East Coast. Riley aboriginal received a affirmative occupation referral from Thorns' president of shot Gavin Wilkinson erstwhile Riley applied for the managerial opening with the Western New York Flash successful 2016. Paulson was quoted successful the study arsenic saying to the Flash aft Riley was hired, "Congrats connected the Riley hire. I person a batch of affection for him."

ESPN precocious reported that successful 2019, erstwhile Riley was enactment connected a abbreviated database for the vacant manager's presumption with the U.S. women's nationalist team, Paulson told North Carolina Courage proprietor Steve Malik that it would beryllium "a bully idea" if Riley withdrew. Otherwise the mode of his departure from the Thorns mightiness go public. Riley withdrew from information soon thereafter.

The Yates Report besides elaborate however the Thorns sought to impede the investigation, by delaying the sharing of documents and not making definite witnesses available.

"It is devastating to maine that my extremity of creating the shining illustration of what a women's sports squad could be, has present go synonymous with abhorrent and predatory behavior," Paulson said. "Part of maine holding myself accountable is recognizing that idiosyncratic other needs to instrumentality the reins of the enactment and operational decision-making."

The backlash to the Yates Report has been prolonged and intense, with the Thorns' sponsors and players publically castigating the club. Both Wilkinson and the organization's president of business, Mike Golub, were fired, but that wasn't enough.

Thorns squad skipper Becky Sauerbrunn said that, "It's my sentiment that each proprietor and enforcement and U.S. Soccer authoritative who has repeatedly failed the players and failed to support the players, who person hidden down legalities and person not participated afloat successful these investigations should beryllium gone."

Alaska Airlines, 1 of the club's main sponsors, announced that it was redirecting its sponsorship funds for the Thorns and Timbers to the National Women's Soccer League Players Association's Support the Players Emergency Trust and to younker sports successful the Portland community.

The Tillamook County Creamery Association said successful a statement, "We volition lone reconsider aboriginal sponsorship if the enactment makes meaningful, organization changes."

Union Wine Company announced it would "no longer enactment arsenic an authoritative sponsor of either" the Timbers oregon Thorns, and would lone reconsider "if the enactment makes meaningful organization translation that assistance pb to affirmative systemic change."

In his statement, Paulson announced that Heather Davis volition stay interim president and interim CEO. Sarah Keane, who was appointed interim COO, volition pb the hunt for a imperishable CEO. Paulson added that players volition conscionable with the last candidates, "so their voices tin beryllium heard."

"Looking ahead, our enactment is astatine a crossroads, and the aboriginal is not needfully a wide path," Paulson said. "No substance what happens, ensuring the semipermanent wellness and occurrence of the Portland Thorns is captious to me, arsenic I cognize it is for our players and the community.

"Given the complexities progressive connected respective levels finalizing the close way guardant volition instrumentality time. I emotion this enactment arsenic if it was portion of my family, and to me, what is astir important is getting it right.