Convicted criminal Gerald Pieper remains a Wagga sports star

Gerald Pieper, 56, was handed a minimum three-year jail sentence for defrauding the Riverina Water County Council of $352,000 in Wagga District Court last month, pleading guilty to six counts of misconduct in public office.

Despite the ruling, Pieper's sporting prowess remains firmly fixed in the Wagga Sporting Hall of Fame (SHOF) at the Museum of the Riverina, with Wagga City Council (WWCC) and the sporting community confirming the decision was made at the time of his nomination and did not undermine what he achieved in sport.

Pieper transferred to the Wagga Tigers in 1977 from the Marion Dons, played 418 senior games, coached for seven years and won 11 premierships.

He also coached Turvey Park in 1984 and Marrar Bombers in 1991.

The NSW Australian Football League recognised Mr Pieper for his outstanding service to the game in 1990 and he went on to coach the NSW/ACT development squads from 1990-98.

Pieper also coached the Riverina NSW-ACT U/18 Rams in 1999, was RFL president with MVAFA in 2002 and a committee member in 2004.

This year he was appointed Farrer League's chairman of selectors after coaching the league's representative team in 2012 and 2013.

Selection criteria into Wagga SHOF demands a person must have represented Australia or equivalent in a team or as an individual and been supported by their local sporting association.

The criteria states an expectation be that athletes would have contributed to the development of their chosen sport within the city and promoted Wagga as part of their sporting and/or representative commitments.

There is no mention of revocation of an inductee and all decisions of the panel are stated to be final.

"Inductees into the Sporting Hall of Fame are assessed on their sporting achievements at the time of their nomination," WWCC director environmental and community services Janice Summerhayes said.

Wagga City Council mayor Rod Kendall drew a glaring distinction between sporting and personal accomplishments.

"There's been no request come before council and I've heard no personal request or any overtures that would indicate any desire in the community to review his hall of fame posting," he said.

"It's a sporting hall of fame.

"Nobody at all has indicated any desire to review, at this stage, his hall of fame posting."

When pressed whether council was comfortable having a convicted criminal among their sporting greats and if it painted the city in a negative light, Cr Kendall reiterated the distinction.

"I think we need to be careful when crossing over sporting achievements and personal issues," he said.

"We should be slow to judge rather than quick to judge."

Farrer League president David Oehm has been a staunch supporter of Pieper and gave verbal character evidence in the September court hearing as his friend.

"Most definitely (he should remain)," Mr Oehm said.

"I've been a staunch supporter of his the whole way through.

"His sporting achievements were done well and truly before.

"I whole-heartedly agree he remain on the sporting hall of fame."