Soccer star’s husband fired for giving players painkillers

By RONALD BLUM
AP Sports Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — An outside investigation has found that the husband of U.S. women’s team defender Crystal Dunn illegally distributed a controlled substance to Portland Thorns players in his role as the team’s athletic trainer. The National Women’s Soccer League announced the findings Tuesday. The trainer, Pierre Soubrier, was fired along with Thorns assistant coach Sophie Clough. The NWSL said Thorns team physician Dr. Breanne Brown reported in November that Soubrier had given players a medication containing codeine the previous month without a prescription. The league also said former Washington Spirit coach Kris Ward engaged in “negative racial stereotyping toward a player.”