Chelsea FC star Sam Kerr was found not guilty of racially harassing a London police officer on Tuesday. A Kingston Crown Court jury acquitted the striker of all charges after four hours of deliberation.
The 31-year-old Australia national was tried for allegedly causing "racially aggravated harassment, alarm, or distress" to PC Stephen Lovell. The allegations followed a heated January 2023 dispute between a local taxi driver and Kerr and her fiancée, USWNT star Kristie Mewis.
Kerr, who identifies as Anglo-Indian, did not deny calling the officer "stupid and white." Instead, she argued that the police treated her differently due to her skin color. Kerr called her words a "poorly" expressed comment on the officer's "power and privilege."
After the verdict, Kerr released her own statement on social media. "I can finally put this challenging period behind me," she wrote.
"While I apologise for expressing myself poorly on what was a traumatic evening, I have always maintained that I did not intend to insult or harm anyone and I am thankful that the jury unanimously agreed."
"I would like to thank my partner Kristie, my family, friends and all the fans for their love and support, especially those who attended court each day."
Kerr looks ahead with harassment trial now in the rearview
Kerr spent the last year recovering from a January 2024 ACL tear. However, she recently re-signed with the London club after originally joining the WSL frontrunners in 2019.
The prolific goalscorer is on track to return to the pitch for both club and country in approximately two months. While this leaves her out of selection for the upcoming 2025 SheBelieves Cup, Kerr could rejoin in time for Australia's April friendlies against South Korea.
This morning, The Athletic reported that Kerr left the proceedings surrounded by family. As she exited, she flashed a "friendly smile" and told the court officer she "hoped to never see them again."
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.
Kristie Mewis made a statement in her West Ham debut on Sunday, assisting on a game-tying goal against Tottenham Hotspur.
WSL debut✅
— Attacking Third (@AttackingThird) January 21, 2024
First WSL assist✅
Talk about a perfect start for Kristie Mewis 🌟🤩 pic.twitter.com/HQzJdSLpLW
Tottenham would win the game 4-3, but it still marked a point of positivity for the east London team, which currently sits 11th in the league table.
Elsewhere in the WSL, USWNT defender Emily Fox made her debut for Arsenal over the weekend, starting in the team’s 2-1 win over Everton. Forward Mia Fishel also earned a start for Chelsea in the wake of Sam Kerr’s season-ending injury.
It’s Fishel’s third start for Chelsea, and her second at Stamford Bridge.
Bunny Shaw had an outstanding performance over the weekend, notching a hat trick for Manchester City in their win over Liverpool. It marked her third hat trick in the last four league games.
🚨 BUNNY SHAW BACK HEEL GOAL 🚨
— Attacking Third (@AttackingThird) January 21, 2024
She completes her hat-trick to make it THREE hat-tricks in her last FOUR league games. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/AxxztgtTjf
U.S. women’s national team midfielder Kristie Mewis is officially headed to East London to play for West Ham.
Mewis and Gotham FC mutually agreed to part ways on Dec. 22, per a statement from the NWSL club.
“Gotham has been the most rewarding community to be a part of for the last two years and will always hold a special place in my heart,” Mewis said in the press release. “I’m full of gratitude knowing the future is bright and I was able to be part of it. And most importantly, I’ll never forget our first championship, together.”
Mewis joined Gotham in 2021 and she appeared in 39 games for the team, netting four goals in her two seasons.
Mewis’ move comes after her engagement to Chelsea star Sam Kerr. In the USWNT’s new Netflix documentary, “Under Pressure,” Mewis and Kerr discussed their long-distance relationship and how the wished they lived closer to each other. Now, with both stars in London, they can.
West Ham released a statement pertaining to Mewis’ signing on Dec. 22. Mewis stated it was a “dream come true” for her to play in the Women’s Super League.
“When I visited London for the first time, I went to my first football match at Upton Park. The culture and energy of West Ham captivated me straight away and nothing has ever lived up to that moment – it was one of the happiest days of my life,” Mewis said in the release.
“It feels like I have come full circle from that moment and it’s incredible to now be officially part of the West Ham family. I will work hard, try to lead by example and give everything for this badge.”
Kristie Mewis is headed to England.
As first reported by Meg Linehan and Charlotte Harpur of The Athletic, Mewis will join Women’s Super League club West Ham when the January transfer window opens. The move for the 32-year-old U.S. women’s national team midfielder is set to be officially announced later this week.
