Wayne Ronney BMW i

Wayne Rooney slapped with a two-year driving ban for drunk driving

Known for living the high life off the pitch, more than their skills, footballers are famous among MotoGP fans like me for driving around the swankiest of wheels. For carrying along his high life inside the car’s cabin though, one of the most well-known athletes in the world and former England captain Wayne Rooney won’t be able to pilot any of his fancy wheels for the next two years. Rooney pleaded guilty to drunk driving, leading to a court imposing a two-year driving ban and ordering him to perform 100 hours of unpaid community work.

The footballer was stopped by police outside Manchester on Sept. 1 while driving someone else’s car. Apparently, 31-year old Rooney was three times above the legal limit for driving with alcohol in the body, the hearing at Stockport Magistrates’ Court was informed. A breathalyzer test showed Rooney’s alcohol level was 104 micrograms in 100 millilitres of breath. The driving limit in England and Wales is 35 micrograms per 100 millilitres of breath. In a statement, he said, “Following today’s court hearing I want to publicly apologize 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 apologize to all the fans and everyone else who has followed and supported me throughout my career.”

In his defence, Rooney’s legal team asked District Judge John Temperley to consider not imposing a community work order because of his ongoing charitable work. However, Temperley said he was “not convinced” that imposing a large fine “would have the same effect”. Rooney was also told to pay 85 pounds of prosecution costs and a victim surcharge for the same amount. When asked about the sentence, Rooney said, “Of course I accept the sentence of the court and hope that I can make some amends through my community service.”

Among the fleet of fancy cars that Rooney owns and won’t be able to touch for the next two years includes a BMW i8, an Audi Q7, and a Range Rover modified by Overfinch. With an estimated net worth of $125 million, the collection of over 20 cars in his garage is said to include an Audi RS6 Avant, a Cadillac Escalade, a Porsche 911 and an Aston Martin Vanquish among others. Somewhere in a corner of that space also resides a super expensive, diamond-encrusted Lauge Jensen cruiser-style motorcycle.

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