Bannan arrested following M1 car crash (now suspended by AVFC)

[eamonn]

So he originally got a taxi back to the hotel and then decided to drive back to Brum as he didn't want to miss an appointment he had (presumably the next morning). It was a foolish thing to do but not as brainless as most of us would have thought (without the full facts of the case obviously).

[Rick_avfc]

Stupid boy. He needs to learn from this and get himself straight. He needs to think himself lucky that he did not kill himself or someone else.

Personally I think he has learnt his lesson and you're right, he is lucky he did not kill himself or anyone else.  I'm still trying to work out what the legal limit is as it says he was ALMOST twice over the limit.

[spangley1812]

So he originally got a taxi back to the hotel and then decided to drive back to Brum as he didn't want to miss an appointment he had (presumably the next morning). It was a foolish thing to do but not as brainless as most of us would have thought (without the full facts of the case obviously).

Anyone who drinks and drives is brainless..............

[Somniloquism]

If that report is true, there were so many thing wrong in that for a professional footballer at the club I support.

3 hours after a loss he is already on his way to Leeds to party.

He knows he has a meeting the next morning that he really wants to make but still goes to Leeds to party

I can't say I'm privy to the normal match day experience but the I know the players used to stop overnight at the Marriot before a home match. I'm guessing they get up at 9am at the latest, that means he was awake for almost 20 hours after playing almost 80 mins of a tough match and then drinking several pints. Then deciding to drive

He decided to drive even though he hasn't passed his test. Let alone being over the limits.

[Chris Smith]

So he originally got a taxi back to the hotel and then decided to drive back to Brum as he didn't want to miss an appointment he had (presumably the next morning). It was a foolish thing to do but not as brainless as most of us would have thought (without the full facts of the case obviously).

Anyone who drinks and drives is brainless..............

I got a phone call once at four in the morning from A & E informing me of a family member in intensive care. I was half way to the hospital before the three glasses of wine I'd had earlier that evening even occurred to me. Not the same situation at all but I wasn't brainless just not thinking straight because of more pressing concerns.

[Risso]

So he originally got a taxi back to the hotel and then decided to drive back to Brum as he didn't want to miss an appointment he had (presumably the next morning). It was a foolish thing to do but not as brainless as most of us would have thought (without the full facts of the case obviously).

Anyone who drinks and drives is brainless..............

I got a phone call once at four in the morning from A & E informing me of a family member in intensive care. I was half way to the hospital before the three glasses of wine I'd had earlier that evening even occurred to me. Not the same situation at all but I wasn't brainless just not thinking straight because of more pressing concerns.

You can come up with mitigating factors for most things Chris.  In your example, I would say you were still foolish, but perhaps understandably so.  I don't know the facts of the case, but my gut instinct is that a young footballer crashing his car at 5.50am on a motorway while drunk probably doesn't have quite such a watertight excuse.

But in any case, he's committed a crime and been punished accordingly, so as long as he sees it as a lesson learnt, I think we should move on.

[Rick_avfc]

So he originally got a taxi back to the hotel and then decided to drive back to Brum as he didn't want to miss an appointment he had (presumably the next morning). It was a foolish thing to do but not as brainless as most of us would have thought (without the full facts of the case obviously).

Anyone who drinks and drives is brainless..............

I think you need to rephrase the anyone who drinks and drives is brainless to anyone who drinks excessively and drives is braininless.  At the end of the day there is a limit you can have before getting behind the wheel.  I admit that I have had a drink and have driven but I limit myself to either 1 pint or 1 bottle of beer.

[Legion]

So he originally got a taxi back to the hotel and then decided to drive back to Brum as he didn't want to miss an appointment he had (presumably the next morning). It was a foolish thing to do but not as brainless as most of us would have thought (without the full facts of the case obviously).

Anyone who drinks and drives is brainless..............

I got a phone call once at four in the morning from A & E informing me of a family member in intensive care. I was half way to the hospital before the three glasses of wine I'd had earlier that evening even occurred to me. Not the same situation at all but I wasn't brainless just not thinking straight because of more pressing concerns.

