Ben Cousins
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Luke "Ben" Cousins (born 30 June 1978 in Geelong, Victoria
) is a former Australian rules football
er, best known for his 270-game career with and in the Australian Football League
(AFL).
Cousins is listed by journalist Mike Sheahan
as one of the top 50 players of all time. During his eleven years with West Coast, he won several of the league's highest individual awards including a Brownlow Medal
, Most Valuable Player
and a premiership medallion, was selected six times in the All-Australian Team
and represented Australia in the International Rules Series
. He was West Coast's club champion for four seasons and captain for five seasons.
His football career has been marred by highly-publicised off-field incidents involving recreational drug use
, traffic convictions and association with criminal elements. On several occasions he was fined or sanctioned by the West Coast Eagles, culminating in his contract's termination on 17 October 2007. On 19 November he was banned from AFL for one year by the AFL Commission
for "bringing the game into disrepute". Cousins was cleared to return to football in 2009 and was drafted
by Richmond Football Club on 16 December 2008. He retired from the game at the end of the 2010 season
.
, a former player for the Geelong Football Club
. When Cousins was 18 months old, his family moved back to Perth
, where he was raised with younger siblings Matthew, Sophie and Melanie. He played junior football for the Bull Creek-Leeming Junior Football Club, and for his private school, Wesley College
. In his last year at Wesley in 1995, Cousins was recruited to join the East Fremantle Football Club
's senior side in the WAFL
, and played for both his school and East Fremantle throughout the season.
While Cousins was still at school, three AFL
teams competed to draft him under the Father-Son Rule
: Geelong Football Club
, West Coast Eagles
and newly formed Fremantle Football Club
. Cousins' father Bryan
played 238 games for Perth
in the WAFL and 67 games for Geelong in the VFL, during the 1970s and 1980s. Geelong's recruiting manager, Stephen Wells, said, "Ben barracked for Geelong and we tried everything to get him here". However, Cousins preferred to remain based in Western Australia and chose West Coast in October 1995.
against Geelong
. He won the Norwich Rising Star award for his debut season in 1996, polling 15 votes from the six judges to beat Shannon Grant
by one point.
Cousins' popularity continued to increase over the following seasons. In 1998, the Herald Sun
ran a two-page article across its centre pages about 20 year old Cousins, titled "West goes wild for the kid". The article portrayed Cousins as a sex symbol
and "football's answer to Brad Pitt
". When asked about the article, he said the popularity "comes with the territory... If you want to be a league footballer you have to accept that it is part of the game." Sports agent Ricky Nixon
approached Cousins in 1998 about managing his endorsement deals, because "He's good-looking, he elected to stay in Perth and not play in Victoria, opposition coaches take notice of him and on top of that he's a future leader." In 1999, International Management Group, who managed sports stars such as Tiger Woods
and Pete Sampras
, said they would like to sign Ben, as "There is no doubt that he is now in the top bracket of players and has great marketing potential... Apart from being an outstanding footballer, he is a quality young man." Ross Nicholas, West Coast's marketing manager, said:
In 1998, Cousins was selected in the All-Australian Team
and was runner-up in West Coast's Best and Fairest. Cousins played in his first AFL finals game in 1999, against the Western Bulldogs
in a qualifying final at the MCG
, and the year included another selection in the All-Australian Team and representing Australia in the International Rules Series
. In 2000, Cousins signed a new three-year contract with the West Coast Eagles, reportedly worth nearly $1 million. He played his 100th game amid speculation he will take over the captaincy from Guy McKenna
, who was due to retire after the same game. Cousins said, "After you play two or three seasons, you think of the possibility of a leadership role down the track, but the talk of it has certainly come a lot earlier than I would have thought." In 2001, Cousins was named co-captain, sharing the role with Dean Kemp
. He won his first club Best and Fairest at the end of the season, which he repeated in 2002 and 2003, and he was again named in the All-Australian Team in 2001 and 2002. Kemp's retirement saw Cousins become the captain in 2002, a role he filled until 2006. In 2005, West Coast coach John Worsfold
said of Cousins' fifth year as captain, "Ben is improving all the time and with the way this group is coming along, I think he is going to be a great leader".
