Two Derby County players have been charged with drink-driving and their captain ruled out for the season after a bizarre incident on Tuesday night (September 24).
The Telegraph report that Tom Lawrence's Range Rover Sport was badly damaged in a crash, which saw both the Wales winger and Rams striker Mason Bennett arrested and charged by police.
Furthermore, the club captain Richard Keogh was a passenger in Lawrence's car, and has sustained a serious knee injury that means he won't play again this season.
The news is another major headache for Derby manager Phillip Cocu, who has struggled to whip the side into the form of a team in promotion contention in the early weeks of the season.
A statement from the club explains that the team were on a club-sanctioned night out before the incident took place, just days after their last-gasp draw with Leeds United at Elland Road.
A statement released from Derby County said: "The players were out as part of a scheduled team-building dinner with staff and while the majority of them acted responsibly and left at around 8pm and were not involved, a small group, including the team captain Richard Keogh, continued drinking into the night.
"They should have known when to stop and also ignored the opportunity to be driven home using cars laid on by the club, and chose to stay out.
"As a result of an alcohol-related incident, Richard Keogh has sustained a serious knee injury that will prevent him from playing until the end of the season.
"The players involved in the incident on Tuesday evening will be subject to a rigorous internal investigation under the club’s code of conduct and disciplinary procedures, but over and above any punishment they receive we will be expecting them to become involved with the excellent work the Community Trust does helping the communities we serve."
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