NRL player Peni Terepo has informed judges of The Frownlow Medal that he will BYO on the night of nights and that he will consume all of his drinks from a coffee cup.
Terepo made the statement after earning his nomination for an alcohol fuelled-incident that saw him escorted from an Air New Zealand flight by police.
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. NRL player Shaun Kenny-Dowall won the inaugural medal in 2015 and code-swapper Karmichael Hunt was the most recent recipient.
Details of the incident are yet to be confirmed, but it is alleged that the Parramatta and Tonga player bought his own alcohol on to the flight in a coffee cup and continued drinking, despite being asked by airline staff to limit his alcohol consumption due to his behaviour.
While the police and NRL continue their investigations into the incident, the Eels have stood down Terepo, for the second time in his career.
In 2017, he received his first Frownlow nomination after he was found guilty of careless driving. According to media reports at the time, he was thrown through the windscreen of his car and refused to give a blood alcohol test. He also neglected to tell the Eels about the incident and as well as being stood down, he was fined and disqualified from driving for seven months.
Pundits have already circulated rumours that the NRL’s recent tough stand against off-field behaviour could ruin Terepo’s career, and if it does, he will make a cameo appearance as a deranged, drunken football star in the next season of Wellington Paranormal.
Image:NuNa
The Frownlow Medal 