Alex Labidou reports that Phil Wheddon, a former U.S. women’s team assistant coach, has declined to comment on HopeSolo‘s claim that he was in the room when she was allegedly shoved by then-U.S. head coach Greg Ryan in 2007. Ryan denies he shoved Solo.
“I will not be making anycomment on this situation,” Wheddon, who now coaches Syracuse, told Goal.com.
In her new memoir “Solo: A Memoir of Hope,” Solo claims that Ryan shoved her back into her chair as sheattempted to leave a meeting where the goalkeeper was told she would be benched for the Women’s World Cup semifinal. Solo wrote that Wheddon was a witness to the incident: “I wasn’t going to let himprovoke me. I restrained myself and glanced over at Phil, glad to have a witness.”
“This allegation is completely false,” Ryan told ESPN.com last week in a statement. “I did not shove orpush Hope as I’ve been accused in her book. I would have been terminated immediately by USA Soccer had this allegation been true. I have openly discussed the contents of the meeting and this is thefirst time that this accusation has been brought to light.”