Former AFL star Robert ‘Dipper’ DiPierdomenico has severely damaged his chances of winning a place in the Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame after his pronouncement that Ben Cousins had died forced him to quit Twitter.
The Hawthorn legend unplugged himself from every modern footballer’s lifeline and, in doing so, denied himself the opportunity to send naked selfies, make bigoted or racist comments, produce evidence of public urination or engage in a war of words with Nick Kyrgios.
The Frownlow Medal is awarded to the player whose off-field demeanour epitomises the values of the modern day footballer and draws attention to the status of footballers as role models to young Australians. It covers Australia’s four major football codes; the National Rugby League (NRL), Australian Football League (AFL), the A-League (Football) and Rugby Union’s Super Rugby competition. The first medal was awarded to Sydney Roosters and New Zealand representative Shaun Kenny-Dowall in 2015.
The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame honours former players and players who received media attention in previous seasons, for similarly scandalous behaviour, and its inductees include Ben Cousins and Todd Carney.
Worse still, the man who Dipper claimed was dead is the very player Dipper should be attempting to emulate, if he hopes to join Cousins, plus NRL stars Todd Carney and Joel Monaghan, in the prestigious Hall of Fame.
If he fails to be inducted into the Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame, DiPierdomenico will just have to be content with the Brownlow Medal he won in 1986 and his position in the Australian Football Hall of Fame.
Image:www.theage.com.au
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