Soccer in Portland won’t be the same after the Sally Yates investigation.
Gavin Wilkinson, the president of soccer for both the Portland Thorns and Portland Timbers, and the organization’s president of business Mike Golub were both dismissed Wednesday.
In a statement from both clubs, Wilkinson and Golub were “relieved of their duties with both clubs, effective today.” Merritt Paulson, the majority owner for both teams, stepped away from decision-making duties with the Thorns on Tuesday, along with Wilkinson and Golub, but less than 24 hours later, the organization took a further step.
The statement said that the organization’s general counsel Heather Davis — who had been given executive authority over the Thorns in yesterday’s announcement — is now the interim president of Peregrine Sports and will have the final say on business operations for both the Thorns and Timbers.
Karina LeBlanc will continue as the Thorns’ general manager, while Timbers technical director Ned Grabavoy will take charge of the MLS side’s soccer operations.
Amid the tumult of multiple investigations throughout the league, Portland fans have been calling for the ouster of Wilkinson and Golub for some time now. Supporter outrage grew after Wilkinson was reported to have given a positive recommendation of disgraced former coach Paul Riley despite having known of a complaint regarding attempts at sexual coercion and other abuse from ex-Thorns midfielder Mana Shim.
The move comes one day after Thorns and U.S. women’s national team captain Becky Sauerbrunn called for the dismissal of “every owner and executive and U.S. Soccer official who has repeatedly failed the players and failed to protect the players,” including those in Portland. Tuesday also saw Arnim Whisler, the owner of the Chicago Red Stars, relinquish operational control due to his own involvement in the investigation.
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