We know where this story goes next, having lived it for the past 16 months:
Solo will deny everything and say she, not her half-sister, and not her nephew, was the victim. U.S. Soccer will stand idly by, embarrassing itself all over again by taking no action against Solo at a time when cultural concern about domestic violence in sports has never been greater.
Solo was arrested in June 2014 and charged with two counts of misdemeanor domestic violence for attacking her then-17-year-old nephew and tackling him, then attacking her half-sister, Teresa Obert. Solo pleaded not guilty and the case was eventually dismissed on procedural grounds.
Now that the charges have been reinstated, it’s time for Solo and U.S. Soccer to handle things differently the second time around.
Solo, 34, should admit that violence did occur that night, and that she played a significant role in it. She should tell the truth and deal with the results. One would think that prosecutors would be willing to work with her on some kind of reduced charge that would involve counseling, restitution and perhaps community service.
At the same time, U.S. Soccer should throw the book at Solo, suspending her through the 2016 Rio Summer Olympic Games . For women’s soccer, the Olympics is a prestigious and important tournament, second only to the World Cup. It could be devastating for the U.S. team to not have Solo in goal next summer in Brazil.
Then again, does U.S. Soccer stand for anything these days other than winning? If federation officials, who should have suspended Solo more than a year ago, do not have the fortitude to finally handle this situation, the U.S. Olympic Committee should make it abundantly clear that a person charged with domestic violence has given up her privilege to be named an Olympian in 2016.
Listen to what Obert said the 5-9, 150-pound Solo did while in a drunken rage in June 2014.
“She grabbed (the nephew) by the head and she kept slamming him into the cement over and over again,” Obert told ESPN’s Outside the Lines. “So I came from behind her, and I pulled her over…to get her off my son. And then, once she got off, she started punching me in the face over and over again.”
Solo was celebrated as a hero all summer, with headlines and appearances and a ticker tape parade. Now, reality sets in. Perhaps this time around, U.S. Soccer officials will finally figure out how to do the right thing.
Hope Solo's domestic violence case reinstated by appeals court
Hope Solo, the record-setting goalkeeper for the World Cup champion U.S. women’s soccer team, will face domestic violence charges after a Washington state appeals court on Friday reversed a judge’s decision last winter to throw out the case.
Solo is alleged to have assaulted her sister Teresa Obert and Obert’s son, Solo’s nephew, then 17, and during a party in June 2014. Solo claimed to be the victim in the incident but after an investigation, Kirkland, Wash., prosecutors charged her with two counts of fourth-degree assault.
In January, Kirkland Municipal Court Judge Michael Lambo dismissed the charges on procedural grounds after prosecution witnesses refused multiple requests to be interviewed. But in an unusual move prosecutors challenged that decision and an appeals court reinstated the charges without comment.
No trial date has been set for the case.
“We are shocked and disappointed by the judge's ruling,” Solo’s attorney Todd Maybrown said in a statement. “However, we maintain our position that the charges in this case should have never been filed, that the original trial court's dismissal of the case was correct, and we plan to file an appeal of today's decision with the court of appeals.”
Both Solo and U.S. Soccer declined to comment Friday.
U.S. Soccer suspended Solo for a month last winter following an incident in which her husband, former NFL player Jerramy Stevens, was arrested on a DUI charge while behind the wheel of a team van. At the time U.S. Soccer Federation President Sunil Gulati said Solo’s behavior had left her place on the World Cup team in doubt.
But she was reinstated in February and went on to be chosen as the World Cup’s top goalkeeper, allowing just three goals in seven games while helping the U.S. to its first world championship in 16 years.
Friday’s court decision leaves her availability for next summer’s Olympic Games uncertain.
Solo, 34, holds U.S. national team records for wins and shutouts.
She last played Thursday for the Seattle Reign in the National Women’s Soccer League title game, allowing a goal to World Cup teammate Amy Rodriguez in a game the FC Kansas City won, 1-0.
Hope Solo Will Face Charges After All
Even though a judge already threw out domestic violence charges against Hope Solo, it came to light that the Washington state appeals court overturned that decision.
Hope Solo will once again have to face domestic violence charges. No, she didn’t get arrested again for domestic violence. The Washington state appeals court decided to reverse the decision after a judge in a lower court dismissed all charges on procedural grounds earlier this year.
Solo faced two counts of domestic violence in the fourth-degree after an incident that took place back in June 2014. The alleged incident happened between Solo, her nephew and her half-sister. Solo informed police that she was the victim and after all parties had been interviewed, she was charged with two counts of domestic violence.
A new document was filed on Friday stating “"The court reverses the decision of the lower court and remands the case to the Kirkland (Washington) Municipal Court.”
Outside the Lines examined the case back in June and found that Solo’s half-sister stated she was in drunken rage and attacked her and her son.
"She grabbed him by the head and she kept slamming him into the cement over and over again. So I came from behind her, and I pulled her over and, you know, to get her off my son. And then, once she got off, she started punching me in the face over and over again."
Solo’s attorney, Todd Maybrown, had this to say, "We are shocked and disappointed by the judge's ruling this morning. However, we maintain our position that the charges in this case should have never been filed, that the original trial court's dismissal of the case was correct, and we plan to file an appeal of today's decision with the Court of Appeals."
This is another turn of events that do not shine bright on Solo. We all know of these past issues that have happened with her and will not rehash them here. One must ask why they are pursing this so hard. Are they trying to make an example of Solo?
This writer would like all of you to know that he does not condone domestic violence in any way. What he does not understand is why the Washington state appeals court overturned the original ruling. Was the original judge wrong in doing so? Everything that this writer has read states that the victims were unreliable and constantly changed their story.
If she is found guilty, then she must serve her time like everyone else and accept any punishment handed down to her from her domestic club, Seattle Reign FC, and U.S. Soccer.
In time this will come to a conclusion. In the meantime, this just puts another bad mark on Solo’s storied career and will have some calling for her not to represent the United States women's national team in the upcoming victory tour matches.
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