Senator Richard Blumenthal (D – Conn.) sent out a sternly worded letter to U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati on Thursday, admonishing the organization for allowing USWNT goalie Hope Solo to represent the United States at this summer’s Women’s World Cup.

“Domestic violence is unacceptable,” the letter said, “particularly for an athlete representing the United States of America on the global stage.”

Blumenthal went on to accuse the organization of failing to adequately address or investigate the serious charges against Solo.

Solo was arrested on domestic violence charges in 2014, the details of which were made public by an ESPN report just before the start of the Women’s World Cup. The charges against Solo were later dropped on procedural grounds.

You can read the full text of the letter below:

Dear Mr. Gulati,

As the World Cup begins this week and Team USA prepares for its second game on Friday, a cloud hangs over what would otherwise be cause for celebration. According to court documents uncovered by ESPN’s Outside The Lines, even as Team USA goalie Hope Solo publicly claims two domestic violence counts stemming from a June 2014 incident have been dismissed, “prosecutors are scheduled to file their argument by July 13… arguments are scheduled for Sept. 11.”

The details from police reports, sworn witness depositions, and a transcript of a 911 call from that evening, paint a picture all too familiar to those of us who have worked closely with victims of domestic violence and family violence. Alcohol-fueled verbal abuse eventually led to physical violence. One of the victims, Solo’s half-sister, Teresa Obert, described the goalie’s attack first on her then-17-year-old son, before she turned her attention to the half-sister:

“’She grabbed him by the head and she kept slamming him into the cement over and over again,’ Obert told Outside the Lines. ‘So I came from behind her, and I pulled her over and, you know, to get her off my son. And then, once she got off, she started punching me in the face over and over again.’”

In the wake of this violent incident, U.S. Soccer offered no comment publicly for three months. It finally issued a statement that was purportedly the result of a “deliberate and thoughtful approach” to consider the incident and determine Hope Solo’s status with the team, but it neglected to include an effort to contact the alleged victims. According to ESPN, “Outside the Lines found no evidence that anyone with U.S. Soccer contacted prosecutors or police involved with the case, either. Public records requests made to the Kirkland Police Department do not appear to reflect any attempt by officials with U.S. Soccer to obtain the police reports from the case. Murray told Outside the Lines he was not aware of anyone from U.S. Soccer contacting the Kirkland police for information about the case.”

Last year, I criticized the NFL for failing to adequately punish domestic violence in the wake of a two-game suspension given to Ray Rice. It is distressing that after so many months of national dialogue on the issue, we find ourselves at square one in the Hope Solo situation. If the Outside the Lines reports are correct, U.S. Soccer’s approach to domestic violence and family violence in this instance is at best superficial and at worst dangerously neglectful and self-serving.

I urge U.S. Soccer to conduct a thorough investigation into this incident – an inquiry that includes a comprehensive review of police reports and interviews of the alleged victims. In the interim, U.S. Soccer should at least articulate an explanation for Hope Solo’s position as an active member of Team USA. As boys and girls tune in to Friday’s game, watching the women on TV as role models, what is the message of starting Hope Solo at goal?

Domestic violence and family violence are an horrific scourge that happens behind closed doors every day in this country. Regardless of whether the violence is a man striking a woman, a woman striking a man, or same-sex violence, it is unacceptable. Domestic violence is intolerable particularly for an athlete representing the United States of America on the global stage.

Soccer today faces huge challenges as the FIFA scandal unfolds. Hope Solo continuing to play goalie for Team USA, just months before she will appear in court to face domestic violence charges, raises troubling questions about the state of the game.

Sincerely,

Richard Blumenthal

United States Senate