Thorns coach resigns after players ask her to step down

By ANNE M. PETERSON
AP Sports Writer

Portland Thorns coach Rhian Wilkinson has resigned just five weeks after she led the team to the National Women’s Soccer League championship. Wilkinson issued a statement on Friday saying players asked for her resignation and she complied. Wilkinson says she was investigated and cleared of wrongdoing by the NWSL and its players union after Wilkinson self-reported that she and a player had developed feelings for one another but had never acted upon them. She says she and the player eventually “stopped all communication outside of work.”