Former AFL player Andrew Lovett has earned a Wife Beater Tattoo from The Fronwlow Medal after pleading guilty to violence against women.
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 NRL star Jarryd Hayne 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.
Lovett pleaded guilty to the assault which occurred in 2011 on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria. The court heard that the woman had taken Lovett in when he was homeless, and that the assault started after Lovett discovered the woman had told someone that he sold his medals to fund his alcohol and gambling addictions. One of the medals was from the Anzac Day game in 2005.
Lovett then reportedly smashed the woman’s phone before grabbing the victim by the throat and throwing her to the ground numerous times. He also held her down on the couch, while her baby slept nearby. The woman was left with neck and chest injuries, while Lovett was given a $2500 fine and escaped prison time.
Image: NuNa
The Frownlow Medal 