In early 2003, Cousins injured his ankle in a game against Hawthorn
, playing on through five weeks of pain-killing injections. In Round 15, 2004, he injured his back and missed six games. Cousins said, "That injury is something that I got over and am probably no chance of getting a relapse... The other side to it is, because I have played 10 years of consistent AFL footy, I've probably got an older back than someone my age". In Round 1, 2005, he dislocated a finger and missed one round after undergoing an operation. West Coast chief executive Trevor Nesbitt said, "There's no doubt that he's at his best when under pressure and he's so resilient; he plays with injuries that other players wouldn't".
Cousins won the Brownlow medal
, the AFL's highest individual player award, on 19 September 2005 with 20 votes, ahead of teammate Daniel Kerr
on 19 votes and Nick Dal Santo
on 18 votes. Cousins was the favourite to win with bookmakers, after five previous top-10 finishes. He did not attend the award ceremony in Melbourne, remaining in Perth to prepare for West Coast's Grand Final match against Sydney
the following weekend. His celebration was "very quiet, I went over to the bar, bought the folks a bottle of champagne, had one lemonade and went up to the (hotel) room. I managed to get to sleep before midnight, which was a bonus." West Coast's last training session in Perth, before travelling to their first Grand Final game since 1994, was attended by 3,000 fans. Trevor Nesbitt, West Coast's chief executive, said he expected that the combination of the team's Grand Final appearance, Cousins' Brownlow win, and Chris Judd
's Brownlow win in the previous year, would lead to a turnover of around $2 million in club merchandise. Nesbitt added:
West Coast lost the 2005 Grand Final to Sydney by four points, but as well as his Brownlow win, Cousins was awarded another West Coast Best and Fairest and the players' Most Valuable Player
award, with 159 votes compared to runner-up Matthew Pavlich
's 99 votes. He was runner-up to Barry Hall
in the coaches' player of the year award, and in statistics, had 612 disposals, 24 goals, and ranked in the top five of the league in nine of the 12 categories.
problem.
After returning from four weeks of rehabilitation in Malibu, California for substance abuse, Cousins was offered an amended contract by West Coast, rumoured to contain strict conditions such as repaying the cost of rehab and undertaking regular drug tests. On 29 June 2007, Cousins was given clearance by the AFL to resume training with the West Coast Eagles, which he did on the following Monday. However, he injured a hamstring
in training, delaying his comeback until West Coast's home game against Sydney on 21 July at Subiaco Oval
. He gained 38 disposals in the game, and six marks, inspiring West Coast's win.
Cousins was sacked by West Coast on 17 October 2007, a day after his car was stopped and searched and he was arrested for drug possession, which meant that he was no longer a registered AFL
player. He was banned from playing senior football for 12 months by the AFL Commission on 19 November for "bringing the game into disrepute", and formally delisted by West Coast on 30 November.
Several teams showed an interest in drafting
Cousins for 2009, including Collingwood Football Club
, St Kilda Football Club and Brisbane Lions
. Collingwood sent a private investigator
to Perth to follow Cousins for several days. After meeting with Victorian chief commissioner of police Christine Nixon
, in October 2008 Collingwood announced that they would not draft Cousins. In November 2008, after reviewing Cousins and consulting stakeholders for five months, St Kilda said they would not draft him. The day before the national draft, Brisbane issued a media release that said they would not be drafting Cousins. On 29 November 2008, Cousins was not selected in the 2008 AFL National Draft.
Ahead of the AFL Pre-season Draft
in December, Richmond Football Club
approached the AFL Commission for approval to move injured senior player Graham Polak
to its rookie list
to obtain a second draft pick in the pre-season draft, which it said it would use to select Cousins. The AFL Commission had given approval to Essendon
two years earlier to do similar with Adam Ramanauskas
during his battle with cancer. The commission, with the support of the AFLPA and most of the clubs, denied Richmond's request. However, Richmond selected Cousins with its only Pre-season Draft selection (#6 overall) anyway on 16 December. Following this Richmond received an influx of new club members and Cousins trained with the team the following day in front of a crowd of around 2,000. In Richmond's Round 1 game against Carlton
on 26 March, Cousins strained his hamstring
during the final quarter. He played a game with the Coburg Football Club in the Victorian Football League
before returning to the AFL in Round 7 against Brisbane.