Mewis has spent most of her career in the NWSL, including time with FC Kansas City, the Boston Breakers, Chicago Red Stars and Houston Dash before she landed at Gotham FC in 2022. She won an NWSL title with the club in 2023.
This will be her second stint in Europe, as she spent a year on loan at Bayern Munich in 2015-16. She’s also made 53 international appearances with the USWNT, including making her first World Cup roster this summer.
Mewis’ move from the NWSL to the WSL frees up roster space for Gotham, and it also moves her to London, where her fiancée Sam Kerr plays for Chelsea. Mewis has spoken previously about not wanting to do long distance with Kerr, including in the new USWNT documentary “Under Pressure.” West Ham sit second from the bottom in the WSL table in the 2023-24 season.
A number of USWNT stars have been linked to Gotham FC in free agency, including midfielders Rose Lavelle, Emily Sonnett and Crystal Dunn and defender Tierna Davidson.
Kristie Mewis, 32, would give anything to see her younger sister, fellow U.S. women’s national team player Sam Mewis, 31, play again.
During the new Netflix docuseries “Under Pressure,” which chronicles the USWNT’s 2023 World Cup journey, Mewis discussed her sister’s knee injury. Sam Mewis has been dealing with a “really serious” cartilage injury on and off since 2017, and while she and Kristie won a bronze medal together at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Sam has not played for the USWNT since then.
“Sam, my sister, is just the best. I just look up to her so much on and off the field,” Kristie said. “… Sam played on a career-ending injury for four years. She’s like an anomaly, honestly. I think a lot of doctors and people have said that she’ll never play again, but I think she’ll play again.”
Sam also spoke about her injury in the series, noting that she wasn’t thinking “about myself right now when it comes to the World Cup.” Instead, the 2019 World Cup champion focused on supporting her sister, who was making her World Cup debut.
“I have been dealing with this injury for a long time,” she said. “I’m just excited to see the roster, to cheer Kristie on, obviously cheer my other friends on, I’m really close with Lynn [Williams].”
Sam underwent knee surgery in January 2023, which she described as “a big deal” on the “Snacks” podcast. The surgery placed cartilage donor grafts in her knee, which she called a “really difficult decision.” The hope is to “get as healthy as possible” and get her knee back “as good as it can get.”
“Me and my sister will always be on each other’s team. My success is her success, vice versa, I’ve always felt like that,” Kristie said. “So I think it’s obviously probably really hard for her to watch me and watch the team that she should be on. But I think at the end of the day, like we’re blood and we’re just always going to be on each other’s team.
“I would literally do anything for her to have her career back. I’d give up mine if I could.”
Kristie Mewis took on a difficult position at the 2023 World Cup: attempting to win with the U.S. women’s national team while also cheering on her now-fiancée Sam Kerr, who plays for Australia.
In the new Netflix docuseries “Under Pressure,” which chronicles the USWNT’s World Cup run, Mewis showcases how she balanced the team’s devastating loss in the Round of 16 with her support of Kerr. Mewis’ first minutes in the World Cup came at the end of the team’s shootout loss to Sweden, and included her taking – and making – a penalty kick as her first shot at the tournament.
“One of the coaches came over to me and Kelley [O’Hara] and he was just like, ‘I hope you guys are preparing yourselves to take a penalty kick.’ And I was kind of like, what?” Mewis said, noting that she entered the game, “running around for maybe 30 seconds” before the final whistle blew.
Still, she felt more than ready for her penalty shot.
“I’ve never felt more confident in a moment,” she said. “I have been preparing for that moment my whole life. Every time I went out and trained, every time I kicked with my left foot, I was training for that one moment. Because that was the only moment that I was going to get in the World Cup.”
Yet despite Mewis’ successful kick, the USWNT lost the shootout, resulting in the team’s earliest exit ever in a World Cup.
Instead of going home with the rest of the team, Mewis stayed in Australia to cheer for Kerr and the Matildas. While Kerr had started the tournament sidelined with an injury, she played in Australia’s quarterfinal match with Mewis in the stands. And she made her own penalty kick in that match, which Australia won over France to advance to the semifinals.
“It didn’t end the way that we wanted it to. But also, Sweden deserved to win. They kept us from scoring and they did better with their penalties,” Mewis said, before noting that the decision to stay and support Kerr was an easy one.
