Canadian Rhian Wilkinson resigns as coach of NWSL's Thorns after being cleared of misconduct

Canadian Rhian Wilkinson announced she was stepping down as head coach of the NWSL champion Portland Thorns on Friday.

Wilkinson was recently cleared of misconduct following a league investigation into a relationship with one of her players.

However, the Baie D'Urfe, Que., native said in a statement posted to Twitter that the players still asked her to step down, and she agreed. Wilkinson added that players found out about the investigation before she could tell them, and that "the narrative regarding my actions has now taken on a life of its own.

"The investigative process and player and staff willingness to use human resources and league reporting is critically important," Wilkinson said. "If the women's game is to avoid further power imbalances and player abuses, these systems must be used and there must be trust in the process and its results."

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Wilkinson, 40, said she self-reported to human resources less than a week after "an expression of feelings" over text messages with the player, Emily Menges, who chose to be identified to avoid speculation.

"If there's no imbalance of power, which there isn't, then I do want to put my name on this as like, 'No, this is a very equal situation.' I want people to understand that," Menges, of Garden City, N.Y., told The Athletic.

Wilkinson said they stopped interacting outside of work "immediately," and that the relationship went no further than the texts. 

She said the league "completely exonerated [her] of any wrongdoing." NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman said there was full cooperation from both the team and Wilkinson.

Reports of abuse in the NWSL last season resulted in the resignation of half of the league's