Hope Solo’s take on Megan Rapinoe’s anthem protest debunked in record timing

Hope Solo criticized Megan Rapinoe for “bullying” teammates into protesting the anthem. There’s a problem: Solo wasn’t on the USWNT when protests started.

Hope Solo just fell victim to one of the classic blunders: Speaking without considering the existence of Google and Twitter.

The former USWNT goalkeeper went on the “All of Us: The U.S. Women’s Soccer Show” from Goal and accused ex-teammate Megan Rapinoe of taking her anthem protests too far.

“I think the kneeling thing can be very divisive. I’ve seen Megan Rapinoe almost bully players into kneeling because she really wants to stand up for something in her particular way,” Solo said.

People on social media questioned Solo’s account almost immediately. And they brought receipts.

Hope Solo’s bullying accusation against Megan Rapinoe doesn’t hold up

The timeline goes like this: Colin Kaepernick started kneeling at 49ers games on Sept. 1, 2016. Rapinoe kneeled for the first time during a USWNT game on Sept. 4. No other members of the team joined her.

Where was Solo at that time? Her final game with the USWNT was on Aug. 13 when the Americans were defeated in the semifinals of the World Cup against Sweden.

Why was Hope Solo suspended?

At that point, Kaepernick’s sitting during the national anthem hadn’t been noticed. The controversy stirred when reporters noticed Kaepernick’s protest on Aug. 26, two days after Solo was suspended by US Soccer for six months and her national team contract was terminated because of comments she made against the Swedish women’s national team.

Why did Hope Solo retire?

Solo was granted personal leave by the Seattle Reign for the rest of the NWSL season a few days later.

She retired shortly thereafter.

That means, on Aug. 30, before Kaepernick ever kneeled, Solo and Rapinoe were no longer teammates for club or country. When exactly would Solo have seen Rapinoe bully teammates about kneeling? Anthem protests weren’t an issue in the spotlight until after Solo was gone and Rapinoe alone knelt that September.

It’s possible Solo heard from others about Rapinoe’s “bullying” but that’s not the way she framed her comments. She wasn’t around either of Rapinoe’s teams when discussions of Kaepernick’s protests would have happened.

If you’re going to accuse someone of being a bully, it’s best to have your timeline right.