Jack Grealish banned from driving for nine months after lockdown crash | Football

Aston Villa’s captain, Jack Grealish, has been banned from driving for nine months and fined £82,499 after crashing his high-powered £80,000 Range Rover during the Covid-19 lockdown in March.

Grealish was sentenced at Birmingham magistrates court on Tuesday, after previously pleading guilty to two charges, including one linked to the incident in which the England international’s 4×4 hit two parked vehicles in Dickens Heath, Solihull, West Midlands.

A judge was told that a witness said Grealish smelled of “intoxicating liquor” and was slurring his words immediately after the crash on 29 March. Grealish was involved in the incident less than 24 hours after issuing a Twitter video message urging people to stay at home to save lives and protect the NHS.

The 25-year-old midfielder also pleaded guilty to a separate offence of careless driving after prosecutors said an unmarked police car spotted him driving at more than 90mph along the M42 at “close to an intimidating distance” on 18 October.

Grealish was also ordered to pay costs of £220 and a victim surcharge of £181, taking his total in costs and fines to £82,900 – payable within seven days. The winger will have to apply for a new licence once his ban ends.