What happened to Hope Solo is a nearly decade-long stretch of legal trouble, personal upheaval, and a slow return to public life. Since her last professional match in 2016, the two-time Olympic gold medalist and 2015 World Cup champion has been fired by U.S. Soccer, arrested twice, sued the federation over equal pay, entered inpatient alcohol treatment, been inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame, and returned to competitive soccer in a 7v7 tournament in North Carolina.
How Her National Team Career Ended
Solo’s career with the U.S. Women’s National Team ended on August 24, 2016, when U.S. Soccer suspended her for six months and terminated her contract. The trigger was her comment after the U.S. lost to Sweden in a penalty shootout in the Rio Olympics quarterfinals: “I also think we played a bunch of cowards.”1NPR. U.S. Women’s Soccer Team Suspends Hope Solo for Sweden Comments
U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati called the comments “unacceptable” and said the punishment reflected “past incidents,” including a 30-day suspension in 2015 after her husband was arrested for DUI while driving a U.S. Soccer team van with her as a passenger.1NPR. U.S. Women’s Soccer Team Suspends Hope Solo for Sweden Comments The players’ union appealed, calling the discipline “excessive, unprecedented, disproportionate and a violation of Ms. Solo’s First Amendment rights.”2ESPN. Hope Solo Suspended Six Months by U.S. Soccer
Within days, Solo took an indefinite personal leave from her NWSL club, the Seattle Reign, saying she was not mentally ready to continue.3ESPN. Hope Solo Decides to End Season With NWSL Seattle Reign She never played another professional match. She finished with 202 caps, 102 shutouts, and 153 wins for the national team, along with Golden Glove awards as the best goalkeeper at the 2011 and 2015 World Cups.4U.S. Soccer. Hope Solo by the Numbers
The 2014 Domestic Violence Case
On June 21, 2014, police in Kirkland, Washington, arrested Solo at the home of her half-sister, Teresa Obert, and charged her with two counts of fourth-degree domestic violence assault.5CNN. Hope Solo Domestic Assault Charge
Obert’s 17-year-old son told police Solo, who arrived intoxicated, hit him, grabbed his hair, and slammed his head into a concrete floor. Obert said Solo punched her in the face and shoved her down stairs. Officers observed injuries on both and identified Solo as the primary aggressor.6ESPN. Detailed Look at Hope Solo Domestic Violence Case Solo pleaded not guilty and said she was the victim and had suffered a concussion.7ESPN. Hope Solo Pleads Not Guilty to Domestic Violence Charge
A Kirkland Municipal Court judge dismissed the charges in January 2015 on procedural grounds, citing cooperation problems with the alleged victims and prosecution discovery missteps.6ESPN. Detailed Look at Hope Solo Domestic Violence Case A two-year restraining order kept Solo at least 1,000 feet from Obert and her son.8ABC7 News. Documents Reveal New Details About Hope Solo’s Actions Kirkland prosecutors appealed, and the case lingered until May 2018, when the city dropped it. Prosecutors said the witnesses did not want to testify and the circumstances were “unlikely to recur.”9The Seattle Times. Domestic Violence Charges Against Hope Solo Dropped
The 2022 DWI Arrest With Her Twins in the Car
On March 31, 2022, Winston-Salem police found Solo passed out behind the wheel of a running GMC Yukon in a Walmart parking lot with her two-year-old twins in the backseat. Officers said she had been unconscious for more than an hour. She refused a field sobriety test and a Breathalyzer; a blood draw later showed a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.24%, three times the legal limit, along with THC.10ESPN. Hope Solo Pleads Guilty to DWI, Gets Suspended Sentence, Fine11USA Today. Hope Solo DWI Arrest New Body Camera Video
She was charged with driving while impaired, misdemeanor child abuse, and resisting a public officer.12ABC News 4. Hope Solo Arrested on DWI, Child Abuse Charges in North Carolina About a month later she voluntarily entered inpatient alcohol treatment, saying her focus was on “health, healing and taking care of my family.” She also asked the National Soccer Hall of Fame to postpone her induction from 2022 to 2023, and the hall agreed.13NBC News. U.S. Soccer Star Hope Solo Says Entering Alcohol Treatment
