Wayne Rooney Pleads Guilty To Drunk-Driving, Gets Two-Year Driving Ban

Wayne Rooney has been banned from driving for two years after admitting to drunk driving.

Wayne Rooney Drunk-driving Arrest News

The former England and Manchester United captain — who now plays for Everton — pleaded guilty to drunk driving after being arrested in Wilmslow, Cheshire, England in the early hours of Sept. 1.

Rooney — who will be 32 in October — was reportedly going over three times the legal blood alcohol limit and had a female passenger with him. According to The Guardian, Stockport magistrates court district judge John Temperley sentenced the forward to a 12-month community order with 120 hours of unpaid work.

“I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you this was a serious offence,” Temperley told Rooney. “You were driving a motor vehicle almost three times the legal limit and you were carrying a female passenger, which was an aggravating feature and you put other road users at risk.”

The Guardian also reported that Rooney was fined two weeks’ wages by Everton, which amount to £300,000 ($405,000).

Rooney released the following statement of apology on Twitter Monday morning:

“Following today’s court hearing I want publicly to apologise for my unforgiveable lack of judgement in driving while over the legal limit. It was completely wrong.

I have already said sorry to my family, my manager and chairman and everyone at Everton FC. Now I want to apologise to all the fans and everyone else who has followed and supported me throughout my career.

Of course I accept the sentence of the court and hope that I can make some amends through my community service.

Wayne”

According to BBC, the drunk-driving limit in England and Wales is 35 microgrammes per 100 millilitres of breath. A breathalyzer test revealed Rooney’s alcohol level was 104 microgrammes in 100 millilitres of breath.

BBC also reported that Rooney was forced to pay  £170 ($230) when he appeared in court on Monday.

The officer who arrested Rooney earlier this month said he stopped the car after he noticed one of its tail lights was not working. The policeman said the soccer star behaved like “a perfect gentleman” during his arrest.

The Liverpool-born player rejoined his boyhood club this summer, 13 years after leaving for Manchester United.

The father-of-three is also England’s record goal scorer.

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – JULY 10: Wayne Rooney holds up his new Everton shirt at Goodison Park on July 10, 2017 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Mark Robinson/Getty Images)