Hope Solo accuses Megan Rapinoe of intimidating her teammates into their knees

Former US women’s soccer star Hope Solo says co-star Megan Rapinoe “almost” intimidated her colleagues into kneeling during the national anthem.

The footballer made these statements in an interview with Goal on his program all of us.

During the interview, Solo commented on the political debates that took place around the team as the athletes decided to kneel during the national anthem.

Kneeling during the national anthem has become a common – and controversial – way for athletes to express their solidarity with the movement for racial justice in the United States and elsewhere.

“What I’ve seen now is that there has been a lot of debate about kneeling or not kneeling. I know most people are against discrimination.” And I live in the South, and I live in a very conservative area here in North Carolina in the South. I obviously have friends on both sides of the aisle, but I think kneeling can be divisive.”

This division was on display during the Tokyo Olympics, when some governors supported the team’s decision for the athletes to kneel. Donald Trump was among those who criticized the women, calling them “crazy leftists” and “scammers”, notably Rapinoe, whom he called the “purple-haired woman”.

Rapinoe infuriated Trump by leading the team’s boycott of the White House visit after winning the 2019 World Cup.

It’s tough,” Solow said. “I’ve seen Megan Rapinoe almost scare players to their knees because she really wants to defend something her own way. But it’s our right as Americans to do it the way we feel comfortable, and I think it’s really hard to be on the main stage now with so many political issues For the athletes. There is a lot of pressure and in the end our first goal has to be, and always has been, to win first.”

Read more: Pilates and kill podcasts: Megan Rapinoe reveals her daily routine

The US Women’s Team has used its platform to advance a number of social causes, including race, gender, and gay rights. The team also spoke in its fight for the same salaries as professional footballers.

This isn’t the first time Solo has voiced a complaint against Rapinoe. Earlier this year, he criticized his former partner for leading the team into a collective bargaining agreement that resulted in female players receiving less than their male counterparts.

“We were very close to getting equal pay in 2016; she offered us, we were about to sign the contract with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). But Megan Rapinoe and the leaders of that team signed a less than equal CBA, which is a matter of the class action lawsuit public and public combat”. be in sports.

USWNT sued US Soccer for wage discrimination. It’s unclear whether Solo’s claim that a better deal could have been worked out is actually true, as esports are under a different functional classification than male players. USWNT members are employees who receive a fixed annual salary and benefits. Members of the American men’s team are not, and they earn their salary through player roster and performance bonuses.

He only left USWNT in 2016 after his contract was terminated due to unsportsmanlike conduct. He described the Swedish national team as “cowards”. This incident came after her arrest in 2014 in which she was accused of assaulting two members of her family, and another ban in 2015 after she borrowed a car with her husband and drove while drunk.