Similar has also occurred to me. Only half-way through the journey did I realise fully what I was doing.

[CJ]

......  I'm still trying to work out what the legal limit is as it says he was ALMOST twice over the limit.

I always thought it was 1 pint but according to this site it's equivalent to roughly 2 pints. That will obviously vary from person to person and involve other factors such as over what period of time you drank those 2 pints and other issues linked to from that web page. The fact that he was still twice over the limit several hours after his last drink suggests he'd had a fair few. I always play safe and if I'm driving I just don't drink.

[Legion]

Club statement

Barry Bannan said: "I am very conscious of the fact that I have let down a lot of people by my actions, which I deeply regret.

"I have let down my family, my club, the supporters of Aston Villa, all of the people who have helped me to get to this stage in my football career and I have let down myself. I'm really sorry.

"Obviously, I have to try to make up for a terrible error of judgement and I intend to do so, first by accepting the fine and punishment handed down by the court and subsequently by my actions.

"Drink driving is a very serious offence and there is no excuse for what I have done.

"The club has been very supportive throughout this process and I want to concentrate now on my responsibilities to Villa and work hard to get back in the team."

Villa manager Alex McLeish said: "As a club and as the manager of the club, we take a very dim view of the incident in which Barry was involved.

"He has been deservedly punished and we have also taken action internally, at the time of the incident when he was suspended and he will now be disciplined in line with the club's own disciplinary procedure, which will remain internal.

"Barry has shown contrition, he's very ashamed of what's happened and his attitude is very much to get on now with his life and his career as a footballer."

[Toronto Villa]

well said and handled by the player and the club. Proof will come by his future actions, but one would hope that he is taken aside by someone senior and mentored through this. We've had too much of this sort of bollocks in the past 12 months. Let's hope this incident is resigned to history along with the events of the hotel disaster last year.

[D.boy]

FAO Rick...
drink drive info

[eamonn]

So he originally got a taxi back to the hotel and then decided to drive back to Brum as he didn't want to miss an appointment he had (presumably the next morning). It was a foolish thing to do but not as brainless as most of us would have thought (without the full facts of the case obviously).

Anyone who drinks and drives is brainless..............

I suppose what I'm getting at is that I had presumed Bannan had driven straight after leaving whatever watering hole he had been in. The fact that he had got a taxi to his hotel and then decided to drive after he realised he had to be somewhere else in the morning paints him in a slightly less harsher light. Still a stupid and wrong thing to do but not as wreckless as I had thought.

[Ad@m]

So he originally got a taxi back to the hotel and then decided to drive back to Brum as he didn't want to miss an appointment he had (presumably the next morning). It was a foolish thing to do but not as brainless as most of us would have thought (without the full facts of the case obviously).

Anyone who drinks and drives is brainless..............

I suppose what I'm getting at is that I had presumed Bannan had driven straight after leaving whatever watering hole he had been in. The fact that he had got a taxi to his hotel and then decided to drive after he realised he had to be somewhere else in the morning paints him in a slightly less harsher light. Still a stupid and wrong thing to do but not as wreckless as I had thought.

The 'fact' that he SAYS he got a taxi to his hotel and he SAYS he only decided to drive after he realised he had to be somewhere else in the morning...

A lot of his story makes no sense.

[olaftab]

I got a phone call once at four in the morning from A & E informing me of a family member in intensive care. I was half way to the hospital before the three glasses of wine I'd had earlier that evening even occurred to me. Not the same situation at all but I wasn't brainless just not thinking straight because of more pressing concerns.

You can come up with mitigating factors for most things Chris.  In your example, I would say you were still foolish, but perhaps understandably so.  I don't know the facts of the case, but my gut instinct is that a young footballer crashing his car at 5.50am on a motorway while drunk probably doesn't have quite such a watertight excuse.

But in any case, he's committed a crime and been punished accordingly, so as long as he sees it as a lesson learnt, I think we should move on.

This is not an uncommon event and I bet majority of adults in the Country have done this.