Former NRL player Chris Walker has been nominated for The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame after being charged with domestic violence offences.
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 AFL player Noah Balta 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.
Walker played State of Origin for Queensland and was recently released on bail, and must seek treatment at a drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre and submit to drug and alcohol testing. He was charged with assault, using a carriage service to menace or harass and wilful damage.
The court was told that Walker fled from police when they attended a domestic violence call-out recently and that he was attempting to hide by “clinging to a pontoon”. He was found to be heavily under the influence of drugs at the time and told police, ‘I’m just going for a swim’.
Despite police opposition, Walker was granted bail as his lawyer argued that Walker’s relationship had broken down in the past six months and that conditions could be put in place, including the former back leaving Southeast Queensland.
Walker’s lawyers also claimed that he had ‘fallen off the wagon’ recently, but his Frownlow history suggests he fell off long ago. He was inducted into The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame in 2018. This was after police used capsicum spray to subdue him outside a nightclub, and he broke curfew at Queensland Origin camp, which cost him his spot in the team. He was also suspended by the Roosters and the Titans for off-field behaviour and did not complete his contract with the Rabbitohs or the Storm. After he was arrested for disorderly conduct, he finally confessed to having a drinking problem.
That problem has surfaced again and he will be back in court facing domestic violence charges.
Image: NuNa
The Frownlow Medal 