Wayne Rooney APOLOGISES to Coleen and family for party girl pics ‘mistake’ but says HE was the victim
WAYNE Rooney has apologised to Coleen and his family for his party girl scandal – but insists he was the victim.
The Derby County manager, 35, said he wants to “move forward” after he was snapped while asleep in a hotel room surrounded by girls.
Speaking after Derby’s 1-0 win against Real Betis, he told Sky Sports: “I made a mistake. I went to a private party with two of my friends.
“From me, I would like to apologise to my family and the club for the images which were going round.
“I want to move forward on this. I’m grateful to Derby County for giving me this opportunity to get this club back to where it belongs
“I will do everything in my power to do that.”
From me, I would like to apologise to my family and the club for the images which were going round.
Wayne Rooney
Asked if he felt the victim, he added: “Yes, but I don’t really want to go into that.
“Listen, it’s dealt with and I’m looking forward to moving forward and preparing for another game on Sunday.”
Rooney’s wife has stood by him since the photos emerged and today enjoyed an afternoon at the beach with her kids amid the drama.
A source earlier said: “Coleen is fully behind him. She feels he’s been the victim of a stitch-up.
“She has spoken to him and is entirely backing his version of events. They are rock solid.”
Rooney was later snapped with his arms crossed while peering at the floor at Derby’s pre-season friendly this evening – just hours after buying up his party shame photos for £1 to stop them being circulated.
And the ex-England ace looked pained moments before the Rams’ 1-0 win at Pride Park over the LaLiga side – thanks to a Max Bird strike four minutes from time.
Rooney was pictured sleeping on a chair while in a hotel with Snapchat model Tayler Ryan and her pals Elise Melvin and Brooke Morgan over the weekend.
He was said to have been given a dressing down by Derby top brass after the pics were leaked and went viral.
But SunSport understands Rooney will stay in his £90,000-a-week job and that he was left in no doubt about the standards he is expected to set as the club’s manager and high-profile figurehead.
In a show of defiance earlier today, he smiled for photographs with fans earlier and signed autographs ahead of the pre-season friendly.
It came just hours after he struck a bargain deal with Elise Melvin, Brooke Morgan and Eleanor Hoggarth, who took some of the viral snaps.
Snapchat model Tayler Ryan, 21, was not among those who handed over ownership of photos she took herself.
The deal with the other three means he can now try to stop future publication of the viral images as he owns the copyright.
His people claimed the girls “volunteered” to hand the photos over and made a written apology for the “embarrassment” caused, the Mirror reports.
A statement said: “These were three decent young women who went for a night out. They did not expect Wayne to end up in their company and are remorseful about how things turned out with the pictures.
“They got carried away and did something they later regretted. They did not expect it to end up in the mainstream media after it was posted on social media and they decided to take steps to put things right.”
The pictures, which were shared online thousands of times, showed Rooney sleeping in a hotel while surrounded by semi-naked girls after a boozy night out in Manchester.
The photos were then leaked and went viral.
Rooney, 35, had complained to police they were “taken without his knowledge or approval” and feared he was the victim of a “set up”.
But Cheshire Police yesterday confirmed they had dropped a blackmail probe after Rooney made a complaint.
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In one picture captioned “Mooney Rooney”, a woman in a G-string is seen displaying her bum to the camera near the snoozing star.
Another image, entitled “Sleepy Wayne”, shows a woman making a peace sign next to the ex-England captain.
A scantily dressed woman is laying on a bed close to ex-Manchester United legend Rooney, who is fast asleep in his clothes.
And another snap appears to show the football boss talking to a blonde woman in a nightclub.
Rooney’s night on the lash came after Derby’s 2-1 defeat to League Two outfit Salford City in a pre-season friendly on Saturday.
He has now been given a dressing down by top brass over his drunken antics.
But The Sun understands Rooney will stay in his £90,000-a-week job and take the helm tonight as the Rams play Real Betis in a friendly at Pride Park.
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The photos are the latest in a long list of drunken scandals to rock his 13-year marriage to wife Coleen.
In 2017, he was driving Laura Simpson home when he was nicked for drink-driving at 2am after a ten-hour booze session.
Two years later, the then-DC United player was arrested for being drunk in public when he set off a security door alarm at a US airport after a booze and sleeping pill mix left him “disoriented”.