Merritt Paulson, owner of the Portland Thorns and Timbers, announced Thursday that he will sell the women’s soccer team but maintain ownership of the men’s team. Fans have been calling for Paulson to sell both teams — even before a recent report outlining the Portland club’s role in systemic abuse and misconduct in the national women’s soccer league. Paulson said that he would donate $1 million to create a Player Safety Department in the NWSL. Although head coach Rhian Wilkinson was cleared of potential wrongdoing in the report, on Friday she announced her resignation after self-disclosing that she and another player had expressed feelings for each other. Ryan Clarke is the Timbers and Thorns correspondent for The Oregonian/Oregonlive and hosts the “Soccer Made in Portland” podcast. He joins us to discuss this week’s Thorns news, what’s at stake and what comes next.
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