NEW YORK—The Portland Thorns have fired their athletic trainer after an outside investigation found he illegally distributed a controlled substance to players, the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) said Tuesday.
The NWSL, beset in recent years by abuse and misconduct allegations, announced that the trainer, Pierre Soubrier, was fired along with Thorns assistant coach Sophie Clough. Soubrier is married to U.S. women’s team defender Crystal Dunn. The league said Clough made unwanted contact with a player.
Washington Spirit head coach Kris Ward (C) stands pitch side during the second half of the NWSL Championship soccer match against the Chicago Red Stars in Louisville, Ky., on Nov. 20, 2021. (Jeff Dean/AP Photo)
The league also said abuse allegations against former Washington Spirit coach Kris Ward were substantiated and he is ineligible to work in the NWSL without the commissioner’s approval. An investigation concluded Ward engaged in “negative racial stereotyping toward a player.”…