espnW on the misunderstood Hope Solo; ESPN OTL calls B.S.

Pretty funny.

Hope Solo prepares for third World Cup while dealing with recent controversy

She insists that she was "the victim" and, with frustration, says of the fight: "He's 6-foot-8, 270 pounds. The media acted like he was some 5-year-old kid.

. . .

"As she revisits the night and its protracted aftermath, Solo begins to cry. She feels stupid, she says, palming tears from her cheeks. For what happened, yes, but more for trusting people she now views as poisonous. "It was hell," she says. And then, "I should have known."

Detailed look at Hope Solo's domestic violence case includes reports of her being belligerent in jail

The police were trying to book her into jail, but Solo was so combative that she had to be forced to the ground, prompting her to yell at one officer, "You're such a b----. You're scared of me because you know that if the handcuffs were off, I'd kick your ass."

. . .

Those details are laid out in police records, and coupled with two sworn depositions obtained by Outside the Lines, other documents and interviews with one of Solo's alleged victims, they shed new light on what happened that night at her half-sister's home in suburban Seattle. The information stands in stark contrast to the image Solo has presented in court papers, on Facebook, in an espnW article this week and, most pointedly, during a February appearance on ABC's "Good Morning America."

. . .

There was one problem, though, with Solo's version: It wasn't entirely accurate. In fact, as the 33-year-old Solo prepares to lead the United States into Monday's opening-round match of the World Cup, her case is not over; the facts have never been aired in open court, and she has not been cleared. Rather, Solo's case in Kirkland Municipal Court was dismissed by Judge Michael Lambo on procedural grounds, and prosecutors, in a rare move that required city administrator approval, have filed an appeal with the Superior Court of Washington. Prosecutors are scheduled to file their argument by July 13, with the defense due to respond by Aug. 10. Oral arguments are scheduled for Sept. 11.

Over several weeks, Solo declined multiple interview requests for this story. At a recent press conference promoting the World Cup, Outside the Lines asked her about the case. She wouldn't answer.

Hope's sister and nephew don't come out looking too great in the OTL version either, but Mark Fainaru-Wada went to great lengths to get as much of the story as he could. (Allison Glock, uh, didn't.) One big discrepancy centers on Hope's alleged drunkenness. Her lawyer continues to deny this, saying she had a concussion from the incident, but she participated in all team activities in the week after the incident.

 

Hope Solo's full of shit. What an ugly human being. She and Stevens were born to be together. I just wish they'd go far away together.

 

I do kinda wish that, after, the whole thing where she complained after her coach benched her, and her team ostracized her like a bunch of junior high school brats with those stunts that they pulled, including making her sit in the middle of the circle while they ripped on her, that she would have told them to go to hell.

I mean, I get that they were unhappy with her. But sit down and talk about it. Don't act like a bunch of children and refuse to sit with her at meals, or embarrass her.

 

All the stuff being talked about is her belittling the police, but the Fainaru-Wada piece goes into much detail on the incident with her nephew/sister. Doesn't paint a pretty picture. I didn't think the sister and nephew looked too bad. They just wanted her drunk.belligerent ass to leave. And according to the piece, she has a history of teasing the kid because he's not an athlete.

 

Glock's piece is embarrassing when put up against the work of OTL. This passage is astonishingly trusting of consistently dubious people:

"Our life together can be a s--- show," Stevens says. "We're so strong-willed, we're so alike. But that's also what makes our partnership so incredible."

And that, Solo says, is what people don't understand about her and Stevens. "My husband never laid a hand on me, nor would he ever. Nor would I stick around. I'm this abused wife who married a thug?" She rolls her eyes. "I used to feel I needed to defend my marriage. Now I've just accepted people will never know the love that Jerramy and I share. They're going to judge from the outside. But they will never know our life."

On that, Solo is correct. The two might be in a romance for the ages. Or they might inhabit a toxic prison. The actual realities remain known only to them. Such is true of any relationship, for better or worse.
​

Boy. That blather is straight out of a cheap pop song.

Grafs like that get at something for me. Obviously, a writer is going to insert themselves into a piece in a variety of ways, even if it's only subtle stylistics. But why the phony truism? Is Allison Glock suddenly an expert on relationships?

 

A better interview could have been done by Tonya Harding, while wielding a hubcap. That would make for good white trash pay per view.

 

Something tells me she would not write the same "known only to them" blather about Ray McDonald.

 

Any song by Meat Loaf oughta cover it.

 

Nitpicking here, but on this graf I would be careful to say police "had to" force her to the ground. Was that the only option? I would say simply that she was forced to the ground:

The police were trying to book her into jail, but Solo was so combative that she had to be forced to the ground, prompting her to yell at one officer, "You're such a b----. You're scared of me because you know that if the handcuffs were off, I'd kick your ass."

 

No shit. A lot of people got away with acting like assholes because she did a stupid interview when she was clearly emotional and frustrated. The team response was a million times worst than what she did, which granted she shouldn't have done to begin with.

These days, however, she's a disaster. Quite an impressive keeper to watch at her peak. Very talented. But a disaster.

 

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