Koeman and Rooney confer over drink driving incident

The last time Wayne Rooney made a fool of himself with alcohol, Ronald Koeman was asked about it. In his words: “In the case of Rooney it’s not my problem, he’s a Manchester United player, not my player.”

Well, now Rooney is Ronald’s player and the no-nonsense Dutchman is understandably not happy at all with the antics of the English star. It is understood that if found guilty of drink driving later this month, Rooney will face a two week loss of wages totalling £320k. The conversation between Koeman and Rooney reportedly lasted over an hour.

Sadly, this story is about more than simple alcohol abuse, though the irresponsibility of driving while intoxicated and the danger that entails to the public is far more serious than simply the injuries to the reputation of a club or player.

Wayne Rooney is married, his wife is pregnant with his fourth child, and he still decided to disrespect that family by allegedly driving another woman home while intoxicated.

Such behavior is nothing short of despicable, and frankly it’s embarrassing to have someone in an Everton shirt who acts that way, even if his name is Wayne Rooney. No number of Premier League goals excuses you from your moral duty to your family.

Wayne Rooney has a long history of being stupid. Hopefully, this incident will be a wake up call to him and if it isn’t, I’d happily support Koeman in a decision to rid the club of such a major distraction.

Often, when football meets real life, Everton is in the middle of heartwarming stories - charities, good causes, fundraisers, and initiatives to help those in need.

Here, though, the name of the club has been associated with a potential crime, because a rich Englishman thinks the rules and laws of civil society don’t apply to him. As Evertonians we should demand better of any player, but especially of one many view as our talisman.