That Hope Solo was suspended for her husband's transgression at first seemed odd. But a new report show the connection between Jerramy Stevens' DUI and Solo's latest trouble.
TMZ Sports reported that Stevens was driving a U.S. National Women's Soccer Team van when he was pulled over early Monday morning in Manhattan Beach, Calif. He was driving without headlights. Police asked him to take a breath test, and he refused.
Hope Solo belligerent during husband Jerramy Stevens' DUI charge?
That prompted police to obtain a search warrant to force a blood test, TMZ Sports reported earlier. In an update, TMZ Sports said that multiple law enforcement officers reported that Stevens' blood alcohol was four times the legal limit.
Her decision to allow her husband, a former NFL tight end, to get behind the wheel of a team van was the reason U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati and coach Jill Ellis imposed a 30-day suspension from the team.
Hope Solo cleared of domestic violence charges against family members
TMZ Sports added that police officers had Holo removed from the scene - hotel workers kept her inside the hotel to prevent her from incriminating herself.
Worse was the fact the Solo was in Southern California for training camp as the team prepares for the 2015 Women's World Cup that starts in June.
"During our current national team camp, Hope made a poor decision that has resulted in a negative impact on U.S. Soccer and her teammates," Ellis said in a statement. "We feel at this time it is best for her to step away from the team."
In a statement, Solo expressed remorse.
"I accept and respect the Federation's decision, and more importantly, I apologize for disappointing my teammates, coaches and the Federation who have always supported me," the statement read.
"I think it's best for me to take a break, decompress from the stress of the last several months and come back mentally and physically ready to positively contribute to the team."
But the suspension comes just days after Solo avoided another legal issue because of a technicality - charges were dropped after her lawyer reported that he was unable to interview her sister and nephew, both of whom had accused her of hitting them during a disturbance at their house over the summer.
A New York Daily News column suggested that Solo remains likely to start for the U.S. in the World Cup but that she acts differently when under the influence of alcohol herself.
"Anybody who has dealt with Solo, when she is sober and engaged in real-life issues, knows she can be a charming, thoughtful person," the Daily News' Filip Bondy wrote. "... was nothing like the woman portrayed by these sorry incidents. She is not Tonya Harding, until her blood chemistry is altered."
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