3 hours ago
The AFL has removed Nicky Winmar from nan Australian Football Hall of Fame aft nan erstwhile St Kilda and Western Bulldogs subordinate was successful June found blameworthy of 3 battle charges involving unit against women.
Winmar, who retired from playing successful 1999 aft 251 AFL games, was yet inducted into nan Hall of Fame successful 2022 aft having been eligible since 2005 – a move wide lauded astatine nan clip fixed nan Saints great’s feats connected nan section and nan celebrated guidelines he took against racism.
The stripping of 1 of nan astir prestigious honours successful Australian rules football comes aft Optus Stadium successful his location authorities of Western Australia took down a statue depicting him lifting his jersey and pointing astatine his tegument successful consequence to racist maltreatment during a crippled successful 1993.
The determination to remove nan statue sparked debate – Winmar is not nan only Hall of Fame footballer to person committed convulsive acts.
Last week nan AFL confirmed it was reviewing Winmar’s inclusion, but it did not respond erstwhile asked astir nan position of chap Hall of Famer Wayne Carey, who pleaded blameworthy successful 1996 to indecent battle and was placed connected a good-behaviour enslaved without conviction.
Carey was inducted into nan Hall of Fame successful 2010. In 2024, nan AFL blocked Carey’s elevation to “legend” position successful nan New South Wales Hall of Fame, citing concerns astir his history during a league-wide run against gender-based unit against women.
New rules adopted successful 2023 let for nan AFL committee to region an inductee if they person been “charged pinch aliases recovered blameworthy of an indictable offence and/or if nan inductee engages successful behaviour which nan committee considers is prejudicial to nan interests of nan AFL aliases is behaviour which brings nan AFL, nan inductee, aliases Australian shot into disrepute”.
“The Australian Football Hall of Fame exists to recognise nan highest achievements successful our crippled and admittance to it is 1 of nan top honours Australian shot tin bestow,” committee chair Craig Drummond said.
“The committee has a work to protect nan integrity and estimation of that honour. Violence against women has nary place. Not successful our community, not successful our game, and not successful nan values nan Australian Football Hall of Fame seeks to uphold.
“The committee acknowledges Nicky Winmar’s important publication to Australian shot and his spot successful our history. However, nan caller findings against him render inappropriate his spot successful nan Australian Football Hall of Fame.”
