Some celebrities and public figures are the exact opposite of a role model when it comes to being responsible at the wheel, but Jack Grealish officially stands in a league of his own.
Grealish, the Aston Villa captain and one of the brightest, most promising English talents in the Premier League, has a long history of motoring offenses, but 2020 proved to be the year that turned him into a feature for the history books. On Tuesday, he was sentenced for his latest offenses and set a new record for the biggest fine ever for a UK football player.
The Guardian reports that Grealish was sentenced for two separate incidents: on in March, when he rammed his Range Rover into parked cars in a cul-de-sac in Dickens Heath, Solihull, West Midlands, before smashing into a wall and walking off the scene on foot, and another in October, when he was pulled over for speeding.
Given his track record and the severity of the March incident, Grealish will have to pay a total of £82,900 ($111,930), of which £82,499 ($111,398) is the fine alone. The previous record was held by Yaya Toure of Manchester City, who was fined £54,000 ($72,916) in 2026 for drunk driving.
At the same time, West Midlands Police have released CCTV footage of both incidents, which you can see at the bottom of the page. Grealish, wearing mismatched slippers and seemingly having trouble keeping upright, ran to his Range Rover and hit two parked cars, including a Citroen van and a C-Class Mercedes, before hitting a wall. He left on foot before the police arrived, and a witness told the court that he was unstable on his feet and reeked of alcohol.
Hilariously, Grealish blamed his mismatched slippers for his inability to operate the vehicle.
In addition to the hefty fine, Grealish has been banned from driving for nine months and will have to reapply for a license once the ban is over. His attorney told the court that, despite the other motoring offenses on his record, Grealish was truly sorry for how recklessly he’d acted. Adding insult to injury, the March incident took place within days of the first national lockdown and 24 hours after Grealish went on social media urging people to stay at home to protect the national healthcare system, the NHS.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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