English football star, Rooney arrested in U.S. for intoxication

English football star Wayne Rooney was arrested in December at Dulles Airport outside Washington, D.C. for public intoxication, local police said on Sunday.

Rooney, who has played for U.S. soccer team D.C. United since last year, was booked into the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center on Dec. 16.

He was hooked on a charge of public intoxication stemming from an arrest by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police, the local sheriff’s office said.

The 33-year-old footballer was arrested at an international arrivals gate at Dulles after he triggered a door alarm but did not breach airport security, a Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority spokesman said in a statement.

He received a $25 fine, according to court documents.

In 2017, Rooney was issued a 2-year driving ban after pleading guilty to drink-driving.

Rooney was released later the same day on a personal recognizance bond, said Kraig Troxell, a spokesman for the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office.

It was not immediately clear why authorities had delayed releasing details of Rooney’s arrest for more than two weeks.

Rooney’s agent did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A spokesman for the player was quoted by British media as saying he was “disorientated” after mixing sleeping pills with alcohol during a flight from Saudi Arabia.