EXCLUSIVE: The Prime Minister of Australia, Scott Morrison, has exercised his executive powers to demand that fellow Hillsong member Jarryd Hayne win The Frownlow Medal in 2021. Mr Morrison is believed to have instructed Frownlow judges to award the medal to the ex-NRL player who faces charges of sexually assaulting a young woman on grand final night in 2019.
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 AFL player Elijah Taylor is the most recent recipient.
The prime minister vehemently denies making the phone call, however.
“The prime minister did not threaten judges of The Frownlow Medal,” read a statement from the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. “The prime minister reserves threatening phone calls for female premiers, female colleagues, female staffers, female reporters and female opponents. Furthermore, Rupert Murdoch has no interest in Jarryd Hayne or The Frownlow Medal, and did not issue any instructions to Mr Morrison on the matter.”
Mr Morrison himself did issue a brief statement in response to the revelations.
“Jarryd’s a good Christian boy, and he deserves to win the Frownlow more than any other alleged rapists (including Jack de Belin and Tristan Sailor). Frankly, I don’t see why he didn’t win the medal in 2019 or 2020”
Mr Morrison is forgetting that Hayne’s court case is ongoing and the former Origin star has not been found guilty or innocent.
Hayne and Morrison share an association with the Pentecostal megachurch in Sydney which combines rock music with morality and Christian virtues. Hayne successfully had his bail conditions changed in 2019 so that he could attend Christian missionary college in Perth, while awaiting trial on the rape charges. The former Australian representative often speaks publicly about the importance of his faith.
Another ex-NRL player, Wes Naiqama, is also a member of Hillsong, and has already been inducted into The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame for various off-field indiscretions. Hayne, meanwhile, was nominated for Frownlow honours in 2016 and 2017, as well as 2019, 20 and 21.
Judges of Australia’s most prestigious sporting honour have assured fans that they remain impartial and objective and will not be pressured by anyone, not even the prime minister. They also reminded Jarryd that the winner will be announced at the end of the year, so he and Scott have plenty of time to pray for victory.
Image: NuNa
The Frownlow Medal 