Former rugby league player Brent Todd has been accused of committing the worst crime in footy after dobbing on his associates in court.
Todd forgot that players should always stand by their teammates, so that he could reduce his own punishment for committing fraud.
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.
Todd played for the Canberra Raiders, Gold Coast Seagulls and New Zealand but achieved fame for fraud after retiring from professional sport. He did the rounds of reality TV shows before committing fraud involving poker machines.
The prop pleaded guilty to a fake invoicing scheme that cheated the North Harbour Rugby Football Union and Touch New Zealand of $2 million. A judge described the acts as a “calculated and systematic” fraud that involved “essentially facilitating grants” for the bodies in return for kickbacks during the early 2000s.
Originally Todd could have been sentenced to five years in prison after he pleaded guilty to the charges, but he took responsibility for his part in the fraud and provided evidence against five co-accused. He also was expected to repay more than $600,000 and was ordered to complete community work and serve a 12-month home detention.
After essentially ratting on his former colleagues, Todd might be unpopular at the awards night for The Frownlow Medal and hall of fame later this year, but could win favour if they find out that he was also fined $500 in 2006 for procuring cocaine.
Image: NuNa
The Frownlow Medal 