‘He Got Caught With Drugs at School’- USA Soccer Star Megan Rapinoe Reveals How Her Own Brother Ended Up in Jail Because of His Addictions

Megan Rapinoe is a hero on and off the field. She advocates for social issues like Black Lives Matter, equal pay in sports, and LGBTQ+ rights. Rapinoe took a knee during the national anthem to support the movement against police brutality and came out as gay in 2012.

In a podcast with Jay Williams, she shared her thoughts on the equal pay fight about her family. On this podcast, she revealed how her brother was influential and an incident when he was in school that had an effect on her life.

Megan Rapinoe shared an incident about her brother

Megan Rapinoe opened up about her brother, who was five years older than her. He was like a mentor to her. But his struggles with drug addiction made affected her as a child. He influenced her life in childhood, but the incident of his arrest changed everything.

Rapinoe said, “He was hugely influential. I felt like he was so influential in the first part of my life, and then when we were like 10, he was about 15 was the first time he kind of got in real trouble. He got arrested at school, and at that point, he was just kind of in the system. He got caught with drugs at school, and you know he really obviously needed rehab at that point. I think we really don’t know what to do about it. He is an amazing person, but addiction is no joke.”

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Rapinoe was angry at the situation back then, as she was just 10. But as time passed, she got to know more about addiction and how it is affecting the nation. She used her voice to raise the issue in society. Rapinoe became more empathetic about addiction issues.

Rapinoe fought for various social issues

Two-time Women’s World Cup champion Rapinoe is known for her work outside the soccer field. She became one of the first prominent athletes to come out gay in 2012. It was like an inspiration for other athletes to come out. She kneeled during the national anthem in 2016 to show solidarity for Black Lives and a movement against police brutality. The US Soccer body refrained the soccer players from doing so after the game. Although, Rapinoe continued her support by not singing the national anthem.

She advocated equal pay amongst Men’s and Women’s national teams. Rapinoe was part of the team that fought a legal battle with the association to get equal pay for USMNT and USWNT. Rapinoe once refused to visit the White House if USWNT wins the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup when Donald Trump was the President. It caused a feud between the President and the player. Rapinoe had her views on Donald Trump, and that was the reason she never wanted to go to the White House.

Earlier this year, Rapinoe won the highest civilian award, The President’s Freedom Medal, for her contribution towards equal pay, LGBTQ+ rights, and social issues like Black Lives Matter. President Joe Biden presented her with the medal in July this year. She became the first soccer star to receive the medal.

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Let us know your thoughts on Megan Rapinoe’s heroics on and off the field. Also, share whether she will be playing in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.