It is turning out to a terribly grim week for domestic soccer and domestic violence.
Yesterday’s news out of Seattle involving U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo was disturbing on a number of levels. Even if it turns out that Solo’s fiancé did nothing wrong in this case, the two-time Olympic Gold Medalist’s personal choices seem curious, at very best.
(MORE: The latest Hope Solo misfortune)
Now, Major League Soccer has its own domestic-violence mess to deal with.
FC Dallas president Doug Quinn was arrested over the weekend in New York for allegedly beating and strangling his wife.
As with all of these stories, it’s best to let things play out legally before arriving at too many hard conclusions. But it does seem safe to say this:
If the allegations prove true, it’s hard to see that top-level management changes aren’t ahead for FC Dallas, which is owned by Hunt Sports Group. That’s an organization that traces its roots to patriarch and domestic soccer pioneer Lamar Hunt, a man of unimpeachable character.
It’s hard to see HSG retaining Quinn, who was once a rising star in MLS circles, a man more or less hand-picked by league leaders to help FC Dallas sort out its front office, one that had lost its way in terms of sponsorship and customer service.