Chelsea FC star Sam Kerr is taking the stand this week, as her trial for allegedly verbally abusing a white London police officer got underway on Monday.
The Australia national team captain pleaded not guilty to one count of racially aggravated harassment before testifying on Wednesday.
While the celebrated striker did not deny calling PC Stephen Lovell "stupid and white" as documented by the officer's body camera, Kerr's legal team is arguing that both the specific incident and "the law is a little more nuanced, a little more human than that."

Kerr describes "terrifying" cab ride at trial
The incident in question occurred in January 2023, when Kerr and her fiancée, USWNT and West Ham midfielder Kristie Mewis, experienced a concerning late-night taxi ride.
Kerr testified that she leaned out of an open window after beginning to feel sick during the the ride. She alleges that the driver then rolled up the window and proceeded to "drive dangerously," including "swerving in and out of lanes."
The erratic driving allegedly lasted 15 to 20 minutes. Kerr also told the jury that the driver refused to stop or unlock the doors and windows.
"I was terrified for my life," the 31-year-old testified. "We were not in control... I deemed him to be dangerous because of the driving but also because he could have taken us anywhere. He couldn’t be tracked so no one knew where we were."
Mewis eventually "kicked out [the window] with her boot" in an attempt to escape what they thought was a kidnapping. As a result, the driver delivered the pair to the police station.

Perceived lack of help sparked comment from Kerr
At the police station, the couple told officers about their experience. Kerr says she felt that the police did not believe them, prompting the heated exchange.
"The words were a comment, we say — however poorly expressed — about positions of power, about privilege and about how those things might color perception," Kerr's lawyer Grace Forbes argued.
"I expressed myself poorly in that moment. What I was trying to get across was I felt that they were treating me differently and not believing me and treating me as a person that had done something wrong," Kerr elaborated.
"They were in a position of privilege and power. I believed they were treating me specifically differently because of the color of my skin."
Notably, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) originally decided not to charge Kerr. They had determined that the only outcome of a prosecution would be a simply apology from the soccer star.
While PC Lovell's initial statement made no mention of Kerr's comments having any impact on him, he submitted a second statement in the wake of CPS's decision to not prosecute, later claiming the footballer's words had been harassing.
CPS authorized the charge in December 2023, nearly a year after the incident occurred.
An age-old rivalry headlines the WSL this weekend, as second-place Arsenal gears up for Sunday's Stamford Bridge showdown against league leaders — and reported recipient of USWNT star Naomi Girma — Chelsea FC.
Both clubs are on an undefeated tear, with Chelsea yet to register a loss halfway through the 22-match 2024/25 season.
Meanwhile, newly minted head coach Renée Slegers's Arsenal will attempt to avenge the Gunners' lone loss — a 2-1 October stumble to first-season WSL boss Sonia Bompastor's Blues.
Chelsea and Arsenal's dominance goes beyond the WSL, as both sides also advanced to the semifinals of the League Cup with massive shutout wins this past Wednesday.

Wright shines spotlight on WSL investment debate
A product of a system that often places men's and women's teams under the same leadership, Chelsea and Arsenal have set the standard for the top-flight UK league — and cast other clubs in their shadow.
As some WSL teams continue to snag top international stars, those seeing departures risk falling by the wayside — putting into question a system that might be inhibiting the league's growth and parity.
"In England, with the women's league, I believe if you gave some owners the opportunity to back out of supporting the women's game, I think they would, simply because I feel like they're all about profit," Arsenal legend and outspoken women's football advocate Ian Wright told The World Economic Forum in Davros this week.
Wright acknowledged that the women's game, which suffered from a near 50-year FA ban, is still "playing catch up on every level, infrastructure, training, coaching and every level of development."
"Because of the past it wasn't allowed to be built up, so we are trying to do that now. So, it needs owners, individuals and corporates that will invest."
Currently, the English FA is considering expanding the lower tiers of the women's football pyramid to incentivize development and professionalization at the club level.

