Footballers know you never dob in a mate. Karmichael Hunt must have forgotten this rule during the confusion of jumping between three different football codes because he accused Steve Michaels of supplying him with cocaine and, in doing so, earned his friend a nomination for The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame.
Michaels thought Hunt was his close friend, but evidence from Hunt saw the former NRL player charged with ten counts of supplying cocaine in November 2017.
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.
Michaels had apparently been under investigation for drug offences since 2015, but it is believed that the evidence from Hunt, who was himself under investigation for possession of illicit drugs, led to Michaels’ arrest.
The former Titans and Broncos player was also accused of putting Hunt in contact with John Touma, another former NRL player who was also charged with drug offences and nominated for The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame.
Football fans are expecting a very awkward reunion between the former besties when they arrive for the grand awards ceremony for The Frownlow Medal and The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame later this year.
Image:Nuna
First published in January, 2018.
The Frownlow Medal 