‘American football… we eat our own’: Alexi Lalas slams the World Cup blackmail plot against US coach Gregg Berhalter after admitting he kicked his wife in a drunken argument in 1991 after threatening to ‘kick him over’ bring to”.
- Alexi Lalas has responded to the apparent blackmail plot against Gregg Berhalter
- The broadcaster FOX commented on the situation on Tuesday afternoon
- Berhalter admitted to kicking his now-wife in college when he was 18
- And US Soccer is investigating a third party who tried to use that information against him
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Alexi Lalas has criticized Gregg Berhalter’s mysterious blackmailer who aimed to bring down the USMNT coach with information that he had kicked his now-wife Rosalind during a 1991 argument.
Both Berhalter and US Soccer issued statements on the matter on Tuesday, as the manager admitted the “shameful moment” at the age of 18 and the federation said they were investigating the matter.
And Lalas also got involved, citing the tweet statement from Berhalter’s Twitter account.
Alexi Lalas has criticized the blackmail plot allegedly targeted by Gregg Berhalter
“So obviously someone blackmailed our US national team coach Gregg Berhalter during the World Cup over an incident that happened between Gregg and his wife (then girlfriend) over 30 years ago,” he said.
“American football… we eat our own.”
US Soccer said it learned of the “charge” against Berhalter on Dec. 11 — eight days after the team was eliminated by Holland in the round of 16 — and said it would share the full findings of the investigation when it’s completed is.
Berhalter’s contract with the team expired after the tournament, although he said on Tuesday he was looking forward to “continuing my talks with US Soccer about the future”.
Berhalter admitted to “kicking his wife Rosalind (left) in the legs” after an argument in 1991.
The coach said he released the statement “to provide transparency and to reaffirm that a single bad decision made by a teenager doesn’t necessarily define him for the rest of his life”.
“It felt like we had known each other for years. We had been dating for four months when an incident happened between us that would shape the future of our relationship,” he said.
“One night Rosalind and I had a heated argument while going out at a local bar that continued outside. It got physical and I kicked her in the legs.
Berhalter released a statement on his Twitter profile Tuesday afternoon to clarify some “personal information that a third party has used against my family and me.”
“There are zero excuses for my actions that night; It was a shameful moment that I still regret to this day.”
The 49-year-old New Jersey-born coach met Rosalind, also 49, at the University of North Carolina, where they both played soccer and began dating in 1991 before marrying eight years later.
The couple reside in Lake View, Chicago and have four children.
Berhalter concluded the statement by saying he and his wife, Rosalind, have “fully cooperated in the investigation into US soccer.”
However, it seems that they are not the only people who may have been targeted by third parties.
Berhalter and his wife hug after USA’s elimination from the World Cup on December 3rd
“Through this process, US Soccer has learned of potentially inappropriate behavior towards several employees of our organization by individuals outside of our organization,” the federation said in its statement.
“We take such behavior seriously and have expanded our investigation into these allegations.
Berhalter and Lalas both played for the USA national team.
Berhalter won 44 international matches and played a significant role at the 2002 World Cup.
Lalas played at the 1994 World Cup and won 96 caps.