AFL player Jordan de Goey has staunchly denied any allegation that he sexually assaulted his dog. He may or may not have assaulted a woman in 2015, but he certainly did not assault his dog.
The recent allegations against de Goey relate to an incident concerning a woman in 2015, which have only now come to light, and have earned the Collingwood player his third nomination for The Frownlow Medal.
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, while NRL player Ben Barba is the most recent recipient.
De Goey is presumed innocent until a verdict is reached, so we don’t know if he assaulted the woman. What is certain is that he did not assault his dog, because he owes his dog big time. The dog in question is the one de Goey blamed for injuring his hand and missing a number of games a few years ago. The hand injury earned de Goey his first Frownlow nomination because it later emerged that de Goey had actually injured it in an incident at a nightclub. He just didn’t tell the truth to anyone, not even coach Nathan Buckley, who was forced to tell the dog story to the media and stick up for his player in front of the cameras.
De Goey’s second Frownlow nomination came after a drink-driving incident, but was also not enough to win the prestigious medal. Will it be third time lucky?
An allegation of sexual assault is a very serious allegation and infinitely more serious than the Tik Tok videos and social distancing breaches which have earned other footballers Frownlow nominations in recent weeks. However, even if found guilty of sexual assault, this may not be enough to guarantee de Goey The Frownlow Medal this year. Both Jack de Belin and Jarryd Hayne are still waiting for their sexual assault cases to be heard, so the fight for the Frownlow will be very tough in 2020.
To borrow a cliche, a week is a long time in footy, so a year is a very long time – and that is why de Goey will have to wait patiently to see if he has done enough to win The Frownlow Medal.
Image: NuNa
The Frownlow Medal 