Hope Solo, the former goalkeeper for the U.S. women’s soccer team stated that her former teammate, soccer star Megan Rapinoe, “almost” bullied the team into taking a knee during the National Anthem played before games.
“I think the rhetoric surrounding this team has been both divisive and inclusive,” Solo stated. “I guess it’s kind of where we are in politics in this day and age.”
Rapinoe has become well known for her “woke” activism, really piled on the pressure for the rest of the team to follow her lead and kneel during the National Anthem.
“I think the kneeling thing can be very divisive,” Solo went on to say during a conversation she had with Goal.com. “I’ve seen Megan Rapinoe almost bully players into kneeling because she really wants to stand up for something in her particular way.”
Hope Solo accuses Megan Rapinoe of ‘almost bullying’ teammates into kneeling https://t.co/gQYQy7OKXA
— The Independent (@Independent) August 16, 2021
The two-time women’s World Cup champion is one of several USWNT players who have made a habit of kneeling before games.
These players are especially outspoken about politics and equal pay in sports.
However, not every player has knelt, and no reports of any backlash against players who have chosen not to kneel have arisen.
Solo has not played with the U.S. Women’s soccer team since 2016. Rapinoe herself recently stated she’s taking some time to decide what her future will be.
The Washington Examiner reached out to U.S. Soccer for a comment on the story, but did not receive a response as of this writing.
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