Bay FC blasts Quakes' hiring of Wilkinson after 2022 Yates report firing

NWSL side Bay FC has criticized the San Jose Earthquakes' hiring of Gavin Wilkinson as a consultant, telling ESPN in a statement that "the actions and history associated with Wilkinson's time in professional soccer are inconsistent with the standards we hold for those entrusted to lead in our sport."

At issue is Wilkinson's tenure as president of soccer operations for the Portland Thorns FC and Portland Timbers.

Wilkinson, 52, was fired in 2022 from his position at both clubs following the release of the Yates Report which detailed systemic verbal, emotional and sexual abuse by multiple NWSL managers.

While Wilkinson wasn't sanctioned as a result of the report's findings, he was found to have provided former Thorns manager Paul Riley -- who the report said had engaged in sexual coercion of Thorns players Mana Shim and Sinead Farrelly -- with a positive job reference to the Western New York Flash in 2016. Riley was subsequently hired for that post.

Wilkinson was also involved in the controversy regarding an allegation of domestic violence in May of 2021 against then-Timber midfielder Andy Polo by Génessis Alarcon, the mother of Polo's children.

Wilkinson and the Timbers failed to report the case to MLS, as stipulated by league rules. A league investigation concluded that Wilkinson and the Timbers weren't aware of the requirement to report the incident, but the club was still fined $25,000.

While there is no organizational overlap between the Earthquakes and Bay FC, the two teams do share facilities, including PayPal Park.

In light of Wilkinson's history and subsequent hiring by the Quakes, Bay FC provided the following statement to ESPN: "As an organization committed to building a safe, inclusive, and respectful environment, we believe the actions and history associated with Wilkinson's time in professional soccer are inconsistent with the standards we hold for those entrusted to lead in our sport.

"We stand with the players, survivors and advocates who have worked tirelessly to make soccer a safer and more inclusive place, and we will continue to put the safety, dignity, and well-being of our players and our community first."

ESPN was the first to report Wilkinson's hiring, with the Quakes saying in a statement, "Gavin is a consultant on roster management until the end of the year. We plan to do a GM search to support Bruce Arena after the season."

The Quakes have been attempting to fill a gap in the front office since the passing of Head Sporting Strategist Vassili Cremanzidis back in February following a battle with cancer. Wilkinson is expected to handle some of the responsibilities that Cremanzidis had.

At a news conference following Saturday's 3-1 defeat to St. Louis City, ESPN asked Arena about the hiring, but he said, "I don't have a comment on that. You can talk to our team president."

The Quakes' president, Jared Shawlee, was not made available for a subsequent interview, though sporting matters, such as the hiring of a consultant on roster management, fall under Arena's purview, and aren't the responsibility of Shawlee.

Multiple sources have since confirmed that earlier this year, prior to his employment with the Quakes, Wilkinson did consulting work for the MLS league office on a "competition project."

One source with knowledge of the hire said that Wilkinson "participated in a restorative accountability process" that was reviewed by the league, and he was deemed "suitable to work as a consultant for MLS."

The process was overseen by MLS EVP Chief Engagement Officer Sola Winley. It was on this basis of restorative accountability that the Quakes' moved forward with its hiring of Wilkinson.

Wilkinson's hiring has also drawn the ire of some segments of San Jose's fanbase. At Saturday's match, a banner with the words "GW Out" was unfurled at the open end of PayPal Park, home to a trio of supporters groups that all under the Seismic Union umbrella.

Crystal Cuadra-Cutler, the president of the Faultline supporters group that is part of the Seismic Union, told ESPN that the Faultline displayed the banner with the other groups' support.

"Hiring Gavin Wilkinson to the Earthquakes organization does not align with the values of our community," Cuadra-Cutler said. "There is no leniency here. Either we stand by our values or we don't. And we know what Gavin has done. We know his history. There's not an instance that says that this is okay, that we can just sweep it under the rug."

When asked to elaborate on the organization's values, Cuadra-Cutler said, "Well, protecting women. That's the big thing. That's a through line through both teams that he was with, with the things that happened with the Yates report, and then Sinead and Mana with the Thorns. And then of course with what happened with Andy Polo on the men's side.

"And just the complacency there with it. And being in a place of power, rather than taking action for the greater good and for the community that they represent, he instead chose to become a partner in that, unfortunately."