Hope Solo: Domestic Violence Trial Has Nike Standing With U.S. Soccer Star Despite Ray Rice Comparison

Hope Solo’s domestic violence trial has suddenly entered the spotlight due to the recent example of Ray Rice being indefinitely suspended by the NFL, even though he had previously gone to court over the elevator fight. Nike took away Rice’s sponsorship after the elevator fight video went public, and they also did the same to Adrian Peterson, but now, Nike is standing behind Solo as she awaits her day in court this November.

In a related report by The Inquisitr, the sheer raunchiness of Hope Solo’s nude photos probably comes at a very bad time, considering the U.S. Soccer player is facing criticism over allegations of domestic violence, which has some people claiming there is double standard being applied. This idea has caused a war of words between pundits, including some who support Hope Solo.

Nike spokesman Greg Rossiter claims the company is awaiting the results of the trial and will not take any action at this time.

“We are aware of the allegations and that Hope Solo has pled not guilty to the charges,” Rossiter said. “Hope remains a Nike athlete and we will continue to monitor the situation.”

U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati took a similar position, saying the federation will allow the due process of law to proceed.

“From the beginning, we considered the information available and have taken a deliberate and thoughtful approach regarding Hope Solo’s status with the National Team,” Gulati said. “Based on that information, U.S. Soccer stands by our decision to allow her to participate with the team as the legal process unfolds. If new information becomes available we will carefully consider it.”

U.S. Olympic Committee chief executive Scott Blackmun called the allegations against Hope Solo “disturbing and inconsistent with our expectations of Olympians,” and claimed that, based upon his discussions with U.S. Soccer representatives, if Solo is found guilty he “fully expect[s] them to take action if it is determined that the allegations are true.”

Unfortunately, the Solo family has a history of domestic violence. Several years ago Hope’s brother, Marcus Solo, called 911, and when police arrived, they found several people, including Hope’s now-husband, bloodied and bruised. In the end, no one in the Solo family wanted to press charges or point any fingers, and police could not identify who the perpetrator was, so no one was charged.

This new case is a little bit different. This time around, details of the alleged drunken assault have come out. As The Inquisitr previously reported, this is how the alleged assault occurred.

“She appeared to have been drinking and drank wine for some time with her half-sister. Solo later grew upset with her nephew over a misunderstanding, then reportedly insulted him, calling him ‘too fat and overweight and crazy.’ The nephew told her to get out of the house and went into another room.

“Solo reportedly followed him and the two got into an argument that allegedly escalated as Solo ‘charged’ at him and took a swing at him. They then tussled on the ground and she ‘repeatedly punched him in the face and tackled him.’ The nephew grabbed her by the hair and held her to the ground until she appeared to calm down, at which point she reportedly grabbed his hair and pulled him back down, punching him some more, according to the incident report.

“Solo’s half-sister arrived and tried to break up the fight, but Solo reportedly turned her aggression to her and punched her in the face ‘several times.'”

Although Hope Solo claimed she was not guilty in court, she also publicly apologized for the domestic violence arrest and vowed to do better. Solo is charged with two misdemeanor counts of fourth-degree domestic violence assault and faces up to six months in jail if convicted.