Timbers sponsor KeyBank will “redirect its sponsorship" to the NWSL Portland Thorns starting next year, according to Ryan Clarke of the Portland OREGONIAN. The decision comes in the wake of a U.S. soccer investigation that revealed “damning findings against the club" which "led to the firings of executives Gavin Wilkinson and Mike Golub, and owner Merritt Paulson stepping down as CEO of both teams." KeyBank, one of the "largest sponsors" of the Timbers, is one of "several sponsors to make statements and change direction in their sponsorship in the wake of the Yates report" (Portland OREGONIAN, 10/17). JUST WOMEN’S SPORTS’ Emma Hruby noted in the fallout of the report, multiple sponsors have “threatened to remove dollars" from the Thorns, while others, such as Alaska Airlines, have “redirected sponsorship dollars to the NWSLPA fund.” Meanwhile, Thorns F Sophia Smith yesterday said that the organization “appears to be moving in the right direction” and staff has “been listening to the players" (JUST WOMEN’S SPORTS, 10/15).
