Hope Solo takes responsibility after her recent DWI arrest, calling the moment “the biggest mistake of my life.”
“I let alcohol get the better of me in a decision I’ll never survive,” she said on the August 18 episode of her “Hope Solo Speaks” podcast, further citing the mistake, “a decision that came as a big expense for me and my family.”
The soccer star was arrested March 31 after she was discovered unconscious behind the wheel of a vehicle in a Walmart parking lot in North Carolina, with her 2-year-old twins, Lozen and Vittorio, in the back seat.
The engine was still running when she was discovered.
After the incident, Solo went to rehab for alcoholism and postponed her National Soccer Hall of Fame ceremony.
“I have contacted the Hall of Fame and respectfully requested that my Hall of Fame ceremony be postponed until 2023,” the former athlete wrote. “I will voluntarily participate in an in-house alcohol treatment program to address my problems with alcohol.
“Right now my energy and focus is completely focused on my health, healing and taking care of my family. I want to thank the Hall of Fame for their support and understanding of my decision.”
In late July, Solo pleaded guilty to DWI and was given a 30-day active sentence and a 24-month suspended sentence, as well as $2,500 in fines plus a $600 fee to cover lab testing costs.
Her rehabilitation period spanned the 30 days and she was also ordered to undergo a substance abuse assessment and complete all recommended treatments before being released.
“When I put myself into treatment, pending the legal system, covering international and national headlines, canceling my entry into the Hall of Fame induction, it seemed like an aggravation of shame on top of shame,” she recalls on her podcast. “There were many days and nights where I cried uncontrollably over my very first panic attack. The thought of leaving my family behind to fend for themselves was almost unbearable.”
But in the end, she’s grateful for the time she spent on recovery.
“Today I am grateful for my 30 days away to read, think, pray, mediate and learn. There is no shame in struggling with alcohol or addiction. Thank you to the beautiful men and women who taught me this.”