American football star Cheyna Matthews has announced she will be taking a paid leave of absence from the sport to spend more time with her family.
Matthews, a forward for Washington Spirit, shared her decision on Instagram, where she called it an “extremely tough decision to make”.
“Two things can be true: You can absolutely love your job, and love your family,” the 26-year-old wrote. “This is very, very true in my case, which makes stepping away from my National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) club for a while an extremely tough decision to make.
“Ultimately, I am confident that this is what’s best for my family, club and myself at this time.”
According to Matthews, who shares 20-month-old son Josiah with her husband, NFL free agent Jordan Matthews, the balance of being a mother and having a sports career sometimes requires sacrifices.
“The balance of motherhood, marriage, and professional sports sometimes requires larger sacrifices along the way, and this is mine,” she wrote, before explaining that when she is able to commit 100 per cent to the sport she will be back.
Matthews concluded her post, which she shared alongside a picture of her holding Josiah as she autographs a poster for a fan, expressing her gratitude to the Washington Spirit organisation, her teammates and all of her fans.
In response to the announcement, fans have expressed their support for the football star.
“Proud of you. Love all of this and you,” one person wrote.
Another said: “Absolutely an inspiration.”
According to Spirit officials, Matthews’ contract will be honoured during her leave, despite the NWSL not having a specific policy in place for such situations.
“One of the wonderful aspects of our league is that we have athletes that are mothers,” Spirit majority owner Steve Baldwin told the Washington Post. “Our club celebrates that and is committed to doing what is best for families like Cheyna’s.”
Matthews is expected to remain on leave until May.
