U.S. women’s national team legend Megan Rapinoe is hopeful Korbin Albert is doing work behind the scenes after controversial social media activity earlier this year.
Rapinoe was one of the earliest and most prominent critics of the USWNT midfielder, who shared and reposted a host of anti-LGBTQ+ content on her TikTok account earlier this year.
Albert also liked a post that poked fun at Rapinoe for tearing her Achilles in her final career game.
After Rapinoe called Albert out for her social media activity, the pressure around the 20-year-old grew and she was eventually forced to apologize.
Albert has gone on to play in every USWNT match since the controversy emerged in the spring, and was named to the Olympic roster that will kick off the competition on Thursday against Zambia.
For her part, Albert has not addressed the controversy since her initial apology. With the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder yet to speak about the matter further, Rapinoe has said she is hopeful the issues are being dealt with out of public view.
“I know that there’s been a player, Korbin, who has expressed some anti-gay views,” Rapinoe told The Advocate . “But I think what is hopefully evergreen about this team, is that we’re always fighting for not just for gay rights, but for all of our right to be who we are and to be our full selves.”
“For Korbin, I hope that she’s doing the work,” she continued. “It’s the sort of process that isn’t public and transparent in a way that allows anyone outside of the environment to really see it. But I hope that it is happening and that she understands that until we are all free, none of us are free, her included.”
After naming Albert to her Olympic roster, USWNT head coach Emma Hayes
insisted that the midfielder was indeed working behind the scenes.
“There’s been a lot of work that’s been going on in the background,” Hayes said.
“Korbin has had to learn,” the coach added. “She’s a young person who’s understood fully the implications of her social media activity.”
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