Portland Thorns’ owner Merritt Paulson is speaking out on Twitter, addressing former General Manager Gavin Wilkinson’s presence in the Portland Timbers organization.

Fans have criticized Wilkinson’s affiliation with the Timbers after the former General Manager was placed on administrative leave following an investigation into the Thorns’ handling of Paul Riley’s departure from the team in 2015.

The club has since named Karina LeBlanc as the Thorns’ next General Manager, replacing Wilkinson, whose continued role with the MLS-side Timbers has yet to be addressed.

Responding to a Twitter user’s Tweet saying they had “opted out” of their Timbers playoff tickets because Wilkinson “is still there,” Paulson said, “with some people truth & facts & due process do not matter.”

The Thorns owner added, “For us, and for me, truth and facts do matter…and they always have mattered. Trying to do the right thing also matters. We have always done that and will always do that.”

On twitter and with some people truth & facts & due process do not matter. So you do whats best for you.

For us, and for me, truth and facts do matter…and they always have mattered. Trying to do the right thing also matters. We have always done that and will always do that.

— Merritt Paulson (@MerrittPaulson) November 12, 2021

Soccer writer and host of the Diaspora United Podcast André Carlisle pushed back on Paulson’s use of the term “always,” pointing to the Thorns owner’s open letter published in October, which conceded that the club could have done more in reference to Mana Shim’s reports of abuse against coach Riley.

In the letter, Paulson apologized for making an “opaque announcement” about Riley’s departure in 2015, “as opposed to explicitly announcing his termination.”

Paulson cryptically replied to Carlisle on Twitter, writing, “Wait for info to come and then make your own conclusions.”

Wait for info to come and then make your own conclusions. Nothing i said here is counter to that statement

— Merritt Paulson (@MerrittPaulson) November 12, 2021

Paulson isn’t the only Thorns official to coming to the apparent defense of Wilkinson on social media. Portland Thorns goalkeeper coach Nadine Angerer previously made headlines when she took to Twitter to send her support to the former General Manager.

Angerer wrote, “I can only speak for myself, but since my arrival in Portland, I have felt fully supported by Gavin and the Thorns.”

The public defense of Wilkinson hasn’t quieted fans’ demands for more transparency and accountability, echoing some player demands from early October, when NWSL sources told Just Women’s Sports that many athletes in the league wanted Wilkinson fired, with some anonymously suggesting that Paulson should sell the team.

The LPGA is hitting the green in teams on Wednesday night, as some of the top golfers on Tour link up to represent their countries at the 2025 International Crown in South Korea.

This fifth edition of the match-play tournament will see seven teams from the USA, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Sweden, and China, as well as a mixed World Team taking on the reigning champion squad out of Thailand this week.

Comprised of the four top-ranked LPGA players from each nation, countries earn a team spot in the biennial International Crown based on the combined rankings of their best quartet of golfers — with those overall aggregates also determining tournament seeding.

The US topped all teams to snag this year's No. 1 seed, though the squad suffered a significant availability blow earlier this month when world No. 2 Nelly Korda withdrew from the 2025 International Crown due to injury.

No. 28 Yealimi Noh will compete in Korda's place, with the 24-year-old joining No. 10 Angel Yin, No. 16 Lauren Coughlin, and No. 33 Lilia Vu on Team USA.

Led by another 24-year-old, LPGA Tour debutant No. 6 Miyu Yamashita, No. 2 seed Japan appears to be the team to beat, with the World Team's fourth-ranked Lydia Ko (New Zeland) and fifth-ranked Charley Hull (England) upping the stakes for the No. 7 seed squad.

How to watch the 2025 International Crown

The four-day 2025 International Crown will tee off at 10 PM ET on Wednesday night, with live coverage of each day of competition airing on the Golf Channel.

With the first-ever eight-team PWHL season fast approaching next month, the pro women’s hockey league unveiled the inaugural jerseys for incoming 2025/26 expansion sides Seattle and Vancouver on Tuesday.

The new teams will wear jerseys displaying their city names across the front, following suit after the six founding PWHL franchises debuted without original names or branding during their inaugural 2023/24 campaign.

Per this week's press release, Seattle's colors are "deep slate green and cream with a river blue accent," while Vancouver will sport "pacific blue and cream with an earthy bronze accent."

In addition to "allowing fans to immediately identify with their hometown's newest professional team," PWHL EVP of business operations Amy Scheer explained in a Tuesday statement that "These designs also connect our expansion teams to the league's foundation while they continue building their own traditions and ties to the community."

While the PWHL will reveal the full team identities — complete with names and logos — before the puck drops on the 2025/26 season on November 21st, Seattle and Vancouver will play in their generic branding until next season.

How to purchase PWHL Seattle and Vancouver jerseys

The dark-colored replica home jerseys for both Seattle and Vancouver are currently available for purchase alongside all PWHL merch at the league's online shop.

Women's professional baseball will soon be a reality, with the incoming WPBL announcing its four inaugural teams on Tuesday ahead of the league's November draft.

Kicking off with a coast-to-coast imprint, major sports hubs Boston, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco will house the founding WPBL teams, with the quartet of cities tapped "because of their fan support, market size, media presence, and rich baseball histories."

"We are so excited to finally announce the WPBL's first four teams," WPBL co-founder Justine Siegal said in the league's Tuesday press release. "Each of these cities are storied sports cities and we can't wait to connect with the fans who live there and baseball fans across the country."

Originally developed as a six-team venture, the 2026 debut of the WPBL will mark the first pro women's league in the US since the legendary World War II-era All-American Girls Professional Baseball League folded in 1954.

Each of the four inaugural team will feature 15 players, with next month's WPBL draft drawing from the top 100 players coming out of August's open tryouts.

The league's first competitive cycle will include a regular season, a postseason, and an all-star competition held at a neutral venue.

Adam Silver is back in the headlines, with the NBA commissioner speaking out on the increasingly fraught WNBA CBA negotiations on Tuesday — and pushing for controlled salary increases rather than the revenue sharing model that players overwhelmingly want.

"I think [revenue] share isn't the right way to look at it because there's so much more revenue in the NBA," Silver told the Today Show. "I think you should look at absolute numbers. In terms of what they are making, they are going to get a big increase in this cycle of collective bargaining, and they deserve it."

In response, the WNBPA posted a clip of Silver's interview to Instagram Stories, captioning it with "Don't want to share, @adamsilvernba?"

Tuesday's back-and-forth emphasizes a significant wedge issue within the CBA talks, as WNBA players argue for a salary cap determined by the total revenue generated from all basketball-related activities like ticket sales, media deals, sponsorships, and merchandise — the same model currently used in the NBA.

The WNBA — like Silver — wants salary cap growth to continue on a fixed scale, raising player salaries in the upcoming CBA while controlling revenue distribution at the stakeholder level.

"I think we all agree we're trying to return every dollar we possibly can to the players, but we also want to incentivize investment from owners," WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said when addressing the issue earlier this month.

With less than 10 days remaining before the CBA's October 31st deadline, differences continue to outweigh common ground en route to an unlikely deal.