Merritt Paulson

Last updated
Merritt Paulson
Born
Henry Merritt Paulson III

1972or1973(age 51–52)
Education Hamilton College, New York (BA)
Harvard University (MBA)
SpouseHeather Mahar
Children2
Parent

Henry Merritt Paulson III (born 1972/1973 [1] ) is an American businessman who is the minority [2] owner of Peregrine Sports, LLC, which owns the operating rights to the Portland Timbers, a Major League Soccer (MLS) team. He and his company also founded and formerly owned Portland Thorns FC, a National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) team; both clubs are based in Portland, Oregon. [3]

Contents

Early life and education

Paulson's father is Henry Paulson, a banker who served as the 74th United States Secretary of the Treasury, and was formerly chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs. His mother is Wendy (née Judge) Paulson. In 1995, Paulson graduated from Hamilton College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. [4] He later earned a Masters of Business Administration from Harvard Business School. [5]

Career

Portland Beavers

Paulson (left) with Timbers GM Gavin Wilkinson in 2016 Merritt Paulson Portland Timbers vs RSL 2016-09-10 (29579510946).jpg
Paulson (left) with Timbers GM Gavin Wilkinson in 2016

In anticipation of acquiring sports franchises, Paulson formed Shortstop, LLC, which was organized as a Delaware entity. [5] In May 2007 Paulson's investment group, Shortstop, purchased the Portland Beavers and the Portland Timbers from California businessman Abe Alizadeh. [5] The purchase made Shortstop the Beavers' fourth owners since 2001. [6] Hank Paulson, Merritt Paulson's father, was a minority partner in the company. [5] The Portland Beavers played the 2007–2010 seasons under the ownership and management of Paulson's Shortstop organization.

In 2010, Paulson sold the Portland Beavers, to focus on soccer. Paulson and his advisors moved ahead with plans to remodel PGE Park. The stadium was remodeled into a soccer-and-football only configuration for the MLS's 2011 expansion Portland Timbers. That meant that there was no longer a stadium facility in Portland for the Beavers to play on the AAA baseball level.

Portland Timbers and Peregrine Sports LLC

Paulson established Peregrine Sports LLC. In 2009, the city of Portland and the Merritt Paulson-led Peregrine were awarded a Major League Soccer (MLS) expansion franchise for 2011, named the Portland Timbers. The Portland City Council approved a $31 million agreement to renovate PGE Park as a soccer- and football-specific stadium. [7] Naming rights were sold for the stadium. After cost overruns, the renovations totaling $40 million were complete. The former PGE Park became Jeld-Wen Field now known as Providence Park.

Paulson (right) with his daughter, and former Thorns FC player Allie Long in 2016 Merritt Paulson with Allie Long (29431155416).jpg
Paulson (right) with his daughter, and former Thorns FC player Allie Long in 2016

A new women's national soccer league was created for the 2013 season. Paulson was the only MLS team owner to decide to also support a women's team in their new league. That team was named the Portland Thorns FC, and featured US Women's National Soccer team players Tobin Heath, Meghan Klingenberg, Lindsey Horan, Adrianna Franch, and Canadian Women's National Soccer team player Christine Sinclair on the roster.

Role in the Paul Riley Abuse Scandal

In September 2021, two former Portland Thorns players went public with their accusations of sexual coercion against former Thorns coach Paul Riley revealing that this abuse was the reason that the Thorns fired Riley in 2015. [8] In October 2022, a report commissioned by the United States Soccer Federation detailed Paulson publicly thanking Riley and wishing him well at the time of his departure from the club. Paulson congratulated the Western New York Flash on hiring Riley in an email to club's President, stating "congrats on the Riley hire. I have a lot of affection for him.” [9] [10] When contacted by NC Courage leadership about hiring Riley, Paulson downplayed the abuse of Portland Thorns players saying it "basically was [a case of] ‘poor judgment'" and described difficulty managing the roster as the reason for Riley's departure from Portland. [9] [10]

On October 4, 2022, Paulson announced he, along with Gavin Wilkinson and team president Mike Golub, would step aside from all Thorns-related duties. Earlier that day, the Timbers Army and Rose City Riveters formally demanded the removal of Wilkinson and Golub and for Paulson to sell the teams due to the reports of abuse the club had allegedly covered up. [11] On October 5, Wilkinson and Golub were fired. [12]

