Frawley family release statement after sudden death of Danny

The sudden death of AFL legend Danny Frawley left the football community in complete shock and left his family “devastated”.

The devastated family of Danny Frawley has spoken out about his shock death yesterday, adding to the outpouring of tributes for the AFL legend.

The 56-year-old St Kilda Hall of Famer died at the scene of a car crash near Ballarat in Victoria on Monday. He was the only person in the car which crashed into a tree around 1.30pm (AEST) in what Victoria Police have described as a “significant collision scene”.

The football world was left reeling from the passing of a true legend of the game and on Tuesday afternoon the family released their first statement.

Danny leaves behind his wife Anita and three daughters Chelsea, Danielle and Keeley who remembered the man as a “loving husband and devoted dad”.

READ: Tough night on footy as tributes pour in

The family thanked the outpouring of emotion and stated they were “overwhelmed by the messages of support”.

FRAWLEY FAMILY STATEMENT
“On Monday Danny was taken tragically from us,” the statement read.

“The Frawley family are devastated, but full of love and pride for a remarkable man who touched the lives of many.

“To some he was known as an AFL footballer, coach and media figure, but to his wife Anita and their three daughters; Chelsea, Danielle and Keeley, Danny was a loving husband and a devoted dad. Danny adored his family.

“Danny was one of six children, Danny was loved by his mother Shirley and late father Brian. “He will be sadly missed by his brothers and sisters; Christine, Michael, Tony, Anne and Marita, who will have cherished memories of growing up with Danny on the farm in Bungaree.

Danny with wife Anita and daughters L to R Chelsea, Danielle and Keeley. Picture: Mark Stewart

“The Frawley families are totally shocked and devastated by his passing, but Danny provided us with strength, good humour and unwavering support during his extraordinary life, memories which will be cherished and help us cope with his tragic death.

“Danny made friends from all walks of life. He had a smile that would light up a room, an infectious laugh and an easy charm that made people feel good about themselves. He genuinely liked and cared about people and they loved him back.

“Danny was to all who knew him a caring, loyal, selfless, loving person who would always put others first before himself and aside from his work in football and media he worked hard to use his profile to remove the stigma associated with depression and encouraged acceptance and support for those who suffered with mental health issues.

“We would like to sincerely thank everyone for the outpouring of love and kindness at this time. We are overwhelmed by the messages of support following his death. We are humbled, proud and incredibly touched.

“His legacy and love of his family will never be dimmed. Forever in our hearts.”

TRIBUTE PLANS FOR FRAWLEY

Tributes for Frawley began flooding social media with football fans left in shock over the news of his death.

From former legends of the game, to those in the media and fans poured their hearts out for Frawley and his family.

Brisbane Lions legend Jonathon Brown choked back tears as he spoke about his memories with Spud, while St Kilda super fan Eric Bana posted a touching tribute to the man.

I will miss you Spud. A giant of our club. A loyal legend through some of the Saints toughest days. A mate to so many. Thanks for all the amazing stories. My heart goes out to the Frawley family. ❤️❤️❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/KL22UxMGZG

— Eric Bana (@EricBana67) September 10, 2019

Fox Footy dedicated their Monday night to remembering the legacy left behind by Frawley with close mates Garry Lyon and Jason Dunstall unable to make an appearance on TV.

AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan has detailed just how the league plans to honour the memory of fallen legend Danny Frawley.

On Tuesday afternoon the league announced how they planned to honour the fallen legend in this weekend’s games through a statement from McLachlan.

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Two games will take place during the weekend with both to hold a moment of silence along with all players, umpires and match officials wearing black armbands.

“Danny was a friend to everyone in footy and his passion for the game, from the elite to the grassroots was unmatched,” he said.

“Whether you knew him as the St Kilda Captain, the Richmond Coach, or the loveable guy on the TV or radio who always made you smile, the acknowledgment this weekend is a way for everyone to pay tribute to the man we all knew and loved.”

CALLS FOR AWARD TO BE NAMED

AFL fans have banded together in their efforts to have the league officially honour Danny Frawley’s memory with his own award.

A change.org petition calling for an award recognising the AFL’s best defender had more than 40,000 signatures by midafternoon Tuesday.

Frawley had unofficially recognised the AFL’s best defender each year with his ‘Golden Fist’ segment on Fox Footy show ‘Bounce’ since 2012.

The petition was started on Monday night and the signatures quickly began flying in with the number clocking over the 40,000 mark in less than 24 hours.

“Danny ‘Spud’ Frawley was an AFL legend, and made the Golden Fist segment on Bounce something widely recognised across the AFL community,” petition starter Alex Baggio wrote.

“In honour of his passing, the AFL should introduce the Danny Frawley Golden Fist award for the best defender on Brownlow night.”

The last time Spud handed out the Golden Fist award on Saturday.

McLachlan spoke about the shock passing of the footy legend and didn’t rule out elevating the award into an official honour.

“Bounce was the one constant in my week. That tells a story. That was the one thing my family did every week, for better or for worse,” McLachlan said on SEN.

“Something like that — or taking a piece of that — I think will go into the mix for what we need to consider to take forward.

“He is a really iconic figure in our game and we need to find a way to remember him.”

READ: Private struggles of footy legend

Each week during the show Frawley would hand out three votes for the best defenders of the round and it was Howe who received the three votes after his game against Geelong.

Howe says it would be a great initiative for the AFL to introduce an award in honour of the late legend.

“I think it’d be a great initiative to get something like that sorted because I know the blokes who potentially would win it in the future would love it and it would be a really proud moment,” Howe said.

Previous winners include Sydney’s Ted Richards (2012), Hawthorn pair Josh Gibson and Brian Lake (2013), North Melbourne’s Scott Thompson (2014), Richmond’s Alex Rance (2015-17) and West Coast’s Jeremy McGovern (2018).

Magpies players gathered together in a huddle early at training on Tuesday. Howe said it was an opportunity to reflect on Frawley, who was an assistant coach at Collingwood after he retired as a player and before joining Richmond as senior coach.

Jason Dunstall (left) and Danny Frawley on Saturday’s episode of Bounce.

“We just discussed the contribution Danny’s made, not only at the Collingwood footy club — from ‘96 to ‘99 he was coaching the VFL system and also a bit of a senior assistant in the AFL system,” Howe said.

“So (we) briefly touched on him and the impact that he’s had not only in a footy aspect but great family man and just a heavy contributor in the whole footy department.

“So for the guys who didn’t know that he had an impact at Collingwood, it was just to touch base and pay tribute, and just to let him know that as a club we’re all supporting the Frawleys in a tough time.”