On 17 August 2010, after weeks of speculation by the media, Cousins announced his retirement in front of his family and huge crowd.
During the speech, he thanked everyone who has assisted him during his career, particular his encounters with drugs and the law, as well as apologising his family for the situation he has put them in:
Foundation. During his first year in the AFL, Cousins said his chest often felt tight and he had difficulty playing, "but if I monitored my asthma correctly and took the right medication, I was able to overcome those effects". In 1999, he had a mild asthma attack while warming up for a game against Melbourne
, then fainted after the game at a restaurant. West Coast's football manager, Rod Lester-Smith
said Cousins may have been affected by asthma, low blood pressure from playing the game earlier, and a corked leg that caused some internal bleeding. He was taken to Murdoch Hospital and recovered quickly.
In 2001, West Coast coach Ken Judge
was told by a Perth detective that Cousins and two of his teammates may be using illegal drugs. Judge passed this information on to the club's administration but no action was taken.
In September 2002, Cousins punched teammate Daniel Kerr
at the club's Best and Fairest celebrations, after an argument over Kerr's relationship with Cousins' sister Melanie. The altercation resulted in Cousins breaking his arm.
In May 2005, Cousins and teammate Michael Gardiner
were questioned about their acquaintance with John Kizon and Troy Mercanti, two Perth underworld figures who were allegedly involved in a stabbing and shooting at Perth's Metro City
nightclub. Cousins was in Melbourne at the time of the shooting, but it was claimed that he and Gardiner had received phone calls from the figures both before and after the incident at the nightclub. Police questioned Cousins and Gardiner about the incident but they refused to co-operate.
Newspaper columnists at The West Australian
and talkback radio callers demanded Cousins resign his captaincy. His judgment had previously been questioned by West Coast management after he and Gardiner were photographed entering Crown Casino
with Kizon in 2001. However, no disciplinary action was taken. Trevor Nesbitt, the team's chief executive, said:
On 12 February 2006, Cousins fled a booze bus by abandoning his Mercedes-Benz
and girlfriend Samantha Druce in the middle lane of Perth's Canning Highway
and running from police with a male passenger. The male passenger was later caught and breath-tested
, but Cousins eluded the police. On 20 February 2006, Cousins resigned as captain of the West Coast Eagles; he pled guilty to obstructing the path of another driver and obstructing a public officer in court in March 2006 and was fined $900 plus costs. He was fined an additional $5,000 by West Coast.
On 3 December 2006 Cousins was arrested for public intoxication
after passing out front of Crown Casino
in Melbourne, and spent four hours in jail. Cousins was released without being fined or making a court appearance. The West Coast Eagles later announced that the club would not discipline Cousins, stating that the media scrutiny was sufficient punishment.
In early March 2007, Cousins and his girlfriend of eight years, Samantha Druce, ended their relationship.
On 20 March 2007 Cousins was suspended indefinitely from West Coast after failing to attend two training sessions. West Coast club chairman Dalton Gooding
stated at a press conference that Cousins was facing a "number of personal and professional issues" and that "Over the past few weeks those issues have come to the surface and it's time that Ben was suspended from the club to go away and try to tackle those issues head on." He also said:
It was revealed that Cousins underwent an AFL drug test on 19 March, and it was later confirmed that he had a substance abuse
problem.
On 21 March Cousins was admitted to drug rehabilitation
. On 22 March, his father Bryan
released a statement in a video broadcast by Network Ten
:
At the end of March 2007, Cousins flew to Malibu, California for rehabilitation at the Summit Center, where he stayed for four weeks. Cousins returned to Perth on 30 April, with much attention from the media. On 4 May, he released a televised apology, saying:
Chris Mainwaring
, a former West Coast Eagle and close friend of Cousins, died of a drug overdose on 1 October 2007. Cousins received media attention for visiting Mainwaring twice on the night of his death to provide emotional support and deliver food.
