Abby Wambach Defends Hope Solo on Domestic Violence

Abby Wambach Defends Hope Solo on Domestic Violence

Everyone needs a shoulder to lean on and so does Hope Solo especially now that she is facing assault charges. As far as Solo’s woes are concerned, she can always count on Abby Wambach. The female soccer star has come out strongly to defend her friend and team mate.

For the last two months, news on US’s goalkeeper domestic violence arrest have been hitting the headlines like nobody’s business. Wambach knows what Solo’s absence means because she is more than a goalkeeper due to the fact that she has been mentoring other members of the football team.

According to USAToday, the star expressed her concerns on Monday night following her team’s win of 6-0 against Haiti in their Women’s World Cup Qualifier at RFK stadium in Washington D.C. “It’s hard because we’re in a tricky position because we’re teammates with Hope and we also are role models so we know how massive and we know how big of an issue this is,”said Wambach.

“That’s not lost on us by any means. But I think on so many different levels, our hands are tied. U.S. Soccer made the decisions that they made and we’re here to play soccer, we’re here to qualify, we know that it wasn’t so easy the last time around, and so we are in a tough position.

“I can understand why people ask questions, but at the end of the day, when decisions are made and we’re not in those positions to make decisions, you have to go with what U.S. Soccer and Sunil (Gulati, the organization’s president) has decided.”

Solo is set to go for trial after she was sued for assaulting her 17 year old nephew. She was also accused of assaulting her sister from another mother at her sister’s residence in Kirkland, Wash back in June. Despite the law suites, the US Soccer has not banned her from playing. In fact the star was allowed to play for his team during exhibition matches in summer.

The fact that she is still participating in the 2015 World Cup qualifiers has left tongues wagging. Critics have since been accusing NFL of being biased and inconsiderable because the association has banned Ray Rice, Greg Hardy and Adrian Peterson from stepping into the field until their law suits are complete and yet they are sailing in the same ship with Solo.

“The fact that this has taken off with the NFL, I understand it, because it is a huge, huge topic,” Wambach said. “We want to be good role models, and that’s something that’s super important to everybody on the team.” Wambach argued that Solo’s case can not be compared to that of NFL.

“I think this is a different situation, whether people want to believe that or not,” she said. “It’s hard for us because we want to back her but then there’s this whole other dimension to it. I think that the truth will come out in her case. Nobody was there, so everybody can construe: ‘Oh, well then, whatever happened with that Ray Rice situation is obviously what’s gone on in this Hope case,’ and that’s just not the case. I think that the truth will come out and people will understand.”