St Kilda great Nicky Winmar has sharply criticized the Australian Football League (AFL) for expelling him from the Hall of Fame, alleging hypocrisy within the league for not taking similar action against other footballers with convictions for assaulting women. The AFL announced Winmar's removal from the Hall of Fame on Wednesday, following his conviction for assaulting a woman in May 2025.
Winmar was found guilty of two counts of common assault and one count of unlawful assault. The court heard that he dragged the woman by her hair and smashed her head into a door, an assault she testified left her feeling "petrified" and fearing for her life. Winmar, 60, is reportedly pursuing an appeal to overturn the court's ruling and has sought clarification from the AFL regarding his expulsion before his appeal is heard.
"I would also like some clarity from the AFL as to why there are other players in the Australian Football Hall of Fame who have been found guilty of similar charges, and why I have been removed before the appeal has even been heard," Winmar stated. He did not specify which players he was referring to.
However, the report notes that North Melbourne great Wayne Carey, inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2010, has faced accusations of assaulting women. Carey pleaded guilty to assaulting and resisting a police officer in Miami, Florida, after an incident involving his then-partner. He also pleaded guilty in 1996 to indecent assault for grabbing a woman's breast. In May 2024, the AFL prevented Carey from being elevated to legend status in the NSW Australian Football Hall of Fame, citing concerns about the appropriateness of the honor given the AFL's public stance against violence toward women.
Winmar's Hall of Fame honor was rescinded after he was found guilty of assaulting a woman. The AFL Commission chairman Richard Goyder stated that while Winmar's contributions to Australian football are acknowledged, his recent conviction renders his place in the Hall of Fame inappropriate. "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," Goyder said. He emphasized the responsibility of the Commission to protect the integrity and reputation of the honor.
St Kilda also suspended Winmar from the club's Hall of Fame, with a final decision pending the conclusion of his appeal. The report mentions that Barry Cable, a former North Melbourne, Perth, and East Perth player, had his 'Legend' status revoked in 2023 after a civil trial found he had sexually abused a young girl, though he was later acquitted of historical sexual abuse charges in a criminal trial.
Winmar was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2022. He played 251 games for St Kilda and the Western Bulldogs and was the first Indigenous footballer to reach 200 VFL/AFL games. His 1993 stand against racism, where he lifted his jumper and pointed to his skin, is recognized as a pivotal moment that led to the AFL introducing its racial and religious vilification rule in 1995. A statue commemorating this act was removed from Perth's Optus Stadium on July 5.