On 16 October, Cousins was arrested in the Perth suburb of Northbridge
after police pulled over his vehicle because of "the manner of his driving". Cousins' vehicle was searched and he was charged with failure to comply with a police-ordered drug assessment and possession of a prohibited drug, the police having found quantities of prescription drugs diazepam
, Viagra, oxycodone
and Caverta, and traces of ecstasy and cocaine
on a $20 note in the car. Cousins was sacked by West Coast the day after his arrest for serious breaches of his agreement with the club. On 19 October Cousins's lawyer, Shane Brennan, reported that police would drop the drug-related charges against him.
On 27 October Cousins flew to Los Angeles to continue his drug rehabilitation at the Summit Center. The media reported that Cousins was missing and had failed to attend treatment in Malibu; he was admitted to hospital several days later after an alleged cocaine binge. No charges were laid by US police.
In March 2010 Cousins was twice admitted to Epworth Hospital after suffering from abdominal pain and cramping. The Richmond Football Club
denied reports that it had warned Cousins to curb his drinking, amid fears his AFL career could be further shortened by excessive alcohol consumption.
On 12 April 2010 Cousins is among four Richmond players suspended by the club after a drunken escapade at the team hotel in Sydney earlier that week. While not intoxicated, the club deemed he did not act responsibly or in a manner expected of them by the club. Cousins was suspended for one week.
On 5 July 2010, Cousins was admitted to hospital after a "severe reaction to prescribed sleeping medication". His hospitalisation prompted debate over the use of legal stimulants such as caffeine and legal sedatives such as sleeping pills among sportspeople, with Premier John Brumby
disapproving of their use.
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
) is a former Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
er, best known for his 270-game career with and in the Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
(AFL).
Cousins is listed by journalist Mike Sheahan
Mike Sheahan
Michael "Mike" Sheahan is an Australian journalist who specialises in Australian rules football. He is Chief Football Writer and Associate Sports Editor for the Herald Sun, a panelist on the Fox Sports program "On the Couch" and former Media Director for the VFL .Sheahan attended Werribee High...
as one of the top 50 players of all time. During his eleven years with West Coast, he won several of the league's highest individual awards including a Brownlow Medal
Brownlow Medal
The Chas Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game...
, Most Valuable Player
Leigh Matthews Trophy
The Leigh Matthews Trophy is an annual award given by the AFL Players Association to the Most Valuable Player in the Australian Football League. It is named in honour of Leigh Matthews, who won the first MVP award in 1982, when the league was still known as the Victorian Football League...
and a premiership medallion, was selected six times in the All-Australian Team
All-Australian Team
The All-Australian Team is an all star team of Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including interchange players and a coach, of the best performed during the season....
and represented Australia in the International Rules Series
International Rules Series
The International Rules Series is a senior men's International rules football competition between the Australia international rules football team and the Ireland international rules football team...
. He was West Coast's club champion for four seasons and captain for five seasons.
His football career has been marred by highly-publicised off-field incidents involving recreational drug use
Recreational drug use
Recreational drug use is the use of a drug, usually psychoactive, with the intention of creating or enhancing recreational experience. Such use is controversial, however, often being considered to be also drug abuse, and it is often illegal...
, traffic convictions and association with criminal elements. On several occasions he was fined or sanctioned by the West Coast Eagles, culminating in his contract's termination on 17 October 2007. On 19 November he was banned from AFL for one year by the AFL Commission
AFL Commission
The AFL Commission is the official governing body of the Australian Football League , the elite national Australian rules football competition....
for "bringing the game into disrepute". Cousins was cleared to return to football in 2009 and was drafted
2008 AFL Draft
The 2008 AFL Draft consisted of four opportunities for player acquisitions during the 2008/09 Australian Football League off-season. These were Trade Week , the National Draft , the Pre-Season Draft and the Rookie Draft...
by Richmond Football Club on 16 December 2008. He retired from the game at the end of the 2010 season
2010 AFL season
-Premiership season:The draw for the 2010 AFL Premiership Season is not a random selection of matches, but rather is planned by the AFL. It is intended to produce a balanced draw while also providing the fans and television networks with blockbuster games. In a competition with 16 teams and 22...
.
Early life
Cousins was born in Geelong in 1978, to parents Stephanie and BryanBryan Cousins
Bryan Cousins is a former Australian rules footballer who played over 300 games in the Victorian Football League and West Australian Football League competitions....
