Former NRL player Wes Patten has joined The Frownlow Medal Wife Beaters Club after being found guilty of domestic violence.
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 men’s and women’s 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 Ezra Mam 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.
Patten was sentenced to almost two years in jail for a domestic violence incident that occurred in Sydney in 2019. He was arrested for assaulting his partner and charged with assault causing actual bodily harm and common assault.
The former Balmain, Gold Coast, Souths and St George player was released, but was arrested again a year later for acting with intent to influence a witness after trying to get the woman to provide false evidence in court. As a result, his original jail term was doubled.
Patten joins the following list of footballers to have been found guilty of violence against women:
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
AFL
Elijah Taylor
Nick Stevens
Liam Jurrah
Andrew Lovett
Wayne Carey
Albert Proud
Jeff Farmer
Rugby Union
Craig Wells
The Frownlow Medal 