AFL player and coach Simon Goodwin was one of the first players to be caught gambling on AFL games and his foolhardy flutter has earned him a nomination for The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame.
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.
Goodwin was one of a number of players caught gambling on AFL games in 2007, when he was playing for the Adelaide Crows. His betting earned him a $40,000 fine from the AFL and an order to undergo counselling for his gambling addiction.
The former All-Australian player was also involved in an ugly altercation with a press photographer outside a pub during his playing days.
Goodwin is hoping that a place in the Hall of Fame will make up for a disastrous end to the season for his Melbourne Demons team, which was thrashed by West Coast Eagles in the preliminary final.
Image:Nuna
The Frownlow Medal 