Can anyone give Danny Jacobs and Lance Picioane a lift to the awards night for The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame? The former AFL players won’t be driving after involvement in a drink-driving incident, and they can’t afford an Uber after being hit with a $5000 fine.
Jacobs and Picioane would love to be at the night of nights with a host of other famous footballers, and could share the ride with some of the other players who were nominated for the same offence.
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 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.
Jacobs registered a blood alcohol reading more than double the legal limit in 2004, and to make matters worse, he lied about the incident to Hawthorn Hawks officials. Jacobs apparently said he was just sitting in the driver’s seat listening to some tunes and waiting for a friend to drive him home from a nightclub, but it was later discovered that he had been driving and had made two illegal turns.
Police followed him and carried out the breath test which confirmed his guilt.
Picioane, meanwhile, is implicated in the scandal because he was ill and asked Jacobs to drive the car, even though he knew Jacobs was drunk.
Both players were fined and ordered to undertake drink-driving courses and community service, while Picioane was suspended for one game. Jacobs was not suspended because he was injured at the time.
What is most important now is getting the two former Hawks to the awards night for The Frownlow Medal and The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame, to be held later this year.
Image: NuNa
The Frownlow Medal 