Jill Ellis Comments on Hope Solo's Termination from US Women's Soccer Team

United States women's national team coach Jill Ellis shed some light Tuesday on the reasoning behind Hope Solo's six-month suspension.

Her punishment, which included U.S. Soccer terminating her national team contract, came after she called Sweden a "bunch of cowards" for the way they played in the United States' quarterfinal defeat at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

In a statement on U.S. Soccer's official site, Ellis explained Solo's comments weren't the sole reason behind the suspension:

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Over time there's been off the field distractions for which the federation has taken action. Each time an action has been taken there's been made clear an expectation that this would be the last time such a step would be necessary. Sadly, how Hope handled her post-Olympic comments forced us to make a significant decision. It's not simply a decision made about comments, it was based on the sum total of actions that have unfortunately shone a negative light on our program.

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Solo released a statement on Aug. 30 revealing that she doesn't intend to return to her club team, the Seattle Reign, for the remainder of the current National Women's Soccer League season. Despite having her contract terminated by the national federation, Solo was still eligible to play for the Reign.

For many fans, U.S. Soccer's recent actions against Solo were overdue. Her critics argued U.S. Soccer had failed to properly act following past infractions, most notably after domestic violence allegations arose against the 35-year-old.

According to ESPN's Mark Fainaru-Wada, Solo's half-sister said Solo attacked her and her teenage son in June 2014. Fainaru-Wada reported last October a Washington state appeals court ruled Solo would face potential charges stemming from the incident.

Before her six-month suspension, U.S. Soccer's swiftest action against Solo was a 30-day suspension in January 2015 that came after her husband, former NFL tight end Jerramy Stevens, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. Stevens was driving a U.S. team van at the time, and Solo was a passenger in the vehicle.

Solo could potentially return to the national team once her suspension ends in February 2017, but Ellis will likely make any final decision as to whether the goalkeeper has a future with the USWNT.