Hope Solo, the two-time Olympic gold medalist and World Cup winning goal keeper for Team USA, plead guilty to a DWI charge in North Carolina.
Hope Solo Photo Credit: Anders Henrikson, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Solo was arrested in a Walmart parking lot in North Carolina for DWI, resisting arrest, and misdemeanor child abuse at the end of May.
Her counsel Rich Nichols posted to Solo’s Twitter at the time writing, “On the advice of counsel, Hope can’t speak about this situation, but she wants everyone to know that her kids are her life, that she was released immediately and is now at home with her family, that the story is more sympathetic than the initial charges suggest, and that she looks forward to her opportunity to defend these charges.”
Hope Solo Twitter
Following her arrest, Solo announced at the end of April that she would be entering into “an in-patient alcohol treatment program to address [her] challenges with alcohol.”
She added, “At this time, my energies and focus are totally directed to my health, healing and taking care of my family.”
Hope Solo Twitter
The Associated Press reports that Solo plead guilty to the DWI charge while her attorney Chris Clifton revealed the other two charges of resisting arrest and misdemeanor child abuse were voluntarily dismissed.
Solo received a “suspended sentence of 24 months and an active sentence of 30 days.” However, she received 30 days credit for spending time at the Hope Valley treatment facility. A judge also ordered Solo to pay $2,500 in fines and a $600 fee for lab tests.
Hope Solo Photo Credit: makaiyla willis, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Solo issued a lengthy statement following the guilty plea to her social media channels.
She began, “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. While I’m proud of us, it was incredibly hard and I made a huge mistake. Easily the worst mistake of my life.
“I underestimated what a destructive part of my life alcohol had become,” she noted. “The upside of making a mistake this big is that hard lessons are learned quickly. Learning these lessons has been difficult, and at times, very painful.”
Hope Solo Twitter
Solo continued, “I want to thank my beautifully strong husband for supporting me through this in so many meaningful ways and my mom for being there for us, always. I want to thank all the friends who showed me support and also the ones who pushed me to take the hardest steps. I want to thank my fans. The stories you shared and your faith in me meant a great deal.
“I would like to thank my attorneys, Rich Nichols, Jim Trusty and Chris Clifton, for understanding that putting my mental and emotional well being first is most important to me and my family,” she wrote. “I look forward to opening up and sharing more with everyone in the coming weeks.”
Hope Solo Twitter
She went on, “I also want to thank all the wonderful women I met during my time at the Hope Valley treatment facility and specifically to my counselor, Billie Lawson.”
“The women at Hope Valley are true leaders in their professions, filled with knowledge and insight on how to live a more healthy life balanced with kindness, empathy, tough love and understanding. Their no nonsense way of leading is a leadership style I have always admired and respected,” she wrote.”
Solo concluded, “I continue to be a student of the greatest school called life and I will continue to learn and grow from these experiences. I will continue to gain empathy, knowledge, and stories to share. I consider this a gift to pass it on to others because pain shared is pain lessened.”
Hope Solo Twitter
What do you make of Solo’s guilty plea, her sentencing, and her statement?