U.S. Soccer Suspended And Then Terminated The Contract Of Hope Solo For Calling Sweden's Women's Soccer Team "A Bunch Of Cowards"
ESPN- Goalie Hope Solo has been suspended six months from the national team for what U.S. Soccer called “conduct that is counter to the organization’s principles.” After the U.S. was eliminated from the Rio Olympics earlier this month in a penalty shootout, the 35-year-old Solo criticized the winning Sweden team, calling it “a bunch of cowards.”
“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,” U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati said in a statement Wednesday. “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.”
The suspension is effective immediately.
I really don’t care about any kind of soccer, but it is fun watching the U.S. win shit and these girls usually win. I thought the quotes were overall pretty harmless when Solo said them. It’s not like she called them a bunch of pussies or milksops. Cowards is as PG as it gets. If you want women’s soccer to take off in this country, you can’t treat them any different than the guys. Do you think Clint Dempsey gets suspended if he says that? Of course not. And that team doesn’t win SHIT.
Also, what kind of a suspension was six months? That’s like suspending a starting pitcher for 3 games in baseball, right? It’s not like soccer is every week like the WWE. And yes I know Hope Solo seems like a pretty terrible person behind closed doors and all that shit. But lets call a spade a spade. If Hope Solo makes those saves and the U.S. goes on to win the gold again, she is a billion percent still on the team, probably without a suspension. Instead now she will probably go full vigilante on everyone that works for U.S. Soccer with her husband Jeramy Stevens like a modern day sports version of Bonnie and Clyde. Or I guess you could even say Coral and CT from The Challenge.
If you see that duo walking down the sidewalk, you better cross the street.