Rooney handed 2-year ban after admitting driving over limit
Manchester United and England's all-time top goalscorer Wayne Rooney admitted to drink-driving at Stockport Magistrates' Court on Monday.
The 31-year-old forward will therefore serve a two-year ban from driving, and has been sentenced to a 12-month community order with 120 hours of unpaid work, according to the Guardian's Josh Halliday.
BBC News understands that Rooney will instead have to perform 100 hours of community service.
Rooney will also miss out on two weeks' wages at Everton, which will reportedly amount to £300,000.
Rooney issued a statement via his official website after the hearing:
I want publicly to apologise for my unforgivable lack of judgment 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
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
Rooney was pulled over in Wilmslow, Cheshire in the early hours of Sept. 1 for having an extinguished rear tail-light in the Volkswagen Beetle he was travelling in. The Liverpudlian was found to be driving with a female passenger, and subsequently produced a positive roadside breath test with showed his alcohol level was 104 microgrammes in 100 millilitres of breath. The drink-drive limit in England and Wales is 35 microgrammes per 100 millilitres of breath.
The incident sparked controversy in the U.K., with the female in the vehicle, believed to be named Laura Simpson, since being a regular feature in tabloid newspapers, and other personalities, such as Manchester United's Marouane Fellaini, have become wrapped up in the story.
Related: Fellaini to take legal action over Big Mac, Rooney mistress allegations
"I'm sure you don't need me to tell you this was a serious offence," district judge John Temperley told Rooney, as reported by Halliday. "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."
Rooney hit the newspapers for drink-related matters in November 2016, when he appeared to have "bloodshot eyes and red wine-stained lips" during relaxation time at the England team hotel. The decorated veteran announced his retirement from international football in August.