Genessis Alarcon, the estranged wife of Andy Polo, has said that around two weeks after police were called to their home due to an alleged incident of domestic violence, two representatives from the Portland Timbers attempted to dissuade her from pursuing charges against their player.
Speaking to ESPN on a Zoom call, Alarcon indicated that the Timbers' head of security, Jim McCausland, a former Portland Police Bureau detective, and an unnamed female attorney visited her at the home she shared with Polo on or around June 6. Alarcon said that the Timbers representatives assured her that they would make sure that she and her two children would be housed and fed, but that it was understood that this would be done in exchange for her not pursuing a criminal case against Polo.
"They were going to help me, and make sure me and my kids didn't get left on the street," Alarcon said with the help of an interpreter. "They were going to make sure that Andy was going to be responsible for me and my kids but it never happened. I was told this would be in exchange for not pressing charges."
Alarcon later added through her attorney, Michael Fuller, that she didn't intend to press charges anyway -- though the Timbers didn't know that at the time -- because she "didn't want to negatively impact the children."
When asked for comment, the Timbers told ESPN: "While the Timbers offered support to Mr. Polo, Ms. Alarcon and their children during a difficult time, there was never any suggestion -- expressly or implicitly -- that the support was offered in exchange for consideration by Ms. Alarcon. The Timbers would never condone or participate in such conduct."
The allegation comes on the same day that Alarcon was interviewed by a law firm MLS has retained to investigate the Timbers' handling of the domestic violence incident.
According to an incident report obtained by ESPN from the Washington County Sheriff's Department, on May 23, 2021, Polo was "issued a citation in lieu of arrest for harassment after grabbing onto [Alarcon's] wrist." The citation is classified as a B misdemeanor. Charges were not filed against Polo.
The Timbers later picked up the option on Polo's contract in December, retaining him for another year.
In February, Polo was initially suspended by the Timbers after Alarcon first made the allegations of abuse public on a television show in her native Peru. His contract was later terminated by the Timbers, who didn't report the May 23 incident to MLS headquarters, as is customary.
Reports out of Peru indicate that Polo has signed with Lima-based side Club Universitario de Deportes, where he made his professional debut as a 16-year-old.
Alarcon has since filed a domestic violence lawsuit in U.S. District Court against Polo. The suit makes claims of assault, battery and negligence, and seeks "fair compensation for noneconomic damages in an amount determined by the jury to be reasonable, and taxable costs." Alarcon's lawyer, Michael Fuller, told ESPN that Polo had been served notice of the lawsuit on March 9 in Portland.
In the aforementioned police report, Alarcon indicated that she and Polo had been separated for the last three years but living under the same roof. On May 23, a friend of Alarcon's called police stating that her friend's husband was hitting her. Two deputies arrived and separately began interviewing Polo and Alarcon. When the police arrived, the report says that Alarcon "seemed to be frantic, scared and stressed" and that the children looked frightened.
The report adds, "Genesis said Andy and she had been arguing for the past two days. she told me today she was home in the kitchen cleaning when Andy came home. She said Andy wanted to take her cellphone back because he wanted to take back everything he has ever given her. She told him she did not have it. She said during the argument Andy reached out and grabbed her right wrist and scratched it. She showed me the underside of her right wrist and I saw what appeared to be a light red abrasion."
The police report goes on to detail that two Timbers employees, Gabriel Jaimes, manager of players affairs and professional development, and McCausland later arrived at the residence.
The report says: "[McCausland] told me he would make sure that peace would be maintained inside the house. He said if he needed to move Andy or Genesis out of the home to maintain safety and security, he would take care of it. He assured me no further incidents would take place."
Neither Alarcon nor the Timbers followed up on the citation. In a statement following the termination of Polo's contract, the Timbers said, "We deeply regret not suspending Polo immediately, especially considering the troubling new details of abuse that surfaced ... It was a failure on our part, and one that will never happen again."
In a statement given to reporter Nick Negrini, Polo denied Alarcon's allegations.
"The allegations are without basis and are part of a strategy from the mother of my children to take 60% of my earnings as a soccer player in the U.S.," he said. "It's important to reiterate that the television show did not try to contact me to, at the very least, corroborate the facts by asking me about my version, irreparably affecting my image and name."
Alarcon's statement is the latest accusation to be levied against the Timbers organization for hushing up alleged off-field transgressions. The Timbers ownership group also owns the NWSL's Portland Thorns, and last October, a report from The Athletic alleged that former manager Paul Riley engaged in the sexual coercion of two Thorns players in 2015. An investigation by the Thorns in 2015 resulted in Riley's dismissal, but, rather than make the findings public, Riley was allowed to leave quietly following the 2015 season and gain employment with the NWSL's North Carolina Courage.
The Thorns' handling of the allegations against Riley has prompted two separate investigations, one conducted by former acting attorney general Sally Yates on behalf of the U.S. Soccer Federation and one joint investigation between the National Women's Soccer League and the NWSL Players Association.
The incident with Polo was kept quiet until Alarcon went public with her allegations last month. MLS commissioner Don Garber has since said he has full faith in the leadership of the Portland Timbers, even as the club is the subject of three ongoing investigations for its handling of allegations of abuse.