International soccer star Wayne Rooney was arrested last month on a public intoxication charge in Virginia after setting off an airport alarm, authorities said.
Rooney, 33, who currently plays for DC United after a 208-goal career for Manchester United in the English Premier League, was arrested Dec. 16 by Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority police at an international arrivals gate at Dulles International Airport, according to a statement from the agency.
“Mr. Rooney had triggered a door alarm but did not breach airport security,” the statement read. “Mr. Rooney was charged with public intoxication and transported to Loudoun County Detention Center to be held until sober.”
Rooney was later released on a personal recognizance bond, the Loudoun Times-Mirror reports.
The Liverpool native had been “disorientated” after downing prescribed sleeping medication and drinking booze on a flight. A day prior to the arrest, Rooney was in Saudi Arabia for the Riyadh Formula E Grand Prix before returning home to Cheshire to celebrate Christmas. He paid a $25 fine on Jan. 4 in connection with the arrest, a paltry sum for the forward-midfielder who made in excess of $25 million last year, according to The Sun.
“Wayne Rooney was arrested and detained at Dulles airport following a long flight from Saudi Arabia after a one-day promotional business trip,” a spokesman for Rooney told the newspaper. “During the flight, Wayne took a prescribed amount of sleeping tablets mixed with some alcohol consumptions and consequently was disorientated on arrival.”
Rooney was released by airport authorities after receiving an automatic fine, according to his spokesman.
“The matter is now at an end,” the statement continued. “Wayne would like to put on record his appreciation for the manner he was treated by all involved.”
A spokesman for DC United, meanwhile, downplayed the incident, saying it would not affect Rooney’s standing with the team.
“We understand the media’s interest in this matter but believe this is a private matter for Wayne that DC United will handle internally,” a team spokesman told The Sun.
Rooney, who notched 12 goals in 20 games last year with DC United, helped lead the team to the playoffs in 2018 after a last-place finish a year earlier.