D.C. United captain Wayne Rooney responded Wednesday to a story that appeared in a British tabloid over the weekend featuring photos of the English striker enjoying the Vancouver nightlife after a match earlier this month and talking to a woman outside a hotel elevator.
In a statement posted on Twitter, Rooney called the story and photos, which appeared in the Sun and reportedly embarrassed his wife, Coleen, “a smear” against him.
“The Sun this week ran a front-page story making it look like I took a girl back to my team hotel,” Rooney said in the statement.