Aston Villa star and captain Jack Grealish was in the news for all the wrong reasons this past weekend.
Shortly after posting a video online urging people to follow the government's guidelines to stay at home to prevent the spread of COVID-19, pictures emerged of Grealish wearing two different shoes after leaving a party at a friend's house early in the morning.
The midfielder's car reportedly hit multiple parked cars along the street as well. The driver apparently left the scene on foot after giving his information to a bystander. Grealish apologized in a video posted online and soon afterward Aston Villa released a statement regarding the incident.
— Jack Grealish (@JackGrealish) March 30, 2020
"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," the club said.
Grealish will apparently be disciplined and face a fine which will go to the University Hospitals Charity in Birmingham.
It is not the first time Grealish has garnered negative publicity. After the 2014-15 season, Grealish, 19 at the time, was pictured unconscious in the street in Tenerife after a night out. Months later he garnered more scrutiny after being photographed partying with friends at a Manchester nightclub shortly after a 4-0 defeat to Everton. Grealish was still a youngster at the time of both those incidents.
With the passage of time he has matured into a model professional and, as mentioned above, now wears the armband for Villa. Last February Sky Sports published an interview with Grealish in which he discussed shedding his "bad boy" image.
"Everyone knows I've had a bit of bad press when I was a bit younger, but I wouldn't change it. That's made me who I am today ... When I was young I might have been a bit immature, but now I know what I want to do in my career, play for Aston Villa, play for England and win trophies. That's the aim," he told Sky.
Grealish himself and those around him at the club will thus be all the more disappointed at his latest newsworthy episode, as captain Grealish will be expected to act as a role model for younger players in the first team as well as in the club's youth sides.
Grealish's performance on the pitch this season has earned him praise and generated speculation of a move to Manchester United. He leads the team in both goals (nine) and assists (eight) across all competitions.
