THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE'S ongoing domestic violence problems have put United States women’s national team goalkeeper Hope Solo in an unhappy spotlight.

Solo—who is currently awaiting trial on two counts of fourth-degree domestic violence stemming from an incident in June—has been the subject of multiple articles in recent days, some that criticize U.S. Soccer for not suspending its star goalkeeper and others contending that Solo’s situation should not be compared with those high-profile cases involving NFL players.

To be sure, the NFL has a history that opens it up to accusations of sexism, including ignoring the issue of domestic abuse for decades and the recent lawsuits by NFL cheerleaders claiming they are paid below minimum wage.

CLICK: Should U.S. Soccer Suspend or Punish Hope Solo?

U.S. Soccer, on the other hand, has led the world in promoting women’s soccer—from holding frequent (and expensive) training camps for the women’s team when club opportunities were not widely available—to financially supporting the third attempt to create a sustainable women’s professional league in America.

That’s not to say, however, that women’s soccer doesn’t face challenges. Women’s players, and teams, are often treated like second-class citizens and frequently have to deal with situations that range from absurd to potentially criminal.

For instance, former Women's Professional Soccer franchise owner Dan Borislow, who ran the magicJack franchise that Solo played for in 2011, allegedly asked his players to call him “Daddy” and was accused by former player Ella Masar of refusing proper medical treatment when she was seriously injured.

And that’s all to say nothing of the routine sexist comments made by FIFA chief Sepp Blatter, or the decision to hold the 2015 Women’s World Cup on turf—a situation that would never happen in the men’s game.

Blatter has said that women should “play in more feminine clothes like they do in volleyball” and implied that women are not smart enough to understand the rules of the game when he said, “Football is a simple game that only becomes complicated once you attempt to explain the active and passive offside rules to your wife.”

And the decision to hold next summer’s World Cup on artificial turf only seems to confirm FIFA’s inherent sexism. In response, a coalition of 50 female players is currently threatening legal action against FIFA for gender discrimination.

U.S. striker Abby Wambach, who is part of the lawsuit, fears a rash of injuries next summer in Canada: “You're going to be more sore," she said. "You're going to be scraped up. You could take on a massive injury and be out for the rest of the tournament."

This is why soccer should be played on grass! pic.twitter.com/fsNGi27oRY

— Sydney Leroux (@sydneyleroux) April 15, 2013

But the unequal treatment of female soccer players, brought up by some while discussing the situation with Solo, simply obscures the issue at hand—domestic violence. And in this instance, regardless of the obstacles women face on and off the field, there should not be a double standard—Solo should be treated the same as any man would be treated in the same situation.

The difference comes when examining the specific details of each case because the two most prominent NFL domestic abuse cases, those involving Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson, are substantively different from the case with Solo.

Rice’s vicious assault of his wife (then his fiancee) has been clearly demonstrated by video evidence and Peterson has admitted to causing his son’s gruesome injuries. But Solo pled not guilty to her charges and her attorney has said that Solo was actually the victim in the incident that led to her arrest.

Solo made the following statement in a recent Facebook post: “While I understand that the public desires more information regarding the allegations against me, I continue to maintain my innocence against these charges. And, once all the facts come to light and the legal process is concluded, I am confident that I will be fully exonerated.”

While domestic violence in all cases should be publicly condemned and harshly punished, the idea of being innocent until proven guilty is still, and should remain, a cherished right. Should Solo be found guilty, U.S. Soccer must take strong action. But to convict players before a trial takes place, even in the court of public opinion, sets a dangerous precedent.

Solo has a troubled past—that's not in question. She has also gotten into several well-publicized feuds, including her criticism of Briana Scurry and U.S. head coach Greg Ryan in the 2007 World Cup and her Twitter rant against former U.S. legend Brandi Chastain during the 2012 Olympics. U.S. Soccer and head coach Jill Ellis also made a mistake last week when they honored Solo by making her the captain for the team’s match against Mexico.

But Solo’s past and U.S. Soccer’s actions last week are also irrelevant to the discussion about benching her. Unlike Rice and Peterson, who have both admitted their guilt, Solo maintains her innocence and is entitled to her day in court.

John D. Halloran is an American Soccer Now columnist focusing on the U.S. women's team. Follow him on Twitter.