Paulson stepped down as CEO of the teams on October 11, 2022. Though he effectively still owns the club, his general counsel, Heather Davis, serves as CEO. [13]

Paulson announced he was selling the Thorns on December 1, 2022. [14]

Personal life

Paulson is married to Heather Mahar, [15] who was a contestant on CBS's television program The Amazing Race 3 . [16] The couple has two daughters. [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Providence Park</span> Sports stadium in Portland, Oregon, United States

Providence Park is an outdoor soccer venue located in the Goose Hollow neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. It has existed in rudimentary form since 1893, and as a complete stadium since 1926. Providence Park is currently the oldest facility to be configured as a soccer-specific stadium for use by a MLS team, and is one of the most historic grounds used by any United States professional soccer team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timbers Army</span> Independent supporters group of Portland Timbers soccer club

The Timbers Army is an independent supporters group of Portland Timbers, a soccer club in Major League Soccer—the top tier of the United States soccer pyramid. Its members are known for their loud, enthusiastic support and the raucous atmosphere they create at Timbers games. Centered in section 107 of Providence Park in Portland, Oregon, the Army has grown steadily over the years to encompass much of the north end of the stadium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gavin Wilkinson</span> New Zealand footballer

Gavin Wilkinson is a former New Zealand footballer who served as general manager and President of Soccer for the Portland Timbers from 2009 to 2022.

Portland, Oregon, United States, is home to three major league sports teams — the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association, the Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer, and the Portland Thorns FC of the National Women's Soccer League. The city also hosts a wide variety of other sports and sporting events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portland Timbers</span> Soccer club in Portland, Oregon, United States

The Portland Timbers are an American professional men's soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The Timbers have played their home games at Providence Park since 2011, when the team began play as an expansion team in the league.

Portland Beavers Ballpark was a description of a new stadium in Portland, Oregon, or in an outlying city that was being planned for the Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League of Minor League Baseball. The ballpark idea was abandoned in October 2010, with no location ever determined for it; several locations were rejected due to public criticism.

The 2010 Portland Timbers season was the tenth and final season for the club in the USL Conference of the USSF Division-2 Professional League, the second tier of the United States soccer pyramid. The D-2 Pro League was a temporary professional soccer league created by the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) in 2010 to last just one season, as a compromise between the feuding United Soccer Leagues (USL) and the North American Soccer League (NASL). An expansion club retaining the Timbers name began play in Major League Soccer (MLS) in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portland Beavers</span> Minor league baseball team

The Portland Beavers was the name of separate minor league baseball teams, which represented Portland, Oregon, in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). The team was established in 1903, the first year of the PCL.

The history of the Portland Timbers stretches back to 1975, when the original Timbers club joined the North American Soccer League, to the present club that plays in Major League Soccer.

The 2005 Portland Timbers season was the 5th season for the Portland Timbers—the 3rd incarnation of a club to bear the Timbers name—of the now-defunct USL First Division, the second-tier league of the United States and Canada at the time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portland Thorns FC</span> Soccer team and National Womens Soccer League franchise in Portland, Oregon

The Portland Thorns FC is an American professional women's soccer team based in Portland, Oregon. Established in 2012, the team began play in 2013 in the then-eight-team National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), which received support from the United States Soccer Federation (USSF).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Carolina Courage</span> American professional womens soccer team in North Carolina

The North Carolina Courage is a professional women's soccer team based in Cary, North Carolina. It was founded on January 9, 2017, after Stephen Malik acquired National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) franchise rights from the Western New York Flash. The Courage plays its home games at the WakeMed Soccer Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rose City Riveters</span> Independent supporters group of Portland Thorns football club

The Rose City Riveters is the supporters' group of Portland Thorns FC, Portland's National Women's Soccer League club.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Malik</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dell Loy Hansen</span> American businessman and sports team owner