, a former player for the Geelong Football Club
Geelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
. When Cousins was 18 months old, his family moved back to Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, where he was raised with younger siblings Matthew, Sophie and Melanie. He played junior football for the Bull Creek-Leeming Junior Football Club, and for his private school, Wesley College
Wesley College, Perth
Wesley College, informally known as Wesley, is an independent, day and boarding school for boys and girls , situated in South Perth, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia....
. In his last year at Wesley in 1995, Cousins was recruited to join the East Fremantle Football Club
East Fremantle Football Club
The East Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed the Sharks, is an Australian rules football club playing in the West Australian Football League . The team's home ground is East Fremantle Oval...
's senior side in the WAFL
West Australian Football League
The West Australian Football League is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The WAFL is the second-most popular in the state, behind the nation-wide Australian Football League...
, and played for both his school and East Fremantle throughout the season.
While Cousins was still at school, three AFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
teams competed to draft him under the Father-Son Rule
Father-son rule
The father-son rule is a rule that allows clubs to select the sons of players who have made a major past contribution to the team in Australian rules football, most notably the Australian Football League...
: Geelong Football Club
Geelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
, West Coast Eagles
West Coast Eagles
The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. The club is based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and played its first games in the 1987 season. Its current home ground is Subiaco Oval...
and newly formed Fremantle Football Club
Fremantle Football Club
The Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed The Dockers, is an Australian rules football team which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in the port city of Fremantle at the mouth of the Swan River in Western Australia...
. Cousins' father Bryan
Bryan Cousins
Bryan Cousins is a former Australian rules footballer who played over 300 games in the Victorian Football League and West Australian Football League competitions....
played 238 games for Perth
Perth Football Club
The Perth Football Club, nicknamed the Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the West Australian Football League . The club plays its matches at Lathlain Park.-History:...
in the WAFL and 67 games for Geelong in the VFL, during the 1970s and 1980s. Geelong's recruiting manager, Stephen Wells, said, "Ben barracked for Geelong and we tried everything to get him here". However, Cousins preferred to remain based in Western Australia and chose West Coast in October 1995.
1996–2004: Debut and rising popularity
At 17, a week after his tenth WAFL game for East Fremantle, Cousins played his first AFL match and kicked two goals for West CoastWest Coast Eagles
The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. The club is based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and played its first games in the 1987 season. Its current home ground is Subiaco Oval...
against Geelong
Geelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
. He won the Norwich Rising Star award for his debut season in 1996, polling 15 votes from the six judges to beat Shannon Grant
Shannon Grant
Shannon Grant is a retired Australian rules footballer who was known as one of the premier midfielders in the AFL. He began his career at the Sydney Swans in 1995 before moving to the Kangaroos in 1998 and being a part of their 1999 premiership side, in which he also won the Norm Smith Medal for...
by one point.
Cousins' popularity continued to increase over the following seasons. In 1998, the Herald Sun
Herald Sun
The Herald Sun is a morning tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia. It is published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Limited, itself a subsidiary of News Corporation. It is available for purchase throughout Melbourne, Regional Victoria, Tasmania, the Australian Capital...
ran a two-page article across its centre pages about 20 year old Cousins, titled "West goes wild for the kid". The article portrayed Cousins as a sex symbol
Sex symbol
A sex symbol is a celebrity of either gender, typically an actor, musician, supermodel, teen idol, or sports star, noted for their sex appeal. The term was first used in the mid 1950s in relation to the popularity of certain Hollywood stars, especially Marilyn Monroe and Brigitte...
and "football's answer to Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt
William Bradley "Brad" Pitt is an American actor and film producer. Pitt has received two Academy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one...
". When asked about the article, he said the popularity "comes with the territory... If you want to be a league footballer you have to accept that it is part of the game." Sports agent Ricky Nixon
Ricky Nixon
Ricky L. Nixon is a former Australian rules footballer in the VFL/AFL and now a high profile Australian sports agent. He is currently serving a two year suspension following an investigation by the AFL Players Association Accreditation Board.-Football career:Recruited from Golden Square in the...
approached Cousins in 1998 about managing his endorsement deals, because "He's good-looking, he elected to stay in Perth and not play in Victoria, opposition coaches take notice of him and on top of that he's a future leader." In 1999, International Management Group, who managed sports stars such as Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods
Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
and Pete Sampras
Pete Sampras
Pete Sampras is a retired American tennis player and former world no. 1. During his 15-year tour career, he won 14 Grand Slam singles titles and became recognized as one of the greatest tennis players of all time....
