Former AFL player Nicky Winmar has been removed from the Australian Football Hall of Fame after being found guilty of assault.
The 60-year-old was found guilty of three counts of unlawful assault and common law assault. He was acquitted of a fourth charge of intentionally causing injury.
Winmar was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2022, but the AFL Commission has now revoked the honour following his conviction earlier this month.
In a statement, AFL Commission chair Craig Drummond said violence against women “has no place”.
“Not in our community, not in our game, and not in the values the Australian Football Hall of Fame seeks to uphold,” Drummond said.
Winmar, originally from Western Australia, played 251 AFL games for St Kilda and the Western Bulldogs.
A statue of Winmar outside Perth Stadium was also removed following his conviction.
Winmar had pleaded not guilty to the charges, which related to an incident at Cohuna last year.
The woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, told the Bendigo Magistrates’ Court in May she was “fearful” for her life.
The prosecution told the court Winmar grabbed and twisted the woman’s arm, dragged her by her hair and smashed her head against a wooden door four times, while the defence argued he did it in self-defence.
The matter will return to court in August for a pre-sentence hearing.
The St Kilda Football Club board has also initiated proceedings to suspend Winmar from its Hall of Fame.
In a statement, a club spokesperson said a determination regarding Winmar’s ongoing place in the Hall of Fame would be made after the formal conclusion of the full legal process, including the completion of any appeal.
The club said it would decide Winmar’s future in its Hall of Fame once they have finalised the legal process and any appeals.
Image: AFL Photos
