The Frownlow Medal Corey Norman won in 2016 has gone missing after the NRL player and James Segeyaro were attacked by a group of armed men in Cronulla recently. Norman and Segeyaro fought off the unidentified men who were attempting to steal the medal, which Norman is known to carry proudly on his person at all times.
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 footballers escaped uninjured and explained their involvement in the wild brawl via the social media account of the company YKTR Sports, which they co-manage. YKTR stands for You Know The Rules. They claim Segeyaro was racially abused by the men and that Norman intervened to defend his friend. The argument soon turned physical and one of the attackers is alleged to have pulled a knife. The situation was eventually diffused and the players left, in the company of their female friends. At no point does the account mention The Frownlow Medal.
Did the attackers steal The Frownlow Medal?
Is Norman too embarrassed to admit that he lost it? After all, he is one of only six players in history to have won the award.
Are police assisting Norman to recover the medal? This seems unlikely, given Norman’s history with the police. He was once caught with illicit drugs, was photographed with known criminals and was the subject of a leaked sex tape. He also appeared in a video in which a man is taking drugs, was intoxicated at a Sydney nightspot and was involved in the Parramatta Eels salary cap scandal.
Segeyaro, meanwhile, is currently suspended by the NRL for testing positive to performance enhancing drugs and earned a previous Frownlow nomination for appearing on social media with known criminals.
Norman may face suspension from the early rounds of the 2021 NRL season due to the incident, while Segeyaro has undoubtedly harmed his chances of ever returning to the competition.
Meanwhile, The Frownlow Medal is still missing. Anyone with information about the whereabouts of the medal is asked to contact Frownlow judges via this page or www.instagram.com/thefrownlowmedal, or to contact YKTR Sports at http://www.yktr.com.au.
Image: NuNa
The Frownlow Medal 