The 2016 Rio Summer Olympics were a rough time for the U.S. Women’s Soccer team and especially for one of their star players, Hope Solo.
After the Swedish team beat the U.S. and eliminated them from the tournament, Solo called them a “bunch of cowards.” Solo went on to receive heavy backlash for the comment, and was bashed in the media. The harsh words were enough to earn the veteran goalkeeper a six-month suspension from the USA soccer team. For 35-year-old Solo, the suspension may be a bitter end to her international career.
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When Solo first heard the news of the suspension, the cameras were rolling for the documentary Keeping Score, and they were able to catch her emotional reaction.
“Seventeen [expletive] years and it’s over,” Solo exclaimed while she was struggling to choke back her tears. “Six months suspension. No pay. Terminated contract. Effective immediately.”
Keeping Score is an upcoming documentary that chronicles the Olympic journey of several of the star U.S. Women’s soccer players before, during, and after the games, according to Fox Sports.
The final episode of the series airs on September 2nd, and will likely give more background and details on Solo’s reaction.
On August 24, Hope Solo posted this message on her Facebook page. The statement reads:
“For 17 years, I dedicated my life to the U.S. Women’s National Team and did the job of a pro athlete the only way I knew how – with passion, tenacity, an unrelenting commitment to be the best goalkeeper in the world, not just for my country, but to elevate the sport for the next generation of female athletes. In those commitments, I have never wavered. And with so much more to give, I am saddened by the Federation’s decision to terminate my contract.
I could not be the player I am without being the person I am, even when I haven’t made the best choices or said the right things. My entire career, I have only wanted the best for this team, for the players and the women’s game and I will continue to pursue these causes with the same unrelenting passion with which I play the game.”
Do you think Hope Solo deserved to be suspended for her comments about the Swedish soccer team?
[H/T Fox Sports]
