RUTHERFORD — Sexist slurs apparently directed at U.S. Women's soccer star Megan Rapinoe have caused a rift among Republican candidates running for local office.

The comments, which don't identify Rapinoe by name, are directed at a member of the soccer team conducting a protest during the national anthem and reference the player's sexuality.

Borough council candidates Ryan Weist and Kristina Gagliardi-Wilson said they would separate their campaigns from mayoral candidate Marc Marsi, claiming he made the "derogatory remarks on social media" about "a member of the USA Women's soccer team."

On Sunday, Weist and Gagliardi-Wilson posted a statement to their "Rutherford Strong" Facebook campaign page to announce the split.

Marsi, when contacted, would not confirm nor deny that he made the comments.

Rapinoe, in addition to being the star of the team, has been in the press recently because her protest — intended to highlight the inequality faced by the LGBTQ community — drew the ire of President Donald Trump. She initially protested by kneeling during the anthem, then stood silently with her hands at her sides.

Trump and Rapinoe exchanged barbs on Twitter as the soccer team made its historic run to the World Cup championship. The team was honored for winning the cup with a ticker tape parade Wednesday in Manhattan.

Gagliardi-Wilson said she was "still kind of shaking, angry and upset" over the comments.

Parade:USWNT celebrates 2019 Women's World Cup championship

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However, she and Weist acknowledged they did not see the comments first hand. Rather, they said they were told by multiple people that the comments were posted on Facebook by an account believed to belong to Marsi.

"It's unbecoming of anyone who wants to represent anyone in government," Weist said of the comments. "No one should ever talk like this, especially over political differences. It's horrible."

NorthJersey.com obtained screenshots that appear to show a Facebook comment left by Marsi in response to another Facebook user's post that reads: "USA! Putting my flag out again." It is unclear if the comment thread still exists on the site, because the original post is set to private.

In the images, comments bearing Marsi's name and head shot seem to first joke that a female "high scoring player" would burn the American flag.

They also refer to the athlete using a sexist slur, calling her a "piece of [expletive]" among other obscenities and add: "hope she gets permanently injured."

Marsi, reached by phone several days ago, said he had a firm stance on athletes' decorum.

"I have strong feelings for anyone kneeling for the flag," he said. "I'll defend to the death their right to do it," he added, "but I think its unpatriotic and completely out of place for [someone] who's wearing a uniform for the United States of America."

Marsi declined to look at a screenshot of the exchange, but acknowledged he knew the other person whose name appears in the thread as "an acquaintance."

Gagliardi-Wilson said she exchanged text messages with Marsi over the weekend. While she did not ask him directly whether the comments were his, she said the dialogue continued under the assumption that she had seen the offending comments and that he did not deny making them.

"I didn't ask him; I just wanted to rid myself of the situation," she said.

Three others who posted comments in the thread were contacted by NorthJersey.com through their Facebook accounts, but did not respond to requests for comment.

Weist said she did not know the process for dissolving an established political election slate, particularly once all three members won in the primary election. Marsi, Gagliardi-Wilson and Weist appeared on June primary ballots as "Republicans for Responsible Government."

Frank Nunziato, Marsi's Democratic opponent for the mayor's seat, said he had heard of the comments.

"I don’t even want to see it," Nunziato said of the screenshot. "I was so upset. No one should be spoken about like that if it’s true."

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Email: Katzban@NorthJersey.com