FAYETTEVILLE — Retired soccer star Abby Wambach said Monday she's learned from her mistake and feels shame and embarrassment following her arrest earlier this month for drunken driving.
"Everything that's happened over the last couple of weeks, I've deserved," Wambach said in a speech at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.
Wambach, 35, pleaded guilty April 12 to driving under the influence of intoxicants. Police stopped Wambach on April 2 in Portland, Ore. after they said she ran a red light. Wambach then failed field sobriety tests, police said. Her blood alcohol content measured at 0.13 percent and Oregon has a legal limit of 0.08 percent.
Wambach told the UA crowd that "you know in your heart" if actions don't match the standards set for yourself.
Though family and friends may be forgiving, "we all don't really get away with anything," Wambach said. The day after being pulled over by police, Wambach apologized on Facebook, writing that she would never repeat her mistake. She repeated that statement Monday.
"Too often these days, celebrities try to hide behind the veil of legal representation rather than just raising their hand and saying, 'I messed up,'" Wambach said.
Read Tuesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.