Hope Solo Pleads Guilty To DWI: 'I Consider This A Gift'

Former soccer player Hope Solo has pleaded guilty to DWI.

As The Blast previously reported, police pulled over the former goalkeeper in North Carolina. Her two young children were in the backseat while she was driving intoxicated. She was charged with driving while impaired, resisting a public officer, and misdemeanor child abuse.

In May, Solo entered a rehab treatment facility to seek help for her alcoholism, which may have helped her cut a deal with prosecutors on Monday.

According to TMZ, Hope Solo showed up in the Forsyth County courtroom on Monday after making a deal with prosecutors to plead guilty to lesser charges. Although she pled guilty to driving while impaired, the prosecutors dropped one count of child abuse and one count of resisting arrest.

In exchange for her plea deal, Solo was given a 24-month suspended sentence. In addition to paying various fines, she will also have to take a substance abuse assessment. She has already reportedly completed a 30-day, in-patient rehab program at the Hope Valley treatment facility in North Carolina earlier this summer, which will be counted towards her sentence.

According to her attorney, Chris Clifton, she is relieved that the case is behind her so she can look forward to spending more time with her friends and family.

Shortly after her plea in court, the former soccer star posted a lengthy statement on her Instagram page, admitting, "I underestimated what a destructive part of my life alcohol had become."

In a lengthy statement on her Instagram page, Hope Solo addressed her alcoholism and thanked her fans and friends for their support.

“It’s been a long road, but I’m slowly coming back from taking time off. I pride myself in motherhood and what my husband and I have done day in and day out for over two years throughout the pandemic with two-year old twins,” she wrote. “While I’m proud of us, it was incredibly hard and I made a huge mistake. Easily the worst mistake of my life.”

“I underestimated what a destructive part of my life alcohol had become,” she confessed.”

“The upside of making a mistake this big is that hard lessons are learned quickly. Learning these lessons has been difficult, and at times, very painful,” she continued.

Solo said that she wanted to “thank my beautifully strong husband for supporting me through this in so many meaningful ways and my mom for being there for us, always. I want to thank all the friends who showed me support and also the ones who pushed me to take the hardest steps.”

“I want to thank my fans,” she added. “The stories you shared and your faith in me meant a great deal.”

“I would like to thank my attorneys, Rich Nichols, Jim Trusty and Chris Clifton, for understanding that putting my mental and emotional well being first is most important to me and my family,” she went on. “I look forward to opening up and sharing more with everyone in the coming weeks.”

“I also want to thank all the wonderful women I met during my time at the Hope Valley treatment facility and specifically to my counselor, Billie Lawson,” she went on. “The women at Hope Valley are true leaders in their professions, filled with knowledge and insight on how to live a more healthy life balanced with kindness, empathy, tough love and understanding. Their no nonsense way of leading is a leadership style I have always admired and respected.”

“I continue to be a student of the greatest school called life and I will continue to learn and grow from these experiences.  I will continue to gain empathy, knowledge, and stories to share,” she continued. “I consider this a gift to pass it on to others because pain shared is pain lessened.”

Many fans and famous friends commented on the post with messages of support.

One user wrote, “As someone who has struggled with addiction her entire adult life, I tip my hat to you. Realizing there’s a problem and getting help for it are absolutely some of the hardest things to do in life. I’m clean 4.5 years now and it’s still a struggle. But I always tell myself my worst day sober is still better than my best day using. Sending positive thoughts of sobriety your way! ❤️.”