Wayne Rooney mixed sleeping pills with alcohol, arrested
What's the story
Former England captain and football superstar Wayne Rooney, currently playing for DC United, was arrested on December 16 on charges of public intoxication at the Dulles International Airport in Virginia.
The Manchester United legend was said to have mixed alcohol with sleeping pills while flying into the US from Saudi Arabia.
He was later released and fined.
Read on for further details.
Statement
The footballer's spokesperson has released a statement
Wayne Rooney's spokesperson released a statement to the media explaining the reason behind his arrest and subsequent handling of the case by the police.
The statement says that Rooney appeared inebriated on arrival at the American airport, and thus was arrested on a misdemeanor charge by the police.
He had to pay a statutory fine and was later released at the airport itself.
Alarm
Rooney rung alarm bells at the airport
Rooney reportedly triggered the alarm at the international arrivals gate, and was subsequently charged by the police for public intoxication and swearing.
The footballer was then detained until he sobered up.
He was charged with 'Class 4 misdemeanour' and had to pay a $25 fine in addition to legal costs of $91, as has been revealed by Loudoun General District Court documents.
Do you know?
DC United has released a statement on Rooney's arrest
"We are aware of news reports indicating that Wayne Rooney was arrested in December. We understand the media's interest in this matter but we believe this is a private matter for Wayne that DC United will handle internally", said DC United, refusing to provide details.
Past
Not the first time Rooney was arrested for public drunkenness
Notably, this was not the first case where alcohol got the England legend into trouble.
While playing for Everton in 2017, Rooney was arrested in a Manchester suburb, Cheshire, for drunk driving, and was later released on bail.
His driving license was revoked for a couple of years, and he was ordered by the court to carry out 100 hours' worth community service.
Career
A glance at Rooney's football career in the United States
Rooney started playing for the Major League Soccer side DC United from June 2018, and has already registered some hugely impressive goals with the outfit.
The 33-year-old star is the Premier League's all-time second highest scorer, with 208 strikes to his name.
He was a major factor in DC United reaching the MLS playoffs in his first season with the club.