“Yes, my dream of being at a World Cup and winning a World Cup is now over. But Sam’s in the quarterfinals,” she continued. “This is just so crazy, this is everything that she’s always wanted too. Everyone knows that the U.S. team went back home, but there’s no place I’d rather be. I’m so happy to be here and support her. Obviously it is a little bit hard, but I think I can separate it because I love her so much.”
Even still, that love has boundaries. Mewis refused to wear an Australia jersey to support Kerr, despite the rest of Kerr’s family and friends doing so.
“They’re like, ‘Where’s your jersey? Where’s your jersey?’” Mewis said. “And I like, cannot put on an Australian jersey.”
The U.S. women’s national team faced massive attention and expectations at the 2023 World Cup, as displayed in the new trailer for its Netflix docuseries.
The four-episode series, titled “Under Pressure,” will debut on the streaming service on Dec. 12. It chronicles the USWNT’s World Cup journey, which ended in disappointment in a Round of 16 shootout loss to Sweden.
In the trailer, Savannah DeMelo, who had made just one appearance for the USWNT before heading to the tournament in Australia and New Zealand, offers a brutal comparison to Suzanne Collins’ popular book series: “It felt like we were in ‘The Hunger Games’ or something.”
The trailer also features co-captains Alex Morgan and Lindsey Horan encouraging the team on the quest for a third straight World Cup title.
“Pressure is a privilege on this team,” Horan tells her teammates. “Look at everyone around you. Look at me and Alex.”
Megan Rapinoe, Kelley O’Hara, Kristie Mewis and Lynn Williams also feature prominently, as do former players Abby Wambach and Carli Lloyd. Lloyd made waves during the 2023 World Cup for her harsh criticism of the USWNT.
“You can never take winning ever for granted,” Lloyd is heard saying in the trailer.
U.S. Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone, who won the 1999 World Cup with the USWNT, sums up the trailer and the team’s unfulfilled goal, saying: “To win one is hard. To win two in a row, unbelievable. To win three? It has never been done.”
Follow the most decorated team in international soccer history as they prepare for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Under Pressure: The Women’s World Cup Team premieres on December 12th. pic.twitter.com/8PijyycAK2
— Netflix (@netflix) November 28, 2023
Gotham FC and USWNT midfielder Kristie Mewis is enjoying the offseason, spending part of it in London alongside her fiancée Sam Kerr, who plays for Chelsea.
On Sunday, Mewis vlogged one of her London days, which included going to a Women’s Super League game to cheer on Kerr and the Blues.
“Going to Sam’s games is literally like my favorite thing in the entire world,” Mewis said in the TikTok video.
Mewis’ day included going to get a coffee before the game at her “favorite cafe.” She ordered an iced coffee, as well as what she called “best ham and cheese I’ve ever had,” before hopping into a cab to go watch Kerr play.
Kerr made the trip worthwhile, scoring a goal in Chelsea’s 5-2 win over Leicester City. The two then went and got food before heading home for the day.
“I love to share my relationship on social media,” Mewis told told soccer lifestyle magazine Gaffer earlier this year. “So I think if we can change the way one or two people feel about themselves, they can look at us and see that we’re happy and we’re trying to be as successful as we can and we’re an out gay couple. I think that that’s so important.”
@kmewis19 ♬ original sound - Kristie mewis
Soccer power couple Kristie Mewis and Sam Kerr shared their engagement photos on social media Tuesday morning.
The two shared the pictures of the engagement, which took place on Sept. 1, according to the couple’s caption. That means that the duo kept it under wraps for roughly two months, as they did not announce their engagement until Nov. 10, though they had invited speculation since late September.
On Oct. 24, Mewis posted a collage on Instagram that featured one photo with her engagement ring facing the camera.
The couple broke the news in an exclusive for People Magazine just ahead of the NWSL Championship match, which Mewis won with Gotham FC. Mewis told People that Kerr has “just been everything” for her in 2023.
“My biggest supporter, always listening to me nag and complain all, all of my crazy antics,” Mewis said.
And while the long-distance relationship is hard at times, as Kerr plays for English club Chelsea, it helps that they play the same sport, they said.
“I think the thing that keeps us going is that we can see an end point. We both just want each other to do so well in our careers,” Kerr said. “I don’t think you could be in a long-distance relationship with someone who didn’t get the sport. She fully gets it and I get it. So we just support each other.”