Professional footballers are closely monitoring the police investigation into Josh Addo-Carr to assess their chances of winning The Frownlow Medal in 2026.
Addo-Carr allegedly tested positive for cocaine for the second time in his career and currently leads the athletes vying for the biggest prize in Australian sport.
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.
Addo-Carr may have thrown away his NRL career after allegedly testing positive to cocaine while driving. He committed the same offence in 2024 and earned his first Frownlow nomination back in 2020 for breaching COVID-19 lockdown rules.
NRL colleagues of Addo-Carr comprise five of the current nominees, and one NRLW player is in contention, while AFL has seven players in the running, including the Pullman Five.
Addo-Carr’s NRL colleagues will push him all the way for the medal. Tyrone Munro could be the toughest competition if he is found guilty of domestic violence allegations which have kept him out of the Rabbitohs team this year, while fellow South Sydney player Brandon Smith is waiting for the outcome of alleged drug supply charges from 2025 to see if he can snatch the Frownlow.
Josiah Karapani provided Broncos fans with something to cheer about on the field this year, but he also committed a driving offence. He was caught speeding, and was charged with ‘Failure to display P plates’, ‘Driving an unregistered vehicle’ and ‘Driving an uninsured vehicle’ as well as blowing 0.037 on a breath test while driving a provisional licence. He was also charged with public nuisance earlier in 2026.
Driving offences have proven popular in 2026. NRL player Jermain McEwen was caught drink-driving on a suspended licence, while Seriah Palepale from NRLW led police on a high-speed car chase until she crashed into a telegraph pole. She was charged with four offences and is the only female player to be nominated for Frownlow honours so far this year.
Toby Rudolf offered the most entertaining nomination and a great clickbait story for the tabloid press. The Cronulla Sharks funny man clashed with a local council ranger over the restraining of his dogs, and chose to thank the ranger by dropping his pants and casting a full moon over the Shire.
AFL players always challenge the NRL for Frownlow glory and this year most of them chose infidelity to earn their nomination. Lachie Neale is a Brownlow medallist and Brisbane Lions hero but cheated on his wife with one of her friends, while the Pullman Five celebrated a Sydney Swans win with strippers in a hotel room despite having female partners at home. The scandal escalated when the strippers accused Isaac Heeney, Riley Bice, Nick Blakey, Chad Warner and James Jordon of sexual assault. Bice has since been cleared by police, but the remaining four are still under investigation.
The Pullman Five are some of the biggest names in the AFL and play for a club in the semi finals. Some of them would have been favoured to be selected in the All-Australian team and win the Brownlow Medal, but were stood down from the Swans and now must wait for the police investigation to determine if they have a future in the AFL.
Josh Worrell also committed a driving offence. The Adelaide Crows player hit a pedestrian with his car and faces charges of aggravated driving without due care and failing to present to police within 90 minutes of an accident involving injury.
Will one of these players win The Fronwlow Medal in 2026? It’s only September, so anything can happen, and we still haven’t heard tales of Mad Monday.
Image: NuNa
The Frownlow Medal 