In Forsyth County court, Solo pleaded guilty to the DWI. The child abuse and resisting charges were dismissed. She received a 24-month suspended sentence with credit for 30 days served at her rehab facility, a $2,500 fine plus $600 in lab fees, and was ordered to complete a substance abuse assessment and any recommended treatment.14The Seattle Times. Hope Solo Pleads Guilty to DWI in North Carolina
Her Marriage to Jerramy Stevens
Solo married former NFL tight end Jerramy Stevens on November 13, 2012, one day after Stevens was arrested at their home on suspicion of fourth-degree domestic violence assault. Police found blood on his shirt and Solo had a cut on her elbow, but a judge found insufficient evidence to charge him and he was released. The wedding went ahead the next day.15CBS News. Ex-NFL Player Jerramy Stevens Arrested on Suspicion of Assaulting Soccer Star Hope Solo
In January 2015, Stevens was arrested for DUI in Manhattan Beach, California, while driving a U.S. Soccer team van with Solo as a passenger. He had been pulled over at 1:30 a.m. for driving without headlights.16ESPN. Jerramy Stevens Arrested on Suspicion of DUI U.S. Soccer suspended Solo for 30 days over the incident, citing a “poor decision” and a “recent pattern of behavior.”17Time. Hope Solo’s Husband Driving U.S. Soccer Team Van During DUI Arrest
The couple remain married and had twins, Vittorio and Lozen, on March 4, 2020. Stevens spoke at Solo’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 2023.18Yahoo Entertainment. Olympian Hope Solo and Jerramy Stevens
The Equal Pay Lawsuit
In 2016, Solo joined Carli Lloyd, Becky Sauerbrunn, Alex Morgan, and Megan Rapinoe in a federal wage discrimination complaint filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against U.S. Soccer.19ESPN. Former USWNT Goalkeeper Hope Solo Blasts Equal Pay Settlement She filed her own suit against the federation in 2018.20Law360. Hope Solo Drops Last Equal Pay Claims Against US Soccer
When U.S. Soccer settled with the broader group of USWNT players for $24 million in 2022, Solo called the deal “heartbreaking and infuriating,” arguing that back pay for a “select group of players” was not true equal pay and pointing out that the settlement was contingent on a new collective bargaining agreement.19ESPN. Former USWNT Goalkeeper Hope Solo Blasts Equal Pay Settlement Her own remaining claims were dismissed by agreement in February 2023.20Law360. Hope Solo Drops Last Equal Pay Claims Against US Soccer
Hall of Fame and the Netflix Documentary
Solo was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame on May 6, 2023, alongside Landon Donovan, a year after deferring to focus on treatment.21ESPN. Landon Donovan, Hope Solo Enshrined in National Soccer Hall of Fame
In September 2024, Netflix released “Hope Solo vs. U.S. Soccer” as part of its Untold series. The film centered on Solo’s claim that she was “blackballed” by the federation after discovering sensitive financial information in 2015, and that her 2016 termination was retaliation rather than a response to the “cowards” remark.22The Athletic. Hope Solo Netflix Untold Documentary
Former teammates Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, Alex Morgan, and Megan Rapinoe, along with former coach Jill Ellis, declined to participate. Solo called them “cowardly and controlled by the federation.” Reviewers noted the film largely allowed her account to go unchallenged and included the federation’s perspective only through a brief written statement.22The Athletic. Hope Solo Netflix Untold Documentary
Where She Is Now
After nearly a decade away from competitive soccer, Solo returned to the field in 2025 through The Soccer Tournament (TST), a $1 million winner-take-all 7v7 competition in Cary, North Carolina. She entered a team called Solo FC as both player and general manager. Her squad reached the quarterfinals, and she saved a penalty kick in one of the matches. She called it “one of the best experiences of soccer I’ve ever been a part of.”23Yahoo Sports. Hope Solo Returns to Soccer Tournament
She returned for TST 2026 with two Solo FC teams, one women’s and one mixed, at the tournament running May 27 to June 1, 2026, at WakeMed Soccer Park. Now 44, she lives in the Asheville, North Carolina, area with Stevens and their twins.24ABC11. Hope Solo Returns to Soccer Tournament Teams 2026