Sporting Kansas City has terminated the contract of sporting director Gavin Wilkinson just over a week after his appointment following significant fan backlash.
Wilkinson was implicated in multiple investigations while general manager and president of soccer at the Portland Timbers and Thorns over his role in shielding former Thorns coach Paul Riley, including withholding information about Riley’s alleged sexual harassment and helping him get rehired.
Sporting KC had announced last week that Wilkinson would take on the role of sporting director, with coach Peter Vermes saying: “People deserve a second chance, especially if they understand where they can improve and all those other things.”
However, the club reneged on that decision on Friday, with principal owner Michael Illig announcing the “mutually agreed” termination on the club’s website.
“In making this difficult decision, we want to first acknowledge the passion of our fans, our community of supporters, our partners and our stakeholders,” the statement said.
“Together, they comprise our deeply valued Sporting family. Our action today demonstrates our longstanding, unequivocal respect for their voices, and the belief that we are all stronger when we listen to one another.
“We ran a diligent and exhaustive process to identify our new Sporting Director. It was grounded in the deeply-held principles and standards we have adhered to since the day we acquired the team.
“That said, the impassioned response from our fans reinforced to us a fundamental philosophy that has driven us since day one: To honor and protect our valued relationships.
“It is in that spirit that we take this action today.”
Wilkinson, who was fired from Portland in 2022 amid the findings of the investigations, has not released comment on SKC’s decision.
