PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The Portland Timbers did not inform Major League Soccer officials of the 2021 domestic violence allegations against midfielder Andy Polo until news broke publicly in early February, according to a report published Friday from the Athletic.
On Feb. 9, the Timbers announced Polo’s suspension, and one day later, the team terminated his contract, citing the allegations of domestic violence against his partner. Polo was banned from all team activities while MLS conducted the investigation.
On Feb. 10, the Timbers revealed Polo had been previously cited for harassment after Washington County deputies responded to a dispute between him and his partner May 23.
In the Feb. 10 press release, the club said the Timbers were previously aware of that dispute.
“That citation was not subsequently pursued by the victim or the prosecutor’s office,” the team said in the press release. “We deeply regret not suspending Polo immediately, especially considering the troubling new details of abuse that surfaced this week. It was a failure on our part, and one that will never happen again.”
Now, the Athletic reports that an unnamed source told them the Timbers didn’t report the allegations against Polo until they became public.
The MLS released the following statement Friday morning:
“Following the allegations made last week against Andy Polo, Major League Soccer promptly launched a review into the decisions that the Portland Timbers made in response to the charges brought against the player last May. The Timbers are committed to this review and have pledged their full cooperation.”
The league told KOIN 6 it has hired an outside law firm to look into it.
According to the Athletic’s report, an MLS spokesperson said the Timbers’ notification to the league of the incident last May is a “subject of the review” it is conducting on the matter.
This is a developing story.