Portland Timbers, Andy Polo case: Audio release alleges club pressure on Genessis Alarcon not to press charges

The scandal over the Portland Timbers' handling of the domestic violence incident involving former player Andy Polo has taken another turn.

Michael Fuller, the attorney for Polo's estranged wife, Genessis Alarcon, released an audio recording Thursday night which he claims has a Timbers' representative attempting to convince Alarcon not to press charges against Polo.

According to a report 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.

In an exclusive interview with ESPN, Alarcon said that around two weeks later, Jim McCausland, the Timbers head of security, and an unidentified female representative from the Timbers visited Alarcon at the home she shared with Polo to discuss the case. In the recording, which Fuller posted on Twitter, a female voice is speaking to a person believed to be Alarcon.

The person, with the help of a translator, explains what the process will be in terms of the charges made against Polo. After explaining that it will be up to Alarcon as to whether she will press charges or not, the purported Timbers representative said: «Of course, we're hoping you say no you do not [want to press charges].»

In another recorded excerpt, obtained by ESPN, the purported Timbers representative told Alarcon that she would have to testify in front of a judge or jury at a trial that could last as long as two days. Nowhere in the excerpt does it mention the possibility that Polo could enter a plea and avoid a trial.

The release of the recording comes one day after Alarcon was interviewed by a law firm Major League Soccer has retained to investigate the