NEW YORK – The Portland Thorns have fired their athletic coach after an outside investigation found he had illegally distributed a controlled substance to players, the National Women’s Soccer League said on Tuesday.
The NWSL, which has been plagued by allegations of abuse and misconduct in recent years, announced that coach Pierre Soubrier has been fired along with Thorn’s assistant coach Sophie Clough. Soubrier is married to US women’s defenseman Crystal Dunn. The league said Clough made unwanted contact with a player.
The league also said abuse allegations against former Washington Spirit coach Kris Ward have been substantiated and he is not eligible to work in the NWSL without the commissioner’s approval. An investigation found that Ward was involved in “negative racial stereotyping towards a player”.
Thorn’s team doctor Dr. Breanne Brown reported in November that Soubrier had given players a drug containing codeine without a prescription for the previous month.
Thorns manager Rhian Wilkinson resigned last month after leading the team to the NWSL title and Owner Merritt Paulson put the team up for sale. Wilkinson said she was investigated and cleared of wrongdoing by the NWSL and its players’ union after she herself reported that she and a player had developed feelings for each other but never acted upon it.
An investigation by former Attorney General Sally Q. Yates found in October that the abuse in the league was systemic and a Report from the league and its union last month widespread misconduct identified.
Soubrier, 35, was born in France, played college football at Quinnipiac in Connecticut and was hired by the Thorns in 2019. Dunn, a 2019 world champion who has 128 caps, met Soubrier when they were both in Washington. They married in December 2018. Dunn was not subpoenaed by the NWSL for wrongdoing.
When contacted by The Associated Press, Soubrier declined to comment on the league’s statement at the time.
He was placed on paid administrative leave on December 7, and the inquest found: “Soubrier was found to have repeatedly administered the controlled substance to players without a prescription and without medical supervision, in violation of federal and state laws and league policy . Also, Soubrier administered the drug to one of the players without her informed consent.”
Brown told an investigator that in one case, at the manager’s request, she gave Soubrier access to a controlled substance that he could give to a player if needed. Brown then became unwell and retrieved the substance.
Soubrier was suspended by the league without pay until the end of the 2023 season, and the NWSL said it will report him to the Oregon Board of Athletic Trainers and the Board of Certification. The league said the team has fired Soubrier and, subject to Oregon State decisions and requirements, he will be eligible for future NWSL employment provided he “acknowledges wrongdoing and accepts personal responsibility for his conduct and shows a genuine commitment to to correct his behavior.”
The league said Brown will be subject to increased oversight and reporting to the NWSL’s chief medical officer for three months and then be evaluated.
US Soccer Association President Cindy Parlow Cone referred a question on the matter to spokesman Neil Buethe, who said the organization declined to comment.
The league said it was reported by the Thorns in November that Clough “made a player uncomfortable by kissing her neck at the team’s championship celebration.” The NWSL said an unwanted contact that violated league policies was justified, but claims of bullying behavior were not substantiated and “Clough did not push the boundaries of proper coaching.”
Clough, 34, has been an assistant coach at Thorns since 2016. She was also suspended by the league without pay for the 2023 season and fired from the team.
Clough is eligible for another job in the league if she “attends training on discrimination, harassment and bullying, demonstrates a clear commitment to behavior correction and acknowledges wrongdoing, and accepts personal responsibility for inappropriate behavior.”
Ward, 43, coached Washington to the 2020 NWSL title and then was fired last August during a 15-game winning streak. The league said it was told by Spirit this month that players had raised “concerns about verbal abuse and emotional misconduct” from Ward during a training session. The league said the investigation found Ward “was involved in overly aggressive behavior and harassment through negative racial stereotypes towards a player.”
The NSWL said Ward needed the league commissioner’s approval to be eligible for future employment and “must attend mandatory training relating to discrimination, harassment, bullying and racial prejudice” and “acknowledge wrongdoing and take personal responsibility for inappropriate behavior.” take”.
Clough and Ward could not be contacted by the AP.
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