Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Hope Solo of U.S. Soccer Team Suspended for Remarks. She Cries Double Standard.

Hope Solo of U.S. Soccer Team Suspended for Remarks. She Cries Double Standard.

[DIGEST: Sports Illustrated, CBC Sports]

The United States Soccer Federation has suspended U.S. women’s national team goalkeeper Hope Solo for six months and terminated her contract for comments she made about Sweden’s national team during Rio’s Olympics. Solo made headlines earlier this month after she called the Swedes “a bunch of cowards” for focusing on defense in a match against the three-time defending champion U.S. team after the Swedes beat the U.S. 4-3 on penalties following a 1-1 draw in the quarter-finals of the 2016 Olympic tournament.


U.S. Soccer said Solo’s behavior was “counter to the organization’s principles” and that her suspension will take effect immediately. U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati called Solo’s comments “unacceptable,” a violation of the Olympics’ core values of “fair play and respect.”

Solo, who will not be eligible for selection to the national team until February, said she was “saddened” by the decision. "I could not be the player I am without being the person I am, even when I haven’t made the best choices or said the right things," she wrote in a statement posted to her Facebook page. "My entire career, I have only wanted the best for this team, for the players and the women’s game and I will continue to pursue these causes with the same unrelenting passion with which I play the game."

However, U.S. women's national team player representative Rich Nichols questioned whether U.S. Soccer would have taken similar action against “a male player or coach, who, in the heated moments after a frustrating defeat, questioned the tactics of the opposing team.” Nichols indicated USWNT would “file an appeal on Solo’s behalf,” and referred to the move as “excessive, unprecedented,

disproportionate and a violation of Ms. Solo’s First Amendment rights.”

This is not the first time Solo has courted controversy, nor is this her first suspension from the women’s national team. U.S. Soccer issued a 30-day suspension last year after she and her husband, Jerramy Stevens, were stopped in a van Stevens was driving by Los Angeles police. Authorities charged Stevens with DUI. He pleaded no contest to the charge and received a 30-day jail sentence.

SoloCredit: Source.

At the 2007 World Cup, U.S. coach Greg Ryan benched her for the semifinal against Brazil (previously, Solo had started every game). Solo condemned Ryan’s decision publicly after the U.S. lost 4-0, and her teammates shunned her in response. After the disappointing match, U.S. Soccer fired Ryan even though it was the only the team’s second defeat during his two and a half years of leadership. U.S. Soccer welcomed Solo back to the team under coach Pia Sundhage, and Solo won a gold medal in Beijing the following year.

Coincidentally, Sundhage now coaches Sweden’s national team: the same team Solo so openly disparaged. When asked for a response to Solo’s remarks, Sundage said: “It’s okay to be a coward if you win.”

More from News

Country Singer Gavin Adcock went on a drunken rant over Beyonce's "Cowboy Carter" success.
Danielle Del Valle/Getty Images; Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

Country singer rants over Beyoncé album

Country singer Gavin Adcock became the title of his next album, “Own Worst Enemy,” after going on an unhinged rant about the legitimacy of Beyoncé's Grammy-winning and record-breaking Cowboy Carter in the country music genre.

Adcock, whose upcoming album is set for release next month, was filmed during a live performance last weekend, complaining that Beyoncé and her album are not “country music.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Dionne Warwick; Tiny Chef
Astrida Valigorsky/Getty Images; @ToonHive/X

Dionne Warwick Is Ready To Go To War With Nickelodeon Over 'Tiny Chef' Cancellation

You know your campaign against a show's cancellation is achieving widespread attention when you get people like venerated singer Dionne Warwick advocating for you.

Nickelodeon's The Tiny Chef Show was recently cancelled, much to the dismay of its viewers and creators. It was also a genuinely surprising decision, since the show has won an Emmy.

Keep ReadingShow less
Woman relaxing in sunhat and sunglasses
Photo by Jordan Bauer on Unsplash

People Explain Which 'Small Luxuries' They Can't Live Without

Many of us have committed to being fairly financially frugal and not overspending on silly, unnecessary things.

That is to say, sometimes, it's fun to splurge on something one time to see what it's like to experience that small luxury.

Keep ReadingShow less
two women in emotional distress seated on couch
Ben White on Unsplash

People Who've Experienced Grief Share The Most Tone-Deaf Things They've Heard

Grief, loss, trauma are all part of life. But for most people, the emotions and reactions that go with them are difficult to witness.

So they rely on platitudes to fill any holes in conversation. That's rarely a good idea.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Mehmet Eser/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Trump Demands 'Boss Of AT&T' Fix Equipment After Failed Conference Call In Bizarre Meltdown

When most of us have technical difficulties, we contact tech support or customer service.

But if you're President of the United States, just ranting on social media—then having your White House Press Secretary post a screenshot of your post on a social media platform people actually use—is apparently the answer.

Keep ReadingShow less