NRL player Sandon Smith has earned a nomination for The Frownlow Medal after allegedly committing a driving offence that could land him in prison.
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 Talatau Amone is the most recent recipient.
Smith was allegedly behind the wheel during a multi-car crash in Sydney’s eastern suburbs that left a man with “serious foot injuries”, and he could spend up to nine months behind bars if found guilty.
Smith will answer to the charge of negligent driving causing grievous bodily harm when he returns from an end-of-season holiday.
It is alleged the 21-year-old failed to give way while driving his Audi sedan on Old South Head Rd in Vaucluse about 7.30am on March 31, colliding with both a Mazda SUV and a Toyota SUV.
Hitting two SUVs, in one of Sydney’s most exclusive suburbs, is sure to result in some punishment for the Sydney Roosters young gun.
“NSW Ambulance paramedics treated a 38-year-old man at the scene for serious foot injuries before taking him to St Vincent’s Hospital,” a police spokesperson said in a statement recently.
Sandon, of course, is not to be confused with Brandon Smith, his Roosters teammate and a serial nominee for The Frownlow Medal. Brandon, however, can tell Sandon what to expect when he attends the awards night for The Frownlow Medal and The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame later this year.
Image: NuNa
The Frownlow Medal 