Former AFL player Ryan Cook has been nominated for The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame after being charged with assault.
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 AFL player Elijah Taylor is the most recent recipient.
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.
Cook fractured the eye socket of his victim and left the man with 10 shattered facial bones during a fight at a pub in country Victoria in 2009. He was fined $3500 for the incident.
The ex-Collingwood player was charged with one count of negligently causing injury and avoided a conviction because the victim was held partially responsible for the incident and was blamed for provoking the response from the footballer.
Will this bar room brawl be enough to earn Cook a place in The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame? For a full list of nominees, go to www.instagram.com/thefrownlowmedal/
Image:NuNa
The Frownlow Medal 