Hope Solo, much like you and me, has had her share of triumphs and tragedies. At the end of March 2022, Solo was discovered to be unconscious in a parking lot. It was not so much a “medical condition,” as an alcoholic condition.
When the police awakened her, she was combative and tried to convince the officers she was merely taking a rest. She refused a sobriety test. The police pulled her from her vehicle; she resisted and was placed under arrest. A warrant was issued and she was found to have had an alcohol level at three times the legal limit.
What exacerbated the situation was that her two-year old twins were in the back seat, There was no question she should not have been driving and that she placed everyone’s life in danger. Said Solo following the arrest:
“I underestimated what a destructive part of my life alcohol had become I made a huge mistake. Easily the worst mistake of my life.”
Tragic, yet predictable
Had the incident above been the only negative mark against her, it might have seemed a bit less troubling (though still terrible) however, she has often been a lightening rod of controversy. In addition to derisive comments regarding Olympic opponents that almost got her thrown off the team, in 2014 she was involved in a domestic assault and in 2015 for a DUI. In regard to the domestic assault, many critics wondered why she got off free at the while when RB Ray Rice was (rightly so) demonized.
Yet, I need to focus in this post about the 2015 DUI, along with her then boyfriend, now husband. It is not for Sports Ethics to judge, only to wonder for how long and how ingrained drinking had been part of her life. Further, how many witnessed it and how many said nothing and indirectly enabled her?
It is incredibly easy for those to have glorified Hope Solo to have supported her when the world acknowledged her the greatest female goalkeeper of all times. But now, that she is facing demons, they have walked away.
As a sports ethics keynote speaker, sports ethics consultant and book author, I wish we could have helped her when the world seemed more than happy to let her party-on. For now, we will maintain our compassion for anyone needing a second chance.
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