With one swing of the axe, Hope Solo’s trophy-laden international career has come to an end. At least for now, and probably forever.
Citing her comments following the U.S.’s loss to Sweden earlier this month, the U.S. Soccer Federation handed down a six month suspension to Solo, who was suspended for 30 days for a separate incident last year.
The official statement:
“The comments by Hope Solo after the match against Sweden during the 2016 Olympics were unacceptable and do not meet the standard of conduct we require from our National Team players,” said U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati. “Beyond the athletic arena, and beyond the results, the Olympics celebrate and represent the ideals of fair play and respect. We expect all of our representatives to honor those principles, with no exceptions.
“Taking into consideration the past incidents involving Hope, as well as the private conversations we’ve had requiring her to conduct herself in a manner befitting a U.S. National Team member, U.S. Soccer determined this is the appropriate disciplinary action.”
Solo immediately followed with a statement of her own, saying she was “saddened” and “only wanted the best for this team.” USWNT Players Association executive director Rich Nichols, for his part, called the punishment “disproportionate,” a “violation of Ms. Solo’s First Amendment Rights,” and questioned whether this “action would have ever been taken against a male player.”
SI: Response to Hope Solo suspension from Rich Nichols, executive director, USWNT Players Association pic.twitter.com/ZOPsYgSCk7
— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) August 25, 2016
Is this a first amendment issue? Hard to see; Solo has a right to say whatever she wants (and she did), so now the non-profit U.S. Soccer Federation can exercise its right in choosing whether it wants to employ her for it. As is always the case with these things, athletes may have a right to say what they want, but their employers don’t have an obligation to like it.
Is it an issue of disproportionality? Perhaps. Solo does have a previous suspension on the books though, and with critics saying U.S. Soccer was too lenient with Solo at other times, an escalated punishment this time could probably be justified.
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
But in any case, it’s all almost entirely irrelevant. Even if Solo and Nichols do manage to reduce the ruling, it’s basically impossible to see Solo coming back from this one.
It doesn’t help that laying down this suspension comes at an exceedingly convenient time for the U.S. Women’s National team.
It would’ve been right to cut Solo ahead of these games given her past issues, but it would’ve been a difficult call to make. The USWNT came into Rio the defending World Cup, Gold Cup and Olympic champions. Losing out on another gold medal because you took the moral high ground over one of your best players is a nice idea, but in reality, it would’ve been a polarizing decision among fans.
(Photo by Pedro Vilela/Getty Images)
But that’s not an issue anymore.
The USWNT took one more risk with Hope Solo in hopes of continuing its extraordinary winning streak and it backfired. This squad needs refreshing anyway. Solo will be 38 when the next World Cup rolls around, and her patchy form on the field along with her embarrassing comments off it only make severing ties easier.
As for the punishment itself? Harsh, yes, but not incomprehensible given her history. And again, making a statement like this is probably a good way for U.S. Soccer to end things.
The USWNT will play just two games over the course of Solo’s suspension, yet many of its accusations of past leniency towards Solo will begin to dissipate. Rightly or wrongly, it’s harder to rail on an organization that boots one of its most decorated players out the exit door. Even if the result is overturned, U.S. Soccer will always have something to point to.
This is not a dignified end, but this is the hole Solo has dug for herself.
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