Former NRL player Darius Boyd has proven that SAS Australia is nothing more than a lifeline for wayward footballers after he used the program to announce his nomination for The Fronwlow Medal Hall of Fame.
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.
Boyd admitted to adultery during a promotion for the reality TV show and blamed his cheating on mental health struggles. During the interview, Boyd linked his adultery to his difficult upbringing and the lack of positive role models in his life. He has now become one of these poor role models for a generation of young Aussie footy fans.
What he doesn’t say, however, is how all of these problems can be solved by appearing on a reality TV show. The former Australia and Queensland fullback is the latest wayward footballer to use a reality TV show to repair his public image after a scandal.
Joining Boyd in season 2022 of SAS Australia is Wife Beater Wayne Carey and fellow Frownlow nominees Barry Hall and Millie Boyle. AFL player Heath Shaw appeared on a previous season, alongside controversial NRL star Sam Burgess. Other Fronwlow nominees to appear on Australian reality TV shows include:
Brian Lake (AFL) – Survivor
Sam Thaiday (NRL) – Parental Guidance, Celebrity Come Dine With Me
Robert ‘Dipper’ Dipierdomenico – Excess Baggage, Celebrity Dog School
Wendell Sailor (NRL) – Dancing With the Stars, The Celebrity Apprentice
I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here
- Anthony Mundine (NRL)
- Barry Hall (AFL) (runner-up)
- Brendan Fevola (AFL) – Winner Season Two
- Dane Swan (AFL) (runner-up)
- Nathan Buckley (AFL)
- Billy Brownless (AFL)
- It could also be argued that Frownlow favourite Ben Cousins is himself a reality TV show.
All of these players have been nominated for Frownlow honours.
Will Boyd’s wife forgive him if he wins SAS Australia, or only if he earns a spot in The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame?
Image: NuNa
The Frownlow Medal 