Hope Solo in March 2016.Photo:Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty
Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty
Hope Solo’s fall from soccer stardom was years in the making.
From 2000 to 2016, Solo was the goalkeeper for the U.S. women’s national soccer team. The legendary athlete helped the team win two Olympic gold medals and a FIFA World Cup title before she was forced to hang up her cleats.
Over the past decade, Stevens and Solo have remained married but their legal troubles only worsened. The former USWNT player was arrested in 2014 after an alleged domestic violence incident, though the case was later dismissed. The former NFL player was arrested in 2015 for driving under the influence.
“Clearly, I wasn’t thinking. It was a horrible choice,” Solo said during an interview withABC Newsin 2015 regarding the night her husband was arrested. “It was stupid. We should have called a taxi.”
The soccer star faced a similar situation in 2022 — this time, she was in the driver’s seat. Police arrested Solo on March 31 for driving while intoxicated with her twins in the car. She later pled guilty to the charge and entered an in-patient alcohol treatment facility.
In September 2024, Netflix released volume 4 of its sports docuseriesUntold. The season comprised three episodes, including “Hope Solo vs. U.S. Soccer,” which “unpacks the unique mix of glory and scandal that accompanied her rise to a level of fame that transcended her sport.”
From winning two Olympic gold medals to a stint in rehab, here is everything to know about Hope Solo, including where she is now.
Goalkeeper Hope Solo #1 of the United States celebrates after the USA 2-0 win against Colombia in the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015 Round of 16 match at Commonwealth Stadium on June 22, 2015.Todd Korol/Getty
Todd Korol/Getty
Solo, born in Richland, Washington, was the goalkeeper for the U.S. women’s national soccer team from 2000 to 2016. Her career accomplishments include winning gold at the 2008 BeijingOlympics, the 2012 London Olympics and the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
“Goalkeeping is a very difficult position. You’re kind of the hero or the [scape]goat,” she said during an interview onCBS Morningsin February 2016. “Goalkeeping is something that you can never really master. That’s why I never want to walk away.”
In 2016, shortly before being suspended from the team, Solo became the first goalie, man or woman, to record 100 shutouts in international competition.
Hope Solo #1 of the United States waves to the crowd after posting her100th career shut-out against South Africa after a friendly match at Soldier Field on July 9, 2016.Jonathan Daniel/Getty
Jonathan Daniel/Getty
At the 2016 Rio Olympics, the U.S. women’s national soccer team, who were favored to win gold, lost to Sweden and finished fifth overall.
“I thought we played a courageous game,” she said. “But I also thinkwe played a bunch of cowards. The best team did not win today … Sweden dropped off. They didn’t want to open play. They didn’t want to pass the ball. They didn’t want to play great soccer.”
USWNT soccer player Hope Solo with NFL player Jerramy Stevens attends The 2015 ESPYS at Microsoft Theater on July 15, 2015.Jason Merritt/Getty
Jason Merritt/Getty
Solo and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Stevens, who had only been dating for two months before obtaining a marriage license, got married on Nov. 13, 2012.
Their wedding took place a mere 24 hours after Stevens was arrested on suspicion of assaulting Solo. According to court documents, the couple were arguing about whether to wed in Florida or Washington state.
In 2015, Stevens was arrested for driving drunk in Manhattan Beach, Calif. He was behind the wheel of a U.S. team van, and Solo was in the passenger seat. As a repercussion, the goalkeeper was suspended from the team for 30 days. “[I hit]rock bottom,” Solo told PEOPLE at the time.
Stevens served two days of a 30-day jail sentence and was ordered to complete a two-year alcohol program and four years of probation.
Hope Solo and Jerramy Stevens family.Hope Solo/Instagram
Hope Solo/Instagram
On March 4, 2020, Solo and Stevenswelcomed twins, son Vittorio Genghis Stevens and daughter Lozen Orianna Judith Stevens. The pair are also longtimeDoberman owners.
“I could never have chosen a better Father for our children,” Solo wrote onInstagramin honor of Father’s Day in 2021.
Olympic gold medalist Hope Solo appears in court at Kirkland Municipal Court on November 4, 2014.Suzi Pratt/Getty
Suzi Pratt/Getty
Solo has been arrested twice. The first time took place on June 21, 2014, after she wasarrested on accusations of hittingher half-sister Teresa Obert and her then-17-year-old nephew during a family gathering at her Kirkland, Wash., home.
According to the incident report, police were told that Hope had “repeatedly punched” Obert and the nephew, a 6-foot-9-inch, 280-pound youth, in the face. He then allegedly “broke” a wooden broom over Solo’s head in an effort to get her to “stop assaulting” his mother.
Solo’s account of that evening is different, however. She claimed that her nephew “hit” her over the head with a broomstick after becoming enraged when she called him “fat and unathletic.”
The soccer player was arrested on two counts of domestic violence assault and taken to jail. In January 2015, a judgedismissed the caseafter Obert and her son left the state to avoid a court-ordered deposition, and prosecutors withheld information from Solo’s attorneys.
Solo wasarrested againon March 21, 2022, on suspicion of driving her two children while intoxicated, after police discovered her passed out behind the wheel of her vehicle in a Walmart parking lot. That July, Solopleaded guilty to driving while impaired.
“I made a huge mistake. Easily the worst mistake of my life,” she wrote in a statement on Instagram. “I underestimated what a destructive part of my life alcohol had become.”
To avoid serving a 24-month jail sentence, Solo paid a $2,500 fine and $600 for the cost of lab tests. She also spent30 days at an in-patient rehab facility.
Hope Solo #1 and the United States celebrates after winning the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015 5-2 against Japan at BC Place Stadium on July 5, 2015.Ronald Martinez/Getty
Ronald Martinez/Getty
“I respected her ability on the field … Hope and I clashed a lot. … We argued quite a bit,” Wambach shared during a 2016 appearance onThe Dan Patrick Show.
That same year,Carli Lloydaddressed Solo’s “cowards” comment.
“Hope is very competitive, and she is one of the all-time best goalkeepers to have ever suited up,” she said onThe Rich Eisen Show. “[But] you have to show good character in times of success and in times of loss.”
While competing on season 13 ofDancing with the Stars, Solo was paired withMaksim Chmerkovskiy. The couple placed fourth, but the professional dancer and the Olympian publicly clashed.
“She’s just a shitty person,” he said on theAllegedly with Theo Von & Matthew Cole Weisspodcast. Meanwhile, Solo accused Chmerkovskiy of being “nasty” and “harshly critical” and claimed he slapped her across the face during a rehearsal. Chmerkovskiy denied the allegations.
Hope Solo gives her acceptance speech after her induction at the 2023 National Soccer Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Toyota Stadium on May 06, 2023.Richard Rodriguez/USSF/Getty
Richard Rodriguez/USSF/Getty
Solo continued to speak about the issues plaguing women’s sports on her podcast,Hope Solo Speaks, which ran until April 2023.
In May 2023, Solo was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame. She currently lives in North Carolina with her husband and twins.
source: people.com