Former AFL players Scott Thompson and Steven Armstrong can now relive the car crash which earned them nominations for The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame.
Armstrong and Thompson were involved in an accident in 2007 and were punished for lying to police in an attempt to avoid blame. They can now tell the world about it when they attend the Frownlow awards night later this year.
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.
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.
In late 2007, Thompson crashed into a light pole in South Australia and injured one of the passengers, Adam Sampson. Sampson was knocked unconscious. Armstrong was also in the car at the time, as was another passenger, Ryan Sampson. The Sampson lads were not AFL players.
Thompson not only crashed the car, but lied to police. He did not admit to driving the car, but allowed Ryan Sampson to tell police that he was driving. Armstrong supported Sampson’s story.
Neither Thompson nor Armstrong told the AFL or their respective clubs about the incident, and it was only discovered about a year later.
A report into the incident claimed that Armstrong “…wilfully provided false information to mislead police. Not only did it interfere with the investigation, but it may have had the effect that the true offender, namely Thompson, might escape punishment.”
Scott Thompson did later plead guilty to causing serious harm by dangerous driving and leaving the scene of an accident. He was given a four-month suspended jail sentence.
Despite almost spending time behind bars, Thompson featured in a ‘Drive Down Memory Lane’ on the Footy SA Facebook page in 2018, sponsored by KIA.
The irony.
Image: NuNa
The Frownlow Medal 