Hope Solo wins appeal in U.S. Soccer case before USOC
- by Paul Kennedy @pkedit, May 31, 2019
Hope Solo, who in 2018 filed a complaint before the USOC against U.S. Soccer that the federation was in violation of USOC by-laws and provisions of the Stevens Act won her appeal of the decision by a three-person USOC panel to grant U.S. Soccer's motion to dismiss the complaint.
Solo vs. USSF: Final Arbitration AwardThe USOC panel ruled that the former national team goalkeeper has not exhausted her administrative remedies -- if she had a complaint with U.S. Soccer about how it operates, she needed to first to take it up with the federation and file a grievance with it and only if she didn't like the outcome could she come before the USOC.
But an AAA arbitration panel hearing her USOC appeal ruled that Solo was correct in charging the U.S. Soccer grievance process is legally flawed. The legal point Solo challenged is that U.S. Soccer utilizes a single-arbiter from the AAA and therefore violates the USOC mandate under the Stevens Act that “panels” have 20 percent athlete representation.
Hope Solo v. USSF: The Complaint
The effect of the decision is to allow Solo to have her complaint heard before a three-person USOC panel. The arbitration panel ruled she did not have to exhaust procedures through U.S. Soccer that violated federal law and there were no remedies to exhaust.
The Stevens Act -- the current version of the Amateur Act -- governs national governing bodies such as U.S. Soccer. It was sponsored by Ted Stevens, then–senator from Alaska, and adopted in 1998, giving athletes a greater voice in their sports and more rights.
The requirement of 20 percent athlete representation is central to how national governing bodies operate. Within U.S. Soccer's National Council, the Athlete Council has 20 percent of the vote. Federation board committees typically have five members, one of them an athlete.
9 comments about "Hope Solo wins appeal in U.S. Soccer case before USOC".
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This is, like, meta-journalism. It explicates the appeal and the arbitration, without ever informing the reader of the actual complaint.
In other words, the article needs to tell more with some other words. Revise it?
First, what in heck is "meta journalism?" If SA were to publish the entire appeal and the responses it got, it'd be a pretty long article, and then others, would be reacting and telling SA to just "give the fact, sir, just tha feact." If one want to read the entire paperwork, I am sure SA would be more than glad to providse the link, etc. And don't forget, that while we're now well into the 21st Century, some in US Soccer are still stuck in the late 20thC....
What was the complaint? Glad Hope Solo won her appeal!
What was the complaint? Glad Hope Solo won her appeal!
She filed a complaint with the USOC alleging that USSF was illegally favoring MLS, lack of financial transparency, lack of accountability to its member organizations, and illegal discrimination against women and persons with disabilities.
I agree that the article could have included more info. It would however be repeating old stories. Detail information is available on the wonderful internet :)
Good for her! Now let's get her back on the WNT for the WC.
Nick, she had surgery 3 years ago and hasn't played since. She is not available.