FOR THE THIRD time in three months, England and harlequins scrum-half, Danny Care, has been arrested.
All three occasions have been alcohol related, but Care has moved to seperate the incidents.
In December the 25-year-old was arrested for bring drunk and disorderly. There was no charge, but he was fined by Quins.
On New Years Day Care was arrested and charged with drink-driving, he later pled guilty and as a result of his poor conduct was omitted from England’s Six Nations squad.
Yesterday, he was found urinating outside the Queens Hotel, Leeds, by police. A statement released this morning move to downplay the problem and isolate the incident from his previous behaviour:
“After an evening out with friends in the centre of Leeds, after a long time queuing, I was in a taxi home when I got caught short and asked the taxi driver to pull over so I could relieve myself behind a nearby building.
“The British Transport Police found me doing that and took me to the nearest police station where I was released with a caution.”
“I understand the link that will be made to previous offences but, as with my fine in December in Weybridge, the issue is more one of a small bladder than excessive drinking. I am working hard on and off the pitch to overcome my issues and while this is another small setback I will continue to do that.”
Frustrated
Conor O’Shea, director of rugby at the Premiership side, spoke of his troubled half back after his guilty plea in January, telling the Daily Mirror: ”On a personal level I’m both frustrated at him and for him.”
O’Shea backed Care to recover from what he termed “a terrible decision”, but his patience is surely now tested to the limit.
Officials at The Stoop fined Care for his previous indiscretions (the second of which was believed to be in the region of £10,000) and they will be expected to recoup some more wages from their elite level number nine.
