FAYETTEVILLE -- Retired soccer star Abby Wambach said Monday she's learned from her mistake and feels shame and embarrassment after her arrest earlier this month for drunken driving.
"Everything that's happened over the last couple of weeks, I've deserved," Wambach said during an appearance at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.
Wambach, 35, pleaded guilty Tuesday to driving under the influence of intoxicants. Police said they stopped Wambach on April 2 in Portland, Ore., after she ran a red light and then arrested her after she failed field sobriety tests. Her blood alcohol content measured at .13 percent. Oregon has a legal limit of .08 percent.
She 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 Oregonian reported that a judge ordered Wambach to undergo drug and alcohol treatment and that Wambach could have the charge dismissed within a year by enrolling in a diversion program for first-time offenders.
The day after being pulled over by police, Wambach apologized on Facebook, writing that she would never make the same mistake.
She repeated the statement again on Monday.
"Too often nowadays, especially celebrities try to hide behind the veil of their legal representation rather than just raising their hand and saying, 'I messed up,'" Wambach said. "I think there's real value in standing up and saying, 'I messed up; I'm a human being and it won't ever happen again.'"
Wambach also spoke in support of a federal discrimination complaint filed by former teammates on the U.S. national women's soccer team. Players claim wage discrimination, stating that their male counterparts are being paid nearly four times as much as they are by U.S. Soccer despite the women's on-field success and value to the organization.
Wambach said the complaint isn't with the men's national team.
"That's something that needs to be made clear, very clear," Wambach said, adding, "we have nothing but respect and complete love for our men's team."
She spoke about the accomplishments of the women's team.
"I think that women just want to be treated fairly and equally because we win World Cups and gold medals," Wambach said to cheers from the crowd of roughly 1,000 in attendance.
Kristi Kiely, an assistant coach with the Razorbacks women's soccer team, moderated the discussion with Wambach in a question-and-answer format.
Wambach, who retired last year, said the team's loss in the previous World Cup four years earlier motivated her to keep playing.
If the team had won against Japan in the 2011 women's World Cup, "I would have retired and I wouldn't have had three awesome years," Wambach said. She left the game as the leading goal-scorer in international competition with 184 goals.
Now that her playing career is over, Wambach said the pay disparities between women and men in athletics and in other ventures have led her to become committed to fighting for equality.
"I guess I'll just change the world, no big deal," Wambach said.
Wambach's appearance was part of the university's Distinguished Lecture Series. She was paid $50,000, according to the university.
Metro on 04/19/2016