Former Portland Timbers midfielder Andy Polo's contract was paid in full upon his dismissal from the team last month following allegations of domestic violence, according to an executive with his new Peruvian club.
Polo's estranged wife made the abuse allegations on Peruvian television last month. It was later revealed that sheriff's deputies were called to the couple's home last May. Polo was cited but ultimately never charged in the case, and he denies Genessis Alarcon's claims.
An executive with Polo's new club team, Peru's Universitario Deportes, said this week that Major League Soccer paid the full amount owed to him under his contract for the guarantee not to sue the league. Polo had signed a contract extension with the Timbers in December.
"When the club and MLS, due to the intervention of Andy's lawyers in the United States, when MLS realizes that Andy hasn't committed any act of criminal nature, they ask Andy Polo to sign a document declaring an harmonious end to the relationship. Andy gets paid in full, and MLS asks not to sue them," said Giancarlo Mandriotti, legal director of Universitario.
Universitario said Polo is working out with the team but won't play until he resolves his family issues. He has been given 15 days. He signed with the team earlier this week.
In response to Mandriotti's comments, MLS released a statement that said the league's priorities in the case were to separate Polo from the club and to conduct a thorough investigation into the Timbers' handling of the matter.
"Following the player's termination, the MLS Players Association filed a grievance challenging the termination of Mr. Polo's contract," the statement said. "The league determined that settling the grievance and focusing on the league's investigation was appropriate. Any other comment will be reserved until the issuance of MLS' investigative report which will be released soon."
A Washington County Sheriff's Department incident report said deputies were called to the Polo home in May 2021 and Polo was cited for misdemeanor harassment for allegedly grabbing Alarcon by the wrist. The report said that two representatives from the Timbers arrived while deputies were there.
Alarcon filed a lawsuit against Polo in federal court earlier this month, and separately alleged that Timbers staff visited her again in the weeks after the incident and pressured her to not pursue criminal charges against Polo. The Timbers denied those allegations.
ESPN reporter Jeff Carlisle tweeted on Thursday that the Timbers' insurance company had hired the law firm Schulte, Anderson, Downes, Aronson & Bittner P.C. to represent the Timbers' owner, Peregrine Sports LLC, in the Alarcon vs. Polo lawsuit.
