Is “Handle / cannot handle somebody the person” a common set phrase?

Question

There was the following passage in New York Time’s article dealing with the issue of alleged domestic violence cases of U.S. Soccer team goalie, Hope Solo, and its outcomes under the title, “Hope Solo is a hero on the field. Repeat, on the field.”

“By now, though, it’s not a stretch to think that U.S. Soccer, and maybe even her teammates, can’t handle Hope Solo the person anymore and have resorted to focusing on her as merely a goalkeeper.”

http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2015/06/13/should-hope-solos-actions-keep-her-off-the-field?

Is “handle somebody the person” a common set phrase? Can I say "I cannot handle my son the person any more"? Don’t we need a preposition such as “in," or "by," or "as a” before “person”?

What does “the person” function grammatically in this configuration?

Answer 1

When the U.S. Soccer organization and her team mates, say that they can’t “handle” the personage of Hope Solo anymore, they are employing an idiomatic term “handle” (rather than a set phrase) to mean that they can’t “deal with,” “be concerned with,” or can no longer “tolerate” or "bear" the persona of Hope Solo (while they are still capable of appreciating her athletic performance as a soccer goalkeeper). (1) “the person” represents Hope, as a single private person. (2) no preposition is needed before “the person." (3) Yes, "the person" is an apposition of Hope Solo.

handle v.tr.: 3. to deal with or have responsibility for; conduct; “handles matters of corporate law”; 4. to cope with or dispose of; “handles problems efficiently”; see, TFD

deal with vb (tr, adverb): 1. to take action on: to deal with each problem in turn.

deal with phrasal verb: 1. To be occupied or concerned with: to consider, take up, treat. Idiom: have to do with. see, TFD

This usage of “handle” is not confined to “persons” only, but can also be used with events or subject matter, i.e., “I can’t handle my science class, anymore.”