Hope Solo says she's been in therapy since USWNT suspension
U.S. women's national team goalkeeper Hope Solo says she used her 30-day suspension from the squad to "reassess my life and career" and has entered therapy.
Solo launched a personal blog this week to share thoughts about herself and the national team as it prepares for the 2015 World Cup in Canada.
USWNT flips the script, defeats France 2-0 to capture 10th Algarve Cup title
Solo was suspended by U.S. Soccer in January after her husband, former NFL tight end Jerramy Stevens, was arrested on drunken driving charges while driving a federation van. The incident came shortly after domestic violence charges against Solo had been dismissed.
In her first post, Solo also said she is seeing an Eastern medicine healer. She recounted apologizing to her teammates and her return to help the U.S. win the Algarve Cup title in Portugal.
Solo met with the team before leaving training camp to serve the suspension.
"For the first time, I'd opened up to my teammates about everything I'd been going through. I talked about how hard it had been going through the court case with my family, and explained why I hadn't been that approachable at camp. I'd been trying to focus while I was on the field, but I'd been a mess emotionally and mentally," Solo wrote.
"After I was done speaking with everyone, one of my teammates gave me the biggest hug and said, "Hope, apology accepted." That meant so much," she wrote.
Solo missed a 2-0 loss to France and a 1-0 win over England. She returned before the Algarve Cup and started all four games.
Solo emailed her teammates before the trip to Portugal and told them about the therapy and "dealing with a lot of my issues and finally addressing all the pain and anger that was inside of me."
Solo said it was important her teammates knew that she was taking her time away seriously.
"I wanted them to know that I hadn't just taken 30 days off. Ultimately, I wanted to be a better person and teammate, and that's what I'd been focused on," Solo wrote.
