That belief and trust could be shaken by allegations that the Thorns ignored complaints of sexual and verbal abuse against Riley, covered for his behavior despite his firing, and encouraged his transfer to new teams, and then worked to thwart Yates’ investigators.
On Wednesday, Garber said he supports the report’s investigation and recommendations and that its findings “have made it clear that there are elements of the football system that are broken and in urgent need of repair”.
He added that he has been in contact with Paulson and supports the steps he has taken, including his withdrawal from Thorn’s operations and the firing of two executives. “I believe these are appropriate first steps for your organization, your community and the sport of football,” Garber said.
For a year now, Thorns fans have been torn about how to walk the line between supporting players on a team run by people who they believe are failing them, with some still on Participate in games, but boycott merchandise and concession stands, and others just won’t go.
“A lot of friends and fellow volunteers stopped attending games a long time ago,” said Rachel Greenough, 39, who is a member of the Rose City Riveters, a Thorns support group that has called for Paulson’s sale. “They felt like they couldn’t be in that stadium because it felt like an emotional burden that they didn’t want to take on or because they didn’t want to give money to the organization. I completely understand that.”
The team’s inaction on player complaints about Riley and the steps several Thorns executives – including Paulson – have taken to help him find another NWSL job cannot be attributed to ignorance. As the report makes clear, the team knew everything.
In fact, the Thorns fired Riley after the 2015 season, days after a player, Meleana Shim, filed a formal complaint with the team that Riley had sexually harassed her, presided over a toxic workplace, and forced her and another player to kiss in front of them by him.