Hope Solo’s latest brush with the law has landed her a 30-day suspension from the US women’s national team.
U.S. Soccer made the announcement on Wednesday evening, indicating that Solo's suspension will begin immediately and stems from an incident that occurred during the ongoing USWNT training camp in Carson, California. Solo was a passenger in a car driven by her husband, former NFL player Jerramy Stevens, who was pulled over and arrested for driving under the influence early Monday morning.
The Manhattan Beach Police Department said Stevens was stopped at about 1:30 a.m. for driving without his vehicle's headlights turned on. Solo was in the car but was not arrested or detained.
Multiple outlets reported that Solo, who has been the No. 1 ‘keeper for the US for most of the past decade, was “acting belligerent” during the arrest.
As a result of the suspension, Solo has been released from training camp and will miss the USA's matches on Feb. 8 in France and Feb. 13 in England.
"During our current national team camp, Hope made a poor decision that has resulted in a negative impact on U.S. Soccer and her teammates," US women's national team head coach Jill Ellis said in the release. "We feel at this time it is best for her to step away from the team."
Solo released a statement following the announcement: “I accept and respect the federation’s decision, and more importantly, I apologize for disappointing my teammates, coaches and the federation who have always supported me. I think it’s best for me to take a break, decompress from the stress of the last several months and come back mentally and physically ready to positively contribute to the team.”
This incident comes just days after domestic violence charges against Solo were dropped by a Washington judge stemming from a 2014 incident involving her nephew and half-sister.
Solo, 33, will be eligible for reinstatement to the team after the 30-day suspension, pending review and approval by U.S. Soccer and Ellis.
