Rooney arrest due to ‘disorientation after mixing sleeping pills & alcohol’

Former England captain Wayne Rooney’s December arrest at a US airport was due to disorientation after mixing alcohol and sleeping pills while on a flight from Saudi Arabia, according to the player’s spokesperson.

It emerged on Sunday that Rooney, 33, had been arrested at Dulles International Airport on December 16 by the Washington Airport Authority for “public intoxication and swearing.”

Rooney, who plays for US team DC United in MLS, was ordered to pay a fine of $31 along with around $115 in costs before being released without bail, according to court documents.

A spokesman has now said that the incident was due to mixing alcohol and sleeping pills on the flight from Saudi Arabia, where Rooney had been a guest on December 15 for the Riyadh Formula E Grand Prix.

"During the flight Wayne took a prescribed amount of sleeping tablets mixed with some alcohol consumption and consequently was disorientated on arrival,” the spokesman said.

"He was approached by police who arrested him on a minor misdemeanour charge.

"He received a statutory automatic fine and was released shortly afterwards at the airport. The matter is now at an end.

"Wayne would like to put on record his appreciation for the manner he was treated by all involved," he added.

Rooney joined DC United last summer on a three-and-a-half year deal, moving from the Premier League after becoming Manchester United’s all-time top scorer before he rejoined boyhood club Everton.

In a statement, DC United said: "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. We have no further comment on this situation."

Rooney has previously fallen foul of the law in the UK, and in 2017 was ordered to do 100 hours' community service after being arrested for drunk-driving.

READ MORE: Wayne Rooney gets 2yr driving ban & community order for DUI

He also received a two-year driving ban and was docked two weeks' wages – around $380,000 – by Everton.