Disgraced ex-Australian Rules footballer Nicky Winmar has been removed from the Australian Football Hall of Fame following his conviction earlier this month.

Winmar was found guilty of three counts of unlawful assault and common law assault but was acquitted of a fourth charge of intentionally causing injury. The incident occurred last year at Cohuna, where the victim, a woman who cannot be identified for legal reasons, told the Bendigo Magistrates' Court in May she was "fearful" for her life. Prosecutors stated that Winmar grabbed and twisted the woman's arm, dragged her by her hair, and smashed her head against a wooden door four times. The defense argued that Winmar's contact with the woman's arm was in self-defense.

Winmar, originally from Western Australia, played 251 AFL games with St Kilda and the Western Bulldogs. Following his conviction, a statue of the 60-year-old outside Perth Stadium was also removed.

In a statement, AFL Commission chair Craig Drummond said violence against women "has no place" in the community or the sport. He added, "Not in our community, not in our game, and not in the values the Australian Football Hall of Fame seeks to uphold."

Sources