Wayne Rooney has been slapped with a two-year driving ban, 12-month community order (100 hours of unpaid work) after pleading guilty to drink-driving on Monday.
English Premier League ace Rooney was arrested at 2am on September 1 while driving a 29-year-old single mother home in her black Volkswagen Beetle after a night out in Wilmslow, Northwest England.
“Following today’s court hearing I want publicly to apologize for my unforgivable lack of judgement in driving while over the legal limit. It was completely wrong,” Rooney said in a statement posted to his official website.
“I have already said sorry to my family, my manager and chairman and everyone at Everton FC. Now I want to apologize 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.”
Police found Rooney drunk at the wheel and a subsequent breathalyzer reading showed his alcohol level was 104, just under three times the UK legal limit of 35.
The 31-year-old Everton striker was quizzed by cops and spent the night in a police cell, later being released on bail.
After the news of the circumstances of Rooney’s became public, the striker’s pregnant wife, Coleen, returned home early from a holiday with the couple’s other three children.
Rooney’s community service will be reduced to 24 weeks if he undergoes a specialist driving course by February 2, 2019. He is still expected to be fined two weeks’ wages by his team Everton.
The all-time leading scorer for England, Rooney announced his retirement from international football last month after 53 international goals in 119 appearances for his country.
READ MORE: Wayne Rooney arrested on suspicion of drink driving
On Sunday, Rooney made something of an unhappy return to former team Manchester United for the first time since leaving the club to rejoin his boyhood side Everton, being on the wrong end of a 4-0 score line.