A day after a bombshell report on rampant sexual abuse and abuses of power in the National Women’s Soccer League, as well as an astounding number of team executives and owners looking the other way or siding with the abusers, fans of the Portland Thorns have said that they’ve had enough of team ownership and would like them to sell.
The NWSL’s Thorns are owned by Peregrine Sports LLC, which also owns the MLS’s Portland Timbers. Specifically, the ownership group is led by Merritt Paulson, who, along with team president Gavin Wilkinson, are said to have enabled former Thorns manager Paul Riley’s abuse of their players and protected him after it was reported. Thorns team officials are also accused of interfering in the investigation behind the report, which was commissioned by the US Soccer Federation and led by former US Attorney General Sally Yates.
Per the report, former Thorns coach Paul Riley reportedly “leveraged his position” to coerce at least three players into sexual relationships” while investigators received “credible reports of sexual misconduct with other players.” Sexual misconduct allegations were brought against Riley every year between 2015 and 2021. He was the Thorns’ head coach in 2015.
Thorns and Timbers president of business Mike Golub was also mentioned in the report, having made a sexual remark to then-Thorns coach and now U.S. Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone.
“Cindy Parlow Cone reported that in 2013, while serving as coach of the Portland Thorns, Golub asked her, ‘what’s on your bucket list besides sleeping with me?’ Parlow Cone told Golub never to speak to her like that again, and she reports that he did not,” read the report. “Several months later, when she was leaving the Thorns, she reported the incident to Thorns owner Merritt Paulson, who told her he wished she had told him about the remark at the time it happened. Per the Thorns, ‘there was no formal complaint made, and the concerns were addressed with Golub at the time.’”
Supporters of the Portland Timbers and Portland Thorns, dubbed the 107IST, have called on the organization to fire Golub and Wilkinson, as well as for Paulson to sell the teams.
A Joint Statement on Behalf of the 107IST, Rose City Riveters, and Timbers Army About USSF’s Release Results of the Sally Yates’ Independent Investigation – https://t.co/uQu4DUG2E3#BAONPDX #RCTID pic.twitter.com/HTZGV7uMnp
— 107IST (@107IST) October 4, 2022
“As a leadership group, we were lied to,” the statement from 107IST read. “… They said they couldn’t speak freely until the investigation results were public. ‘Wait until the results are in before reaching any conclusions,’ they said. Well, we honored that request. The results are in. And those results are far worse than even the initial reports had indicated.
“The time for waiting has passed,” the statement continued. “The toxic culture that allowed these behaviors to exist and continue in our clubs’ organizations runs too long, too deep, and too high. Mike Golub and Gavin Wilkinson have no place in the Timbers and Thorns organization, or in Soccer City, USA; and Merritt Paulson and Peregrine Sports need to sell the teams. That’s the bottom line.”
Paulson released a statement on Tuesday, apologizing for the contents of the report and saying that he is removing himself, Wilkinson, and Golub from all Thorns-related decisions until the joint NWSL/NWSLPA investigation is complete.
Thorns owner Merritt Paulson officially releases a statement in the wake of U.S. Soccer releasing the findings of its investigation into abuses in the #NWSL. #BAONPDX pic.twitter.com/WP4D3cosCs
— Ryan Clarke (@RyanTClarke) October 4, 2022
As you might imagine, the lack of any kind of significant punishment left many in the Thorns and soccer community upset with the lack of accountability, which appears to be an ongoing theme with the team owners and executives.
To recap: no one has been fired, and Merritt Paulson, Gavin Wilkinson and Mike Golub will all sit at the same desks doing the same jobs within the same organization working with the same people.#RCTID #BAONPDX https://t.co/Ui2me4hWV1
— Caitlin Murray (@caitlinmurr) October 4, 2022
All these Portland guys gotta go https://t.co/ExFCXqOSBl
— Alicia Rodriguez (@soccermusings) October 4, 2022
It’s pretty despicable this trio thinks Timbers fans are going to be ok with them staying on https://t.co/QjpahWgAcA
— Ñic Gulas (@Nic_Gulas) October 4, 2022
https://twitter.com/Winner_MLS/status/1577378017185251334
@ThornsFC and @TimbersFC = One Club. Now do the other half of PTFC. #RCTID https://t.co/wGUIAM4a6e
— Timbers Army (@timbersarmy) October 4, 2022
That's definitely nowhere near good enough https://t.co/Bi8S6RuPr5
— Mark Yesilevskiy (@MarkWhyy) October 4, 2022
I find it hard to believe MP is cooperating fully with the NWSL investigation given their track record in handling any and all of this, including his level of cooperation with Yates, and ESPN (which was zero). https://t.co/UUA2PgfKHh
— Daniel Sperry (@sperrydaniel94) October 4, 2022
It’s hard to believe this matter is closed for the club ownership, as much as they seem to want to try to weather the storm.
