Abby Wambach: Hope Solo’s situation is different from Ray Rice

Abby Wambach recently acknowledged the debate surrounding Hope Solo as her US Women’s soccer teammate awaits trial for a domestic violence charge stemming from a fight with a family member back in June. Wambach, who has been teammates with Solo for over a decade, chose most of her words very carefully.

“It’s hard because we’re in a tricky position because we’re teammates with Hope and we also are role models so we know how massive and we know how big of an issue this is,” she told Christine Brennan of USA Today Sports. That’s not lost on us by any means. But I think on so many different levels, our hands are tied. U.S. Soccer made the decisions that they made and we’re here to play soccer, we’re here to qualify, we know that it wasn’t so easy the last time around, and so we are in a tough position.”

Some have argued that Solo — like Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson — should not be allowed to play while her case is still pending. While the US Olympic Committee expressed concern over the accusations against Solo, the 33-year-old has been allowed to participate in several meaningless friendlies since she was arrested.

Wambach also cautioned people against comparing Solo to Rice.

“I think this is a different situation, whether people want to believe that or not,” she said. “It’s hard for us because we want to back her but then there’s this whole other dimension to it. I think that the truth will come out in her case. Nobody was there, so everybody can construe: ‘Oh, well then, whatever happened with that Ray Rice situation is obviously what’s gone on in this Hope case,’ and that’s just not the case. I think that the truth will come out and people will understand.”

That quote seems to imply that Wambach believes Solo’s side of the story, whatever that may be. Solo has been accused of punching her 17-year-old nephew in the face and then attacking his mother when she intervened.