In the midst of NFL/NBA athletes battling domestic abuse charges, there is a woman having the same issue but the outrage from the public seems to be lacking. Hope Solo, a famed US women’s soccer player, has been receiving support from her teammates concerning the matter except one, who thinks she should be benched until the case has been resolved. Jillian Loyden, who has played alongside Solo, has recently expressed her views via USA Today and talked about the growing concern that is domestic violence, which she speaks of persoal ex and why Hope needs to be benched. Immediately.
More than anyone else, when people think about women’s soccer, they think of Hope Solo, the team’s star goalkeeper.
But U.S. Soccer must be the gold standard beyond the field as well. I believe that individuals are innocent until proven guilty, but in failing to take action against players’ behavior off the field, the league is not living up to its responsibilities.
U.S. Soccer needs to send the right message. They need to communicate that domestic violence is never OK and that it will not be tolerated.
Solo is my teammate and a personal mentor. But I cannot stand by as young fans receive the message that this behavior — even if the allegations proved to be inaccurate — can go unnoticed.
Jillian discussed this tastefully. She didn’t bash her teammate but spoke of it in a general sense in the hope of raising awareness. Regardless if you’re a man or woman, no one should experience being abused. If you are or know someone who is please speak out and get help. If you would like to speak to someone about domestic abuse please call The National Domestic Abuse Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).
