TLDR
Nicky Winmar has lodged an appeal against his assault conviction after Bendigo Magistrates' Court sentenced him to six months' jail and a 12-month community corrections order. The AFL removed him from its Hall of Fame and his bronze statue outside Optus Stadium has been taken down. Winmar was released on bail pending the appeal outcome.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Magistrate Trieu Huynh sentenced Nicky Winmar to six months' jail and a 12-month community corrections order on 28 August 2026, then released him on bail after he lodged an appeal against the conviction.[1]
The Bendigo Magistrates' Court found Winmar guilty of three counts of assault on 3 July 2026 and acquitted him of a fourth charge of intentionally causing injury.[2]
The AFL Commission resolved to remove Winmar from the Australian Football Hall of Fame on 15 July 2026, effective immediately.[3] AFL Commission Chair Craig Drummond said violence against women has no place in the community, the game, or the values the Australian Football Hall of Fame seeks to uphold.
West Australian Premier Roger Cook directed VenuesWest to remove the bronze statue from Optus Stadium following the conviction.[4] The 2.75-metre bronze depicted Winmar's 1993 gesture at Victoria Park, when he lifted his guernsey and pointed to his skin in defiance of racial abuse.
St Kilda's board resolved to suspend rather than remove Winmar from its own Hall of Fame, pending the outcome of the appeal.[5] The board said violence against women has no place in the community and directed its thoughts to anyone impacted by the matter.
Winmar played more than 300 games across stints with South Fremantle, St Kilda and the Western Bulldogs and was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in May 2022. No appeal date has been set.
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Caleb Reed covers breaking news and sport. He works to the rhythm of a story as it unfolds, and he is happiest when the facts arrive faster than anyone can spin them.
