Abby Wambach, the retired U.S. women’s national team striker, was arrested for driving under the influence in Portland, Oregon, on April 2, 2016, and pleaded guilty ten days later to misdemeanor DUII. She entered Oregon’s diversion program for first-time offenders and later spoke publicly about the years of alcohol and prescription drug use behind the arrest.
The Portland Arrest
A Portland police sergeant stopped Wambach at 11:05 p.m. on Saturday, April 2, 2016, after she ran a red light near downtown while driving a Range Rover.1ESPN. Retired Soccer Star Abby Wambach Arrested on DUI Charge in Portland She failed a field sobriety test at the scene and a breath test after being taken to Central Precinct.2ABC News. Retired Soccer Star Abby Wambach Arrested on DUI Charge She was booked at 2:02 a.m. on Sunday, April 3, on a misdemeanor DUII charge and released on her own recognizance. Her attorney later disclosed in court that her blood alcohol content was .13 percent, above Oregon’s .08 legal limit.3The Oregonian. Abby Wambach Pleads Guilty to DUII
Hours after being released, Wambach posted an apology on Facebook. “I have let myself and others down,” she wrote. “I take full responsibility for my actions. This is all on me. I promise that I will do whatever it takes to ensure that my horrible mistake is never repeated. I am so sorry to my family, friends, fans and those that look to follow a better example.”4TIME. Abby Wambach Arrested for DUI
Guilty Plea and Diversion
Wambach’s attorney, Ben Eder, first entered a not-guilty plea, and the court allowed her to travel out of state for work.5ABC News. Soccer Star Abby Wambach Pleads Guilty to DUI Charge On April 12, 2016, she appeared before Judge Steven Todd in Multnomah County Circuit Court and changed her plea to guilty, confirming she understood the agreement and did not want a trial.3The Oregonian. Abby Wambach Pleads Guilty to DUII
Oregon’s DUII diversion program for first-time offenders lasts one year. Complete every condition and the charge can be dismissed; violate the terms and the court may terminate the agreement and sentence the defendant without a trial.6Oregon Judicial Department. DUII Diversion Wambach’s conditions were:
- Complete an alcohol and drug assessment and any recommended treatment.
- Install an ignition interlock device requiring a sober breath sample to start the vehicle.
- Abstain from alcohol during the diversion period.
- Attend a victim impact panel.
- Pay $490 in court diversion fees.7CBS News. Soccer Star Abby Wambach Pleads Guilty to DUII
Sponsor Fallout
MINI USA pulled its advertisements featuring Wambach after the arrest, saying her behavior was “against the values we promote as an organization” and that the company was “re-evaluating her association with the brand.”8Syracuse.com. Abby Wambach DUI Arrest Sponsor Ads
What Wambach Said About the Addiction Behind It
Wambach later said the arrest was not an isolated incident. She had been abusing alcohol and prescription drugs for years, including during her national team career. “This isn’t something that just snuck up on me when I retired from soccer,” she told reporters. “This is something I’ve been dealing with for years now.”9Fox Sports. Abby Wambach Admits to Alcohol and Drug Abuse During USWNT Career Her then-wife, Sarah Huffman, had confronted her about the problem years before the arrest.10Democrat and Chronicle. Abby Wambach Reveals Drugs, Alcohol Use and Divorce in Her New Book
In a 2016 TIME interview, Wambach said the public exposure of the arrest is what pushed her to get help. “It was my fame, ironically, it was my fame that allowed me to wake up because of the shame and the embarrassment of getting the DUI,” she said. “When you’re getting so publicly bashed, and your mugshot is all over the television and internet, there has to be a level of humble pie eaten.”11TIME. Abby Wambach Addiction DUI Together Tour
She rewrote parts of her memoir, Forward, to address the addiction directly. The book was published by Dey Street Books in September 2016. Of the arrest itself, she said: “The DUI was one of the best things that ever happened to me.”12ESPN. DUI Was One of the Best Things That Ever Happened
Sobriety Since
Wambach marked nine years of sobriety in April 2025. Speaking that July at the U.S. Women’s National Team Players Association Players Ball in Los Angeles, she said: “Having the gift of sobriety and to maintain that is really hard… to be able to maintain my sobriety over these nine years feels like even more incredible to me and more of a win than any of those championships. Yeah, they were fun, but this one saved my own life.”13Yahoo Entertainment. Abby Wambach Opens Up About Her Nine Years of Sobriety