It was a big game, covered by a major sports network with international implications.

There was even a national following for the teams and the network not only broadcast it but had spent the previous days promoting it.

This game had it all, drama, interest and a superstar going for a record.

There was also some bad, too, but you would hardly notice that, or be told about it.

One of the stars involved in the game has a violent past and has been arrested on domestic violence charges — two big red flags when it comes to professional and college athletes these days.

Yet that seems to have either been forgotten about or swept under the rug.

This was no football player getting a free pass, though many over the years have gotten one, no question about it.

The alleged in this case is Hope Solo, perhaps the most famous women’s goalie in American soccer history.

While the NFL remains in crisis over violence against women and children nobody seems to worried about Solo, who has been charged with assaulting her 17-year-old nephew and half-sister. 

Solo has pleaded innocent to the charges and is awaiting a November trial. That would be due process under the law. 

Meanwhile, she is still able to work her trade, make money and fly freely under the radar. 

That is not the case now with the NFL players who are convicted in the court of public opinion long before they are judged by a jury.

Sponsors have both pulled money from teams and threatened the league to do more damage to its bank account if this behavior does not stop.

Anheuser-Busch last week came out with a statement showing how upset the company was in the NFL, but never mentioned pulling any ads from soccer coverage or that sports network for showing Solo’s game.

Apparently not all domestic abuse cases are alike, or maybe just not the outrage. This seems to be a perfect case of a double standard. 

Of course it could mean, despite the success of the recent World Cup, nobody really cares about soccer or women’s athletics.

Or it could also be that we still don’t get it and the NFL is just an easy target. If you hear what U.S. Soccer spokesman Neil Buethe said you think it might be both.

Buethe told USA Today that he understood Solo had legal troubles but we had to remember she was going after a record against Mexico. Solo got the mark with her career shutout 73.

And you thought it was just the NFL that is out of touch.

Imagine the heat if NFL commissioner Roger Goodell had said something like that when telling the world it was OK if Ray Rice or Adrian Peterson plays this Sunday.

He would have been run out of office.

Yet not one politician or sports commentator has uttered a word of outrage toward Solo, or at least none do so loud enough so I heard.

This is not to ease pressure on pro football’s leaders who have clearly gotten things wrong in the case of Rice and were slow to get it right when it comes to Peterson.

All the silence on Solo proves is we still aren’t ready to face these topics head on. We would much rather pick and choose what we think is important enough to get our outrage.

There is no question the NFL needs to clean up its act. There’s no question owners have to take leadership roles in more than just trying to win games and make money.

No question Goodell has to be more than just a puppet to owners on important matters.

But we also need to take a good, long look at the bigger picture when it comes to these cases and not just a snapshot — mug shot if you prefer — that just indicts pro football players. 

The NFL is the one currently taking the bullet while all of us are under the gun.

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Jim Gazzolo is managing sports editor. Email him at jgazzolo@americanpress.com(MGNonline)