Aston Villa skipper Jack Grealish has apologized for breaking the government's lockdown order after being spotted at the scene of a car accident on Sunday morning. The 24-year-old came under massive criticism for defying the rules which were meant to serve the interest of the general public amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Grealish was subjected to slander after multiple English newspapers reported that his car had hit a number of parked vehicles in Solihull, a large town in the West Midlands in England. The player subsequently admitted being at the scene and revealed that he defied the order to stay at home in order to visit a friend.
Upon the emergence of the incident, Aston Villa released a statement to slam the player's action and also slapped a fine on him. The money, according to the club, will be donated to the University Hospitals Charity in Birmingham.
Prior to the incident on Sunday, Grealish had issued a plea to his social media followers to "Stay home. Protect the NHS. Save Lives." Following the newest development, the England international released another video to apologize for not taking his own advice.
"I got a call off a friend asking to go round and I stupidly agreed," he said.
"I don't want anyone to make the same mistake I did.
"I know it's a tough time for everyone at the moment being locked indoors for so long," he added.
"But I urge everyone to stay indoors and follow the guidelines and I know I'll be doing that in the near future now."
Grealish further stated that he "hopes everyone can accept my apology" and that everyone can "move on" and be out "enjoying themselves once this has all boiled over". Watch:
— Jack Grealish (@JackGrealish) March 30, 2020
On BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club show, former Arsenal striker Ian Wright slammed the Villa captain's misdemeanor and asked that he acts right with top clubs monitoring his development. Ahead of the summer transfer window, the midfielder - who has managed seven goals and six assists in the Premier League this season - has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United.
"He's somebody I really do like. I message Jack on regular occasions," Wright said.
"It is so disappointing, but I've made mistakes. You always want redemption from somewhere and I hope this is a turning point for him.
"It's such a bad thing to do and a terrible mistake to make, but I like him a lot and hope he doesn't do it again and learns from it.
"People could have been hurt, I hope that he is sitting somewhere now realizing the enormity of the mistake he has made.
"I'm very angry with him. He's linked with massive clubs like Manchester United so you've got to act accordingly, and I hope that isn't something that will really cause him a lot of problems (in the future)."
