TIM HOWARD: How Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes changed my mind on controversial US soccer star's Olympics selection

As a player, I ever believed successful nan sanctity of nan group: if you went against nan mostly successful nan locker room, if you went against what they judge to beryllium right, past I was very, very difficult connected you. 

Just inquire my teammate astatine Everton who refused to subordinate our Pride run because it went against his beliefs. I told him: ‘You are bang retired of order. This origin is acold bigger than you.’

Other players agreed but they wouldn’t stone nan boat. I was ever much outspoken – I’d show nan subordinate successful backstage and I’d show them successful beforehand of nan group.

It is intolerable to get 25 group to work together connected everything, of course. But a squad is simply a family. And that intends we each person to propulsion successful nan aforesaid direction.

Unfortunately, moreover nan champion teams tin beryllium engulfed by division. Take nan USWNT, which kicks disconnected its Olympic run against Zambia connected Thursday.

After midfielder Korbin Albert shared anti-LGBTQ posts connected societal media, she has been publicly criticized by teammates and she has been booed by supporters. 

But caller head Emma Hayes has stuck by nan 20-year-old – ignoring instrumentality backlash to prime her for nan Olympic roster. It’s a large telephone that comes pinch large risks. 

But is it nan correct one? Well, my sentiment has changed precocious – acknowledgment to Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes.

The Kansas City Chiefs faced a brewing ungraded earlier this offseason, erstwhile kicker Harrison Butker made a arguable commencement speech, telling women that 1 of their astir important roles successful life will beryllium ‘homemaker’.

It caused a stink and it put his Chiefs teammates and coaches successful a very difficult position.

I thought Butker was retired of statement and if he was successful my locker room, I’d person told him that. I'm still personification who thinks: if I person a stance and it's nan correct 1 and you don't travel astir to it, I'll beryllium disappointed. But Mahomes and Kelce really opened my eyes.

They are leaders connected that squad and they based on that we unrecorded successful a world wherever not everyone's going to agree. But we support each different arsenic a family and we effort to understand wherever different group are coming from - moreover if we don't spot eye-to-eye. That is overmuch much accepting than I would person been.

But now I spot nan different side. Now I'm not stupid capable to deliberation that my sentiment is nan only 1 that matters. Now I cognize you person to listen. You person to person conversations.

So if I was connected nan USWNT and Albert was successful my locker room, I would not beryllium truthful hardline. I wouldn’t consciousness for illustration my sound has to beryllium heard and location has to beryllium 1 measurement of thinking. I look astatine really a awesome squad for illustration nan Chiefs dealt pinch Butker and recognize that I was wrong. 

Albert has apologized for her societal media posts. But that doesn’t mean she has fundamentally changed – she has been brought up a definite way, her beliefs are important to her and those feelings are valid.

The problem is that they jar pinch nan halfway values of a USWNT which has been connected nan beforehand lines - fighting for nan LGBT community, raising consciousness and doing truthful overmuch good. You tin ideate really hurtful it is erstwhile 1 of their ain doesn't stock those beliefs.

That would strain my narration pinch nan subordinate - connected nan training section and connected nan pitch. But it’s captious to retrieve 1 thing: you person to co-exist pinch these group each day, you walk much clip pinch them than your family.

So it is up to Hayes and her players to find immoderate different communal crushed to cling connected to. That intends having superior conversations. That requires elder players to say: we don’t work together and that is difficult because we are truthful passionate astir this. But location has to beryllium a watershed infinitesimal and an oliva branch.

Fortunately, successful shot arsenic successful life, thing ever comes up. There will beryllium different difficult infinitesimal for nan USWNT and possibly Albert and her teammates will spot eye-to-eye connected that. I person been down this roadworthy and they will find thing that brings them backmost together. 

At Everton, my teammate heard maine retired and respectfully declined to subordinate nan Pride campaign. But our desire to conflict for nan badge became a communal origin that helped america get past those disagreements. Fans don’t hide truthful easily, though, and it’s difficult to person sympathy for Albert.

Yes, she has a target connected her backmost now. Yes, she is nether much unit to perform. But that’s connected her. As athletes, we person nan action to speak retired aliases enactment silent. But we must understand that if we take to return a stand, we will beryllium scrutinized and moreover ridiculed.

Hayes knows that. She knows really selecting Albert could effect nan move and civilization of her team. She knows that thing different than winning golden will count arsenic a nonaccomplishment and that if nan squad is dogged by in-fighting, her determination will beryllium nan logic why. But she thought it was worthy it. Hayes is simply a victor who understands nan scrutiny of soccer’s apical jobs.

It is important that she lays down a marker successful her first awesome tournament. She has already shown she won’t awkward distant from reliable calls.