Hope Solo Received A Six Month Suspension And Then Had Her Contract Terminated By The USWNT

US Soccer has suspended Hope Solo 6 months for "conduct that is counter to the organization's principles" following her Olympic comments.

— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) August 24, 2016

Clearly Solo's suspension is not just for Olympics comments but for an accumulation of things over time.

— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) August 24, 2016

US Soccer has also terminated Hope Solo's national team contract.

— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) August 25, 2016

Hope Solo's response to SI on her suspension. pic.twitter.com/Y5E5KcrECo

— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) August 25, 2016

SI: Response to Hope Solo suspension from Rich Nichols, executive director, USWNT Players Association pic.twitter.com/ZOPsYgSCk7

— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) August 25, 2016

I don't think you will find anyone that will agree that calling your opposition a "bunch of cowards" in the wake of a heartbreaking defeat that sent you home early from a tournament you had every intention of winning is worthy of a 6 month suspension. I was someone that was extremely critical of her butt-hurt bullshit, and even I think that's an excessive form of discipline for such a relatively harmless act. That, however, isn't the discussion we should be having right now, because this suspension/contract termination wasn't about one bitter postgame quote and anyone acting like it is has the long term memory of which ever family member Hope Solo last clocked upside the head.

My instantaneous reaction when I heard about this wasn't one of shock. In fact, I liken it to the way I felt when I first heard Tom Brady was being suspended for DeflateGate. Obviously the punishment didn't fit the crime, but - at the time - I was fine with it because the punishment was for so much more than the one crime that essentially acted as the final straw. The Patriots went through 18 months of hell because - right or wrong - the NFL saw them as repeat offenders of cheating, and the USWNT terminated Hope Solo's contract because they accurately saw her as a repeat offender of being a terrible fucking human being. 

No Twitter, Ryan Lochte - in his infinite stupidity - has nothing to do with this. The USWNT Player's Association and the simpletons claiming that this is some double standard between men and women should be ashamed of themselves. I'd like to give those people a better example of a double standard just so they understand what the term truly means...

Remember when Ray Rice and Adrian Petersen temporarily lost their means of income for domestic abuse while Hope Solo was drunk in a police station threatening police officers after beating the piss out of her entire family tree? The fact that she walked away from that incident with nothing more than a slap on the wrist is a double standard. The fact that there are apparently people out there that have already completely forgotten that happened is a double standard. The fact that people think the USWNT owes ANYONE an explanation for taking action against one of THEIR OWN BEST PLAYERS because she's been such a constant headache is a double standard. Any potential double standard she was the victim of is EASILY offset by the one she massively benefited from.

If a male professional athlete was cut for a failure to steer clear of trouble we would just label him an ungrateful dickhead and move on. Why can't we do that for a female professional athlete that has a long decorated history of being a loose cannon? I bet people online that haven't watched more than 3 seconds of women's soccer are more staunchly supporting her than her own damn teammates. I don't give a shit if the US Women's Soccer Team suspended Hope Solo for cropdusting her coach because what she's really being suspended for is winning the 'Lifetime Achievement Award' as an insufferable asshole. Anyone that can't see that is probably also too stupid to realize that she'll more than likely be back on the team before they even play their next truly meaningful match.