U.S. Soccer Star Hope Solo Suspended

Days after domestic violence charges against the soccer superstar were dismissed because her relatives refused to testify, Hope Solo has been suspended by U.S. Soccer for her behavior during a DUI arrest Monday. According to TMZ, Solo and her husband Jerramy Stevens were "belligerent" Monday night when officers stopped them in Manhattan Beach, California, and Stevens — who was driving at the time — was arrested.

On the other hand, Solo was not arrested and currently has no charges out against her, so it's unclear what exactly tipped the Federation over the edge. After all Solo has been free to play since she was charged with domestic violence last year. For this, the Federation has been accused of sexism; after all, why is domestic violence charges against a woman not grounds for suspension, but Ray Rice was immediately suspended for two games? (Which still isn't enough, obviously — but the league justified the initial Rice suspension under their "personal conduct" policy, which should seemingly apply to Hope Solo under the Federation.)

On her Facebook page, Solo wrote:

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.

The U.S. Soccer Federation has told Solo she's suspended for 30 days, minimum, after the DUI arrest.

Solo was put in jail, without bail, last June for allegedly attacking her sister and teenage nephew. But not a word was said about suspending Solo from football, and she even got to keep her sponsorship deals with Nike and Gatorade. Last week, the charges were dropped because the alleged victims refused to testify against Solo.

Now, U.S. coach Jill Ellis said in a statement:

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. We feel at this time it is best for her to step away from the team.

Solo will miss at least two games.

Images: Getty Images (2)