Wayne Rooney's arrest for public intoxication was a result of feeling "disorientated" after taking sleeping tablets on a flight while drinking, says his spokesman.
Former England and Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The former England and Manchester United captain was arrested on 16 December at Dulles International Airport in Virginia after returning from a one-day trip to Saudi Arabia.
Court documents show that Rooney, 33, was released after paying a $25 ($NZ37) fine and $91 ($NZ135) costs.
In a statement, his spokesman said: "During the flight Wayne took a prescribed amount of sleeping tablets mixed with some alcohol consumption and consequently was disorientated on arrival.
"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."
Rooney was banned from driving for two years in September 2017 after he was found to be almost three times over the legal limit when he was stopped by police in Cheshire.
He started his career with English Premier League club Everton in 2002, before joining Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson in 2004.
Rooney made 393 appearances for United in his 14 years with the club, scoring 183 goals, before rejoining Everton for a season in 2017.
At the international level, Rooney played 120 matches for England.
The following year, he moved to the US in June 2018 after signing a three-and-a-half-year contract with DC United.
Rooney led the club to the play-offs in his first season before they suffered a first-round loss.
A statement from 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."
- BBC