Jack Wilshere apologizes for 'unacceptable' smoking images

What do you do when you're a professional footballer who was caught smoking a cigarette in a Las Vegas swimming pool?

You apologize, of course.

Speaking before Arsenal's 1-0 loss to the New York Red Bulls on Saturday night, Jack Wilshere took the chance to apologize for the "unacceptable" images that recently surfaced of him smoking outside a nightclub in Las Vegas.

"I regret it," Wilshere said. "I've been seen before doing it. I said then I made a mistake I made a mistake again. People make mistakes. I'm young. I'll learn from it. I realize the consequences it has and the effect on kids growing up. I have kids and I don't want them growing up to think their dad smokes and it's OK for a footballer to smoke because it's not. It's unacceptable and I will accept the consequences and move on.

"It does motivate me to try harder in training and not just in training; it motives me to improve because a lot of people start to talk, people who don't know me but want to have an opinion, and it is down to me to let my feet do the talking.

"This is a big season for me. I came back early to pre-season to show people my commitment. I am fully committed to the club and to my job and I want to show everyone that."

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho was among the first to publicly criticize Wilshere for the images, claiming that the 22-year-old was setting a poor example for children.