How to watch WSL rivals Chelsea vs. Arsenal in the London Derby
Sunday's WSL rivalry match pits the league-leading Blues against the Gunners at 7:25 AM ET, with live coverage on ESPN2.
USWNT star Naomi Girma will reportedly become the first women's soccer player to garner a transfer fee of over $1 million, as the decorated young center back narrows her overseas suitors down to WSL side Chelsea FC.
The 24-year-old defender is currently under contract with the San Diego Wave until 2026, and reported to the NWSL club's first day of preseason training as expected on Tuesday.
While Girma's contract is still in negotiations, San Diego and the UK titans have agreed upon the deal's $1.1 million terms — by far the highest sum in the history of pro women's football. The previous record is held by Rachael Kundananji, for whom Bay FC shelled out $860,000 to Spain's Madrid CFF to roster the Zambian forward in February 2024.
Chelsea, who currently stands unbeaten in the WSL halfway through the league's 2024/25 season, is keen to bolster their back line after losing star Canadian center back Kadeisha Buchanan to an ACL injury last November.
France's Olympique Lyonnais also threw their hat in the the million-dollar ring for Girma, only to fall out of contention alongside Chelsea rival Arsenal.
San Diego's Wave of roster turnovers
Assuming the transfer goes through, Girma will be one of several high-profile players exiting the 2023 NWSL Shield-winning San Diego club ahead of the 2025 season. Girma joins the NC Courage-bound attacker Jaedyn Shaw in making a SoCal departure.
In response, the Wave has been actively filling roster spots, signing 17-year-old defender Trinity Armstrong off of her 2024 College Cup-winning freshman season with UNC last week before adding seasoned goalkeeper and free agent Didi Haračić as well as Nigerian midfielder Favour Emmanuel on Monday.
Inking Armstrong to a three-year deal seems particularly strategic in the wake of Girma's likely departure. It signals that the Wave are again looking to young defensive talent to replace the 2022 NWSL Draft No. 1 pick.
Ultimately, a transfer fee of this magnitude solidifies Girma's reputation as one of the world's top defenders. While still accounting for less than 1% of spending in the men's game, her historic fee is further proof that the global women's market is growing at breakneck speeds.
Some of the NWSL's brightest stars made headlines this week, as the league's free agency transfer window continues to turn heads both at home and abroad.
Brazil forward Kerolin is officially departing North Carolina after spending all three of her NWSL seasons with the Courage, the club confirmed on Wednesday. The 2023 NWSL MVP will reportedly head to the WSL's Manchester City in a deal extending through 2028.
Sources are also linking two-time NWSL Defender of the Year Naomi Girma to the first $1 million transfer offer in women's soccer history, courtesy of French side Lyon and UK titans Chelsea and Arsenal. The 24-year-old USWNT star's current contract with the San Diego Wave runs through 2026, making a transfer fee a necessary part of any earlier deal.
The current record for a women's soccer transfer fee is $860,000, which Bay FC shelled out to receive Zambian forward Rachael Kundananji from Spain's Madrid CFF in February 2024.
More NWSL teams make moves to lock down contracts
NWSL preseason has already started for select clubs, with teams putting the final touches on solidifying both their rosters and front offices.
Angel City hired former Portland Thorns FC and Washington Spirit head coach Mark Parsons as the club's new sporting director on Wednesday. The franchise is still searching for a permanent head coach after parting with boss Becki Tweed in December.
The 2022 expansion team also signed veteran forward Christen Press to a new one-year contract, per a Friday morning press release.
Meanwhile, with Girma's possible departure dominating the rumor mill, the Wave announced the addition of 17-year-old UNC defender and 2024 College Cup champion Trinity Armstrong to the club's ranks on Thursday.
Though Girma's fate is yet to be confirmed, San Diego's decision to pick up a talented young center back — on a three-year contract, no less — supports the theory that the USWNT standout is on the move.
The 2024/25 Barclays Women's Super League (WSL) season kicks off this weekend in the UK, where 12 teams will launch campaigns to challenge seven-time league champions Chelsea for the season's title.
Adding to the excitement are major roster shakeups and big name signings entering the pitch for the WSL's 14th season.

Defending WSL champs Chelsea open post-Hayes era with a win
In front of a sold-out Kingsmeadow crowd on Friday, the Blues began their first campaign without now-USWNT boss Emma Hayes by defeating Aston Villa 1-0. Midfielder Johanna Rytting Kaneryd's first-half strike from distance secured Chelsea's season-opening win.
Helmed by head coach Sonia Bompastor, who previously led France's Lyon to three straight titles and a 2022 Champions League victory, Chelsea enters the season with a target on their backs after five straight years at the top of the WSL table.
With five members of the Blues staff following Hayes Stateside and multiple veteran players — like England national Fran Kirby — also departing the club, Bompastor is now tasked with building a new-look culture while maintaining the club's standard. Her job is that much more difficult given four athletes, including Australian star Sam Kerr and the USWNT's Mia Fishel, are still out rehabbing ACL injuries.
Though Chelsea added top players like the Lionesses' right-back Lucy Bronze, all eyes will be on the Blues to see if their dynasty continues this season.

Miedema's return headlines WSL opening weekend
The Blues aside, the highlight of the WSL's season-opening weekend is the blockbuster matchup between an Arsenal legend and her former club.
Dutch striker Vivianne Miedema will play her first regular-season WSL game with Manchester City on Sunday, when the ex-Gunner will face Arsenal in a highly anticipated Emirates Stadium showdown.
The two clubs — who both finished the 2023/34 WSL season just behind Chelsea in the standings — are coming off vastly different UWCL results this week, after Arsenal lost 1-0 to Häcken and Man City defeated Paris FC 5-0.
How to watch Arsenal Women vs. Manchester City this weekend
Arsenal WFC will take on Manchester City at 7:30 AM ET this Sunday, with live coverage on ESPN+.