Hope Solo’s husband wants to move forward after DUI in U.S. soccer van

Former NFL player Jerramy Stevens -- the husband of U.S. soccer star Hope Solo -- said Friday he wants to move his life in a positive direction after he was convicted of drunk driving at the wheel of a U.S. soccer van.

“I fully and willingly accept the consequences of my failure to act responsibly and I am ready to face what is ahead,” Stevens said in a statement issued by his attorney, Craig Renetzky, a day after his no-contest plea to driving under the influence.

“I look forward to putting it all behind me and moving forward with my life in a positive and productive manner,” he continued.

Stevens, 35, entered the plea on two misdemeanor counts: driving with a .08% blood-alcohol content and driving under the influence within 10 years of a prior DUI conviction, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.

Since the former Seattle Seahawks star made an “open plea,” a judge must decide the punishment at a May 15 sentencing. Stevens faces up to a year in county jail.

On Jan. 19 about 1:30 a.m., police stopped Stevens after an officer spotted him driving a U.S. soccer van with its headlights off in Manhattan Beach.

The Kirkland, Wash., resident refused a blood test or a Breathalyzer, so officers had to secure a search warrant to draw a blood sample, prosecutors said.

His blood-alcohol concentration was .15% or more, Stevens admitted as part of his plea agreement. He also acknowledged in the plea that he was convicted in 2007 of a DUI in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Solo, a goalkeeper for the U.S. national soccer team, was in the van at the time, police said. She was suspended by Coach Jill Ellis for making “a poor decision that has resulted in a negative impact on U.S. soccer and her teammates.” In late February, she was reinstated to the team.

The Manhattan Beach DUI case was one in a number of incidents that have made the couple a subject of controversy.

Solo, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and former contestant on “Dancing With the Stars,” was arrested on domestic violence charges last year, and in July issued a public apology to fans.

She had been accused of assaulting her sister and nephew. A judge in Washington state had dismissed the two counts of domestic violence against her nearly a week before Stevens’ arrest.

In November 2012, Stevens, who was Solo’s fiancé at the time, was arrested on suspicion of assaulting her but never charged.

Stevens was drafted by the Seahawks in 2002 and played for the team until 2007. He went on to play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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