Former soccer star Wayne Rooney apologizes to family and team he's coaching after photos of private party surfaced on social media

• The former Manchester United star Wayne Rooney has apologized for raunchy photos of him at a party.
• The photos started circulating last weekend, but it is unclear when they were taken.
• Some of the photos appear to show Rooney asleep with several young women around him.

The former English soccer star Wayne Rooney apologized to his family and the club he now manages for several images of him at a party that circulated on social media last weekend.

The photos appear to show the former Manchester United player asleep close to several young women. One image shows a man of a similar build as Rooney kissing an unknown woman. It is unclear when the photos were taken.

In an interview with Sky Sports, Rooney said he "made a mistake" and had been with two friends at a private party when the photos were taken.

"I'd like to apologize to my family and the club for the images which were going round," he said. "And I want to move forward on this."

Rooney manages Derby County, a club in the English Football League Championship, the UK's second-highest football league.

He added that he was grateful to his employer for the "opportunity to get this club back to where it belongs" and that the situation had been "dealt with."

Rooney, 35, retired from professional play in January after being a player-coach at Derby County for one season. He also played in the Major League Soccer club DC United from 2018 to 2019.

A top-scoring record holder for the English national team and Manchester United, he earned $21 million a year in his prime. He and his wife, Coleen, whom he met in secondary school, have four children together.