Former U.S. soccer star Hope Solo used to make headlines as one of the most decorated goalies in U.S. women’s soccer history. These days, however, she tends to make headlines for incidents off the field. That was the case in April when the World Cup champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist had been found passed out in her car in North Carolina with her two-year-old twins inside. Solo was charged with DWI, resisting a public officer, and misdemeanor child abuse.
At the time, Solo said in a statement that “we will be able to share the facts in due time.” Solo pled guilty to driving while impaired in July but the resisting and child abuse charges were voluntarily dismissed. Solo had to surrender her license, pay a $2,500 fine, and was given a two-year suspended sentence.
Afterward, Solo released a statement about the incident.
“It’s been a long road, but I’m slowly coming back from taking time off. I pride myself in motherhood and what my husband and I have done day in and day out for over two years throughout the pandemic with two-year-old twins,” Solo said. “While I’m proud of us, it was incredibly hard and I made a huge mistake. Easily the worst mistake of my life.”
Solo was back in the media on Sunday after she spoke about the incident and fallout on the “Hope Solo Speaks” podcast.
“I didn’t think I needed help,” she said. “And I certainly wasn’t going to ask for it. At the time, I didn’t know that I was only doing a disservice to my family. I thought that I could white-knuckle it. But the reality is that nobody gets to live without asking for help. My sense of strength and pride became my two worst enemies. And I found myself living the worst night of my life. I let alcohol get the better of me in this moment on this godawful day, and I will suffer the consequences for some time.”
Solo also discussed the way that her role as a mother was criticized.
“I put doubt in others of my ability and commitment to motherhood. I’ve disappointed my husband, my friends and family and it has caused arguments between Jerramy [Stevens] and me. I feel never-ending guilt, shame, and embarrassment. I was mother-shamed around the world,” she said.
While Solo appears to have a lot of remorse about the incident, there’s wasn’t too much sympathy for her, perhaps in part because of previous incidents and comments she had made about others.
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