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The National Women's Soccer League has undergone many allegations and reports of sexual harassment, misconduct, manipulation, pressure to lose an unhealthy amount of weight, sexual, verbal and emotional abuse, racist and sexist remarks, and the list goes on. These allegations of crossing professional boundaries with players led to formal investigations on the NWSL and many of its teams and coaches. Former US attorney general Sally Yates wrote in her report regarding the investigation how "Abuse in the NWSL is rooted in a deeper culture in women's soccer, beginning in youth leagues, that normalizes verbally abusive coaching and blurs boundaries between coaches and players," The investigations ultimately concluded that multiple forms of emotional abuse and sexual misconduct were systematic in the sport and were not a one-time occurrence; they impacted many teams, coaches, and players. This led to public protests by players and as a result, multiple coaches have been reprimanded for their behavior. Five out of 10 head coaches in the 2021 season were fired or stepped down due to misconduct allegations. Some of the more significant allegations include Coaches Riley, Dames, Burke, and Holly, who all faced harsh punishments resulting in being completely banned from coaching as well as having involvement in activities pertaining to the NWSL.

The 2022 Portland Timbers season was the club's 36th season of existence and the 12th season for the Portland Timbers in Major League Soccer (MLS), the top-flight professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. The season covers the period from the end of the Timbers' last match in MLS Cup 2021 to the team's end of the season in October 2022.

The 2021 Portland Thorns FC season was the team's ninth season as a professional women's soccer team. Thorns FC plays in the National Women's Soccer League, the top tier of women's soccer in the United States.

The Yates Report, officially titled Report of the Independent Investigation to the U.S. Soccer Federation Concerning Allegations of Abusive Behavior and Sexual Misconduct in Women's Professional Soccer, is the official report documenting the findings and conclusions concerning abusive behavior and sexual misconduct in women's professional soccer, with a focus on the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). The 173-page report was publicly released by the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) on October 3, 2022. It is named for Sally Yates, the King & Spalding partner who led the investigation who had previously served as acting United States Attorney General.

References

  1. ↑ "Forty Under 40: Class of 2011: Merritt Paulson". Sports Business Journal . 2011-03-21. Retrieved 2020-12-15.
  2. ↑ "MLS commissioner Garber backs Portland Timbers' embattled leadership amid investigations". MLS.com. 2022-02-22. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
  3. ↑ Schmidt, Brad (November 1, 2010). "PGE Park renovation will include healthy rent payments to Merritt Paulson for sports clinic". The Oregonian . Retrieved April 27, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Owner & President - Merritt Paulson". Portland Timbers. Archived from the original on May 8, 2013. Retrieved April 27, 2013.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Giegerich, Andy (May 22, 2007). "New Beavers, Timbers owner wants local ties". Portland Business Journal .
  6. ↑ Murphy, Todd (March 18, 2008). "Merritt's system". Portland Tribune . Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2013.
  7. ↑ Mayer, James (February 3, 2010). "Portland City Council approves soccer deal for PGE Park". The Oregonian . Retrieved April 27, 2013.
  8. ↑ Linehan, Meg. "'This guy has a pattern': Amid institutional failure, former NWSL players accuse prominent coach of sexual coercion". The Athletic. Retrieved 2022-10-04.
  9. 1 2 "Read the Report on Abuse in Women's Soccer". The New York Times. 2022-10-03. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2022-10-04.
  10. 1 2 Yates, Sally Q. (October 3, 2022). "Report of the Independent Investigation to the U.S. Soccer Federation Concerning Allegations of Abusive Behavior and Sexual Misconduct in Women's Professional Soccer, OCTOBER 3, 2022" (PDF). kslaw.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-10-03. Retrieved 2022-10-05.
  11. ↑ Svilar, Sam (4 October 2022). "Thorns and Timbers owner & CEO Merritt Paulson, Gavin Wilkinson and Mike Golub to remove themselves from Thorns-related decisions". Stumptown Footy.
  12. ↑ "President of soccer Gavin Wilkinson and president of business Mike Golub relieved of their duties | PTFC".
  13. ↑ "Portland Timbers, Thorns owner Merritt Paulson steps down as CEO, takes responsibility for 'organization's failures and mistakes'". 11 October 2022.
  14. ↑ "The Portland Thorns will be sold, the latest fallout from scandals in women's soccer". NPR . 2022-12-01. Archived from the original on 2022-12-08.
  15. ↑ "Heather Mahar and Merritt Paulson". New York Times.
  16. ↑ "The Amazing Race Season 3: Where Are The Contestants Now?". Cinemaholic.
  17. ↑ "SBJ 2013 Forty Under 40". Sports Business Journal.
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