Former NRL star Blake Ferguson has joined The Fronwlow Medal Wife Beaters Club after being found guilty of 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.
Ferguson was given a two-year good behaviour bond for the indecent assault of a woman at a nightclub in Sydney in June 2013. He was convicted of groping 24-year-old woman at a bar in Cronulla while celebrating his selection in the State of Origin team.
Ferguson was stood down from the New South Wales Origin squad following the nightclub incident, and was eventually sacked by the Canberra Raiders in 2013. After a career littered with multiple highlights and just as many off-field scandals, Ferguson joins the following players in The Fronwlow Medal Wife Beaters Club:
NRL
Kenny Edwards
Zane Tetevano
Ben Barba
Jake Friend
Anthony Watts
Isaac Gordon
Richie Fa’aoso
Anthony Cherrington
Addin Fonua-Blake
Kirisome Auva’a
Jarryd Hayne
Jamil Hopoate
Joel Romelo
Matt Lodge
Stuart Webb
Curtis Scott
Danny Williams
Blake Ferguson
AFL
Elijah Taylor
Nick Stevens
Liam Jurrah
Andrew Lovett
Wayne Carey
Albert Proud
Nathan Bock
Rugby Union
Craig Wells
Image: Getty Images
The Frownlow Medal 