NRL player Kirisome Auva’a has been nominated for The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame after pleading guilty to domestic violence.
Auva’a violently attacked his ex-girlfriend at a wedding in 2014 and was suspended by the NRL and put on a counselling program.
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. Kiwi international Shaun Kenny-Dowall won the inaugural medal in 2015 before Corey Norman in 2016 and Tim Simona in 2017.
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 Julian O’Neill.
Auva’a was charged with recklessly causing injury and criminal damage after he threw his ex-girlfriend against a wall and punched holes in the wall of her home during a drunken rage. The courts gave Auva’a a two-year good behaviour bond while the NRL suspended him from the game for nine months and sent him to counselling.
Furthermore, the South Sydney premiership winning player was eventually sacked by the Rabbitohs for a second breach of the NRL testing policy for illicit substances.
Commenting on the offences and his attempts to repair his reputation, Auva’a was reported in the media as saying,
“I’ve become more into being a role-model, being on TV and having kids look up to us.”
Image:Nuna
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