Former United States women’s national team goalkeeper Hope Solo said that she will be entering an in-patient alcohol treatment program and has requested that her induction into the National Soccer Hall of Fame be postponed until 2023.
Solo, 40, was arrested last month after she was found passed out behind the wheel of a vehicle in North Carolina with her two-year-old twin sons inside.
“I have contacted the Hall of Fame and respectfully requested a postponement of my Hall of Fame induction ceremony to 2023,” Solo said in a statement. “I will be voluntarily entering an in-patient alcohol treatment program to address my challenges with alcohol.
“At this time, my energies and focus are totally directed to my health, healing and taking care of my family. I want to the thank the Hall of Fame for their support and for understanding my decision.”
— Hope Solo (@hopesolo) April 29, 2022
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The Hall of Fame issued a statement on Friday saying: “Legendary USWNT goalkeeper and 2022 National Soccer Hall of Fame inductee Hope Solo has chosen to defer her induction until 2023. The NSHOF fully supports her decision and looks forward to honoring her and her historic achievements at next year’s induction ceremony.”
Solo was arrested on 31 March in a shopping centre parking lot in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and charged with driving while impaired, resisting a public officer and misdemeanor child abuse, according to a police report. She was released from jail and has a court date of 28 June, the report indicated.
According to an arrest warrant, a passerby noticed Solo passed out behind the steering wheel for more than an hour with the vehicle’s engine running and the two children in the backseat.
A responding officer could smell alcohol, and the warrant said that Solo refused a field sobriety test, triggering an automatic one-year suspension of her license.
Solo’s illustrious but often turbulent career with the national team ended after she was dismissed from the national team following a quarter-final loss at 2016 Olympics in Brazil, then called the Swedish team “cowards” for taking a defensive stance during the match. Earlier in her career, she was benched after publicly questioning coach Greg Ry