NRL player James Tedesco has called out professional footballers during the launch of his new reality TV show $Quid Games, which will feature Frownlow nominees whose scandals have cost them at least $10,000.
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.
Tedesco was inspired to create the show after his own recent controversy involving accusations of racial vilification and reference to the South Korean Netflix series Squid Game. The NSW captain was accused of calling out the name of the show at a woman of Asian descent after a night of heavy drinking with teammates. The incident resulted in a $10,000 fine and charges of drunk and disorderly behaviour.
Squid Game is based on a fictional reality TV show which is similar to the shows on which many footballers appear after an off-field scandal destroys their public image. For this reason, Tedesco was motivated to provide yet another opportunity his colleagues to rescue their personal brand.
“It’s like ‘quid’ you know, like the word for money,” he explained during the launch.
“It’s called quid, with a dollar sign, because any player who wants to go on the show has to have committed a scandal for which they were fined at least $10,000, and have at least one nomination for The Frownlow Medal. So, like, it has to be pretty serious, more than just public urination or getting caught with ecstasy.”
The Sydney Roosters star went on to explain that players who have not been fined a minimum of $10,000 could still join other Frownlow nominees in a quinella, trifecta, quadie or ‘$Quid Game Multi’ and combine their fines for a chance to be included in the show.
Once selected, players will be supplied with copious amounts of alcohol, illicit drugs, prescription drugs, sports gambling accounts, smart phones, internet, toilet cubicles, social media accounts, motor vehicles and access to the opposite sex, and be prompted to commit as many disgraceful acts as possible each episode. Fans will then vote for the role model who has committed the greatest scandal, and that player will be crowned the winner.
What does the winner receive?
The most prestigious prize in Australian sport: The Frownlow Medal.
Image: NuNa
The Frownlow Medal 