US Soccer star Hope Solo is facing charges of domestic violence after a family dispute in June that allegedly ended in a drunken brawl. Some right-wing nut jobs are coming out of the woodwork now claiming that US Soccer is practicing a double standard by supporting the goalie. They are calling Solo's case the same as Ray Rice's aggravated assault rap. That ridiculous argument is laughable, except that many folks will probably buy into that. There are a number of reasons that the two situations are different. First, Solo's case is still pending, and the facts of the case have not been vetted. Secondly, the degree of brutality of Rice's punches is probably much more horrific than whatever happened during Solo's altercation.
That is not to say Solo would be within her rights to do what she's accused of doing. There is no room for violence of any kind in the home. But there are important facts to consider.
Ray Rice's punishment occurred months after the legal system had done their job. Rice applied for and received pre-trial intervention, but the facts of his case were known to the NFL and the Baltimore Ravens (there is some dispute on that matter, but the common sense ruling is that they had enough evidence to suspend/terminate him long before the second video was released to the public.)
Solo, however, is yet to go to trial. According to her teammate Christie Rampone, Solo still deserves her day in court (via Huffington Post):
"Right now, she's still innocent. And her court case is coming up in November and after that, when she can finally start speaking, then that situation we'll have to discuss at that point."
To further illustrate the difference between Solo's alleged attack and Rice's, there are physical, psychological and emotional reasons that a man knocking a woman out is different from a fight between two sisters and a teenage male (via Washington Post):
"There is a reason why we call it the 'Violence Against Women Act' and not the 'Brawling With Families Act.' That is because we recognize that violence against women is an insidious, and sometimes lethal, tradition that deserves a special place in our customs and laws."
While violence of any kind should not be condoned, there is a matter of degrees to consider. Violence against women is a systematic and perpetual cycle built around subjugation and intimidation, of fear and control. And the difference between a fight and a beating is just common sense.
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