Owner to sell Thorns

Portland Thorns FC owner Merritt Paulson said his company, Peregrine Sports, plans to sell the National Women’s Soccer League club following an investigation into allegations of sexual abuse, led by former U.S. Attorney Sally Yates, that revealed the organization did not cooperate with the investigation and that senior team officials failed to act on other alleged abuses going back nearly a decade.

“The past year has been a challenging one for our Club and our players. I regret the role our organization played in the failures identified by the investigations,” Paulson said in a statement.

“Despite these challenges, the Portland Thorns have a bright future ahead and a lot left to accomplish.

“To fully realize that potential, I believe it is in best interest of the Thorns to have a new owner so that the Club can operate at the league level with a fresh voice to be a driving force for the NWSL.”

The Thorns defeated the Kansas City Current 2-0 on Oct. 29 to win their third NWSL championship.

Paulson, who still owns the Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer, said he is a pledging $1 million to create a NWSL Player Safety Office.