On Wednesday night, in a friendly against the Swiss national team, US goalkeeper Hope Solo has a chance to break the women’s national team all-time shutout record.
But as Solo continues to guide the US team in net, her personal life appears to be in shambles. That’s not stopping US Soccer from trumpeting her accomplishments. According to USA Today, the organization sent out a promotional email to draw attention to the record-breaking possibility.
The columnist, Christine Brennan, blasted them for doing so, saying the organization should be concerned about Solo’s mental health as the Women’s World Cup approaches next year.
The 33-year-old Solo was charged with two counts of misdemeanor domestic violence in connection with an alleged assault on her sister and 17-year-old nephew in June. According to police in Washington, an intoxicated Solo would not stop “hitting people” or leave the house.
“We are aware that Hope is handling a personal situation at the moment,” Neil Buethe, US Soccer director of communications told USA Today in an email.
“At the same time, she has an opportunity to set a significant record that speaks to her hard work and dedication over the years with the National Team. While considering all factors involved, we believe that we should recognize that in the proper way.”
Solo, who pleaded not guilty and will go on trial in November, is not the only athlete seen as getting a near pass from her sport for a domestic violence issue.
Solo’s situation has close parallels to the Ray Rice saga, which came to light in February when TMZ obtained a video of the Ravens running back dragging his unconscious then-fiancee/now-wife Janay Palmer out of an Atlantic City elevator.
Last month, Rice was suspended for two games, a penalty widely seen as too lenient. And the Ravens have gone to great lengths to support Rice, which began with this tweet at a press conference in May:
https://twitter.com/Ravens/statuses/469918292061061120
The day after his suspension was announced, Kevin Byrne, the team’s senior vice president of public and community relations, authored an article attempting to show what a good guy Rice is. The team’s website played up a story of Rice getting a standing ovation from fans at training camp.
We’ll see what happens when Solo breaks her record.