Would Hope Solo still be playing if she were a black male athlete?
America is unjust. Sean Hannity and the trolls that keep him employed by devouring his propaganda would argue otherwise, but to most of us, it’s unequivocal fact. Take coverage of disgraced soccer star Hope Solo as an example of the preceding sentence.
The goalie was arrested in June 2014 on domestic violence charges after allegedly assaulting her teenage nephew and half-sister at their home. According to a newly released police report, Solo had been drinking heavily the night of the incident and became verbally abusive with arresting officers.
“(Solo) repeatedly hurled insults at the officers processing her arrest, suggesting that two jailers were having sex and calling another officer a ’14-year-old boy,’” the official arrest report revealed. “When asked to remove a necklace, an apparently drunk Solo told the officer that the piece of jewelry was worth more than he made in a year.” Authorities also claim in the report that the soccer star warned that if her handcuffs were removed, she would kick the officer’s ass.
As colorful as this story is, it isn’t Hope’s first run-in with the law. In November 2012, police reported discovering marijuana at Solo’s house in Kirkland, Washington after they were called to her residence over a domestic disturbance. The star’s husband, former NFL wide receiver Jerramy Stevens, was arrested on charges of domestic violence because police suspected the two had been in a fight. Solo later asked a judge to drop the charges.
And earlier this year, the goalkeeper was suspended from the U.S. women’s national team for 30 days over what is believed to be the DUI arrest of her husband. Solo was in the car when Stevens was pulled over in Manhattan Beach, California for driving without headlights. Officers at the time described her as being “belligerent” and drunk. To exacerbate the situation, the couple was inside the U.S. Soccer Team van at the time of the DUI.
The former Dancing with the Stars contestant was also involved in a physical altercation with her partner, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, while taping the show. Solo accused him of slapping her during rehearsal, something he responded to on Facebook, writing, “Always hated hypocrites and liars … but when someone is both AND an opportunist, I just feel bad for them. Can’t win at someone’s expense.”
Solo’s brushes with the law and tabloid friendly personal life has many wondering why the media isn’t salivating over persecuting her with the same enthusiasm they have for NFL stars. Last year, Adrian Peterson was suspended for the season without pay for disciplining his child. The running back’s brand of discipline crossed an indelible line for many because he left his son’s legs and buttocks covered with welts and bruises. The story made national headlines for months.
And there’s Ray Rice who was suspended for a year after savagely sucker punching his now wife, Janay Rice, in an Atlantic City casino elevator. Video of the incident, and the NFL’s mishandling of his punishment, sparked a national domestic violence debate, which lasted for a large portion of 2014.
Domestic violence is the same crime Hope Solo has been accused of, so where’s all the Fox News wall-to-wall persecution? The imbalance has led many on Twitter to question the media’s handling of the situation:
https://twitter.com/slysnyknows/status/608070761744457728
https://twitter.com/BasedChasen/status/608068364204806144
Hope Solo arrested for domestic violence yet starting for the U.S. Where's the outrage that surrounded the NFL?
— Dok (@crispyricesalad) June 8, 2015
Those opinions stated, we have to ask: does Hope Solo deserve to be on the U.S. Women’s National Team? And do you think there’s a double standard when it comes to the press’ coverage of her turbulent domestic life.
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