Abby Wambach Says She Is 'Embarrassed and Ashamed' By DUI Arrest
— -- Retired soccer star Abby Wambach said today she has "been embarrassed and ashamed" by her arrest for driving under the influence.
Speaking at an event at Georgetown University Saturday, Wambach addressed the incident, calling it "a mistake."
"Everybody makes mistakes," she told CBS’s Norah O’Donnell. "I made a mistake, I’m owning it."
The player whom President Obama once called the "greatest of all time" retired from soccer in December following the national team’s World Cup victory. Wambach was arrested in Portland, Oregon, on April 3, after allegedly failing to stop for a red light and failing a sobriety test. She was charged with driving under the influence of intoxicants (DUII) -- a charge to which she pleaded not guilty Tuesday. She is scheduled to next appear in court April 26.
Several times during her appearance, Wambach urged the audience members to "learn from this mistake."
"You guys might think because I play on the national team -- or played on the national team, still working on the past tense -- that I'm this superstar and whatnot," she said. "But this actually a really good lesson for all of you. No matter what, you’re going to become our next leaders."
Wambach also noted she planned to visit with her 22 nieces and nephews this weekend. She hoped they would also take her lesson to heart.
"I want to implore and impart on them that as a human being we make mistakes," Wambach said. "And it's never about what you do in terms of that mistake, it's about how you handle it and what you do in the moments afterwards."
