AFL great Nicky Winmar has been sentenced to six months in jail over the assault of a woman.
Winmar was found guilty on three charges of assaulting a woman in Cohuna, nearly 300 kilometres from Melbourne last month.
"Your actions were unprovoked and came seemingly out of nowhere," Magistrate Trieu Huynh said.
"Ultimately, while I accept that you have made significant steps at rehabilitation, I cannot escape the seriousness of the offending and the impact on the victim."
He was also sentenced to 12 months of community corrections, which will be completed after his jail term.
Immediately after the sentencing, Winmar's legal representatives appealed the sentence in the Bendigo Magistrates' Court and indicated they would apply for bail.
In 2019, Winmar was sentenced to a community corrections order, including 100 hours of community service, for the drunken assault of a taxi driver.
The St Kilda great has been removed from the Australian Football Hall of Fame and was suspended from the club's elite group.
Winmar was inducted in 2022 after a storied career for St Kilda and Western Bulldogs, which featured 251 games, highlighted by his defiance against racism.
"The Australian Football Hall of Fame exists to recognise the highest achievements in our game and admission to it is one of the greatest honours Australian football can bestow," AFL Commission Chair Craig Drummond said in July.
“The Commission has a responsibility to protect the integrity and reputation of that honour.
“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.
“The Commission acknowledges Nicky Winmar's significant contribution to Australian Football and his place in our history. However, the recent findings against him render inappropriate his place in the Australian Football Hall of Fame.”
Winmar's statue that sits outside of Optus Stadium was ordered by Western Australian Premier Roger Cook to be removed after the guilty verdict was handed down.
