Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish has issued a public apology after he was spotted away from his home at a friends house and reports stated he was involved in a car crash in Birmingham as police were called to the scene.
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Grealish, 24, posted a video on his Twitter account to apologize for his actions as the UK is currently on a nation-wide lockdown, with people only being allowed out of their home to buy essential items, travel to work (if necessary) and for one piece of exercise per day.
The car of the star midfielder allegedly hit several parked cars outside an apartment owned by his ex-Aston Villa teammate Ross McCormack, as locals said Grealish, former player Tony Capaldi and others had attended a party on Saturday evening at the house and then left the scene on Sunday when a security guard arrived.
“I wanted to say how deeply embarrassed I am at what happened this weekend,” Grealish said. “I know it is a tough time for everybody at the moment, being locked indoors for so long. I obviously got a call off a friend asking to go around to his and I stupidly agreed to do so. I don’t want anyone to make the same mistake that I did. I urge everyone to stay at home and follow the rules and guidelines of what we’ve been asked to do. I know for a fact I will be doing that in the near future now. I hope everyone can accept my apology and we can move on from this.”
Aston Villa have also released a statement on the situation, as they said they will discipline and fine Grealish for his actions.
“Aston Villa is deeply disappointed that one of our players ignored the Government’s guidance on staying at home during the Coronavirus crisis. Club Captain Jack Grealish has accepted that his decision to leave his house was wrong and entirely unnecessary. It breached the government guidelines which are clear and should be adhered to by everybody. The player will be disciplined and fined with the proceeds donated to The University Hospitals Charity in Birmingham.”
West Midlands Police released the following statement: “We were called to Waterside, Dickens Heath, just before 10am yesterday (March 29) to reports that a Range Rover had crashed into two parked cars in the street. The driver left his details with a member of the public at the scene before leaving on foot. Arrangements have now been made to obtain more details around the circumstances of the collision from the driver. Anyone with information has been asked to get in touch, via Live Chat at west-midlands.police.uk quoting log 643 of March 29.”
Grealish has a history of being in the headlines for the wrong reasons but in recent years he seemed to have settled down and matured as he became Aston Villa’s captain and led his boyhood club to promotion back to the Premier League, where he has been sensational for them this season.
Many questions have been raised as to why Grealish has never sealed a move away from Villa to one of the Premier League big boys and why he hasn’t played for the England national team. Incidents like this prove why there are question marks about his temperament and attitude and it would be a shock if the Villa captaincy wasn’t taken away from him.
Being involved in this kind of incident during the first week that Premier League players had been advised to stay away from training grounds due to the coronavirus pandemic is a terrible look for Grealish, especially as the UK government and police urge people to stay indoors and away from public gatherings to safeguard the NHS and vulnerable people.
Grealish posted a message on social media late last week urging people to stay home and to listen to government advice.
— Jack Grealish (@JackGrealish) March 30, 2020