, said they would like to sign Ben, as "There is no doubt that he is now in the top bracket of players and has great marketing potential... Apart from being an outstanding footballer, he is a quality young man." Ross Nicholas, West Coast's marketing manager, said:
"He's easily the most sought-after Eagle... No player was, or is, as popular as Ben. His appeal is so diverse. Kids want his autograph and photograph. Sponsors want him to sit next to them. They want him to push their product... If Ben's well managed, the sky's the limit for him... They've got to find the balance between his commercial potential and his contribution to the community. The club offers protection, but it's up to Ben what demands he puts himself under."
In 1998, Cousins was selected in the All-Australian Team
All-Australian Team
The All-Australian Team is an all star team of Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including interchange players and a coach, of the best performed during the season....
and was runner-up in West Coast's Best and Fairest. Cousins played in his first AFL finals game in 1999, against the Western Bulldogs
Western Bulldogs
The Western Bulldogs are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based at the Whitten Oval in West Footscray, an inner-western suburb of Melbourne...
in a qualifying final at the MCG
McG
Joseph McGinty Nichol , better known as McG, is an American director and producer of film and television, as well as a former record producer....
, and the year included another selection in the All-Australian Team and representing Australia in the International Rules Series
International Rules Series
The International Rules Series is a senior men's International rules football competition between the Australia international rules football team and the Ireland international rules football team...
. In 2000, Cousins signed a new three-year contract with the West Coast Eagles, reportedly worth nearly $1 million. He played his 100th game amid speculation he will take over the captaincy from Guy McKenna
Guy McKenna
Guy Lindsay McKenna is an Australian rules football coach and former player. He is the current coach of the Gold Coast Football Club in the Australian Football League . McKenna also played 267 games for the West Coast Eagles, including the 1992 and 1994 premiership wins...
, who was due to retire after the same game. Cousins said, "After you play two or three seasons, you think of the possibility of a leadership role down the track, but the talk of it has certainly come a lot earlier than I would have thought." In 2001, Cousins was named co-captain, sharing the role with Dean Kemp
Dean Kemp
Dean Kemp is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League....
. He won his first club Best and Fairest at the end of the season, which he repeated in 2002 and 2003, and he was again named in the All-Australian Team in 2001 and 2002. Kemp's retirement saw Cousins become the captain in 2002, a role he filled until 2006. In 2005, West Coast coach John Worsfold
John Worsfold
John Worsfold is a former Australian rules footballer who represented in the West Australian Football League and the West Coast Eagles in the Victorian Football League/Australian Football League . He also represented Western Australia in State of Origin matches...
said of Cousins' fifth year as captain, "Ben is improving all the time and with the way this group is coming along, I think he is going to be a great leader".
In early 2003, Cousins injured his ankle in a game against Hawthorn
Hawthorn Football Club
The Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League . The club, founded in 1902, is the youngest of the Victorian-based teams in the AFL. The team play in Brown & Gold vertically striped guernseys...
, playing on through five weeks of pain-killing injections. In Round 15, 2004, he injured his back and missed six games. Cousins said, "That injury is something that I got over and am probably no chance of getting a relapse... The other side to it is, because I have played 10 years of consistent AFL footy, I've probably got an older back than someone my age". In Round 1, 2005, he dislocated a finger and missed one round after undergoing an operation. West Coast chief executive Trevor Nesbitt said, "There's no doubt that he's at his best when under pressure and he's so resilient; he plays with injuries that other players wouldn't".
2005: Ten years at West Coast and a Brownlow medal
After Cousins played his 200th game in July 2005 he was given a "rousing reception from 41,524 grateful fans", as video clips of his ten years at West Coast were shown at the end of the game. Cousins was "possibly the highest-profile sportsman in Western Australia", the youngest of the 10 West Coast players to reach 200 games and the 14th youngest in the history of the AFL/VFL.Cousins won the Brownlow medal
Brownlow Medal
The Chas Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game...
, the AFL's highest individual player award, on 19 September 2005 with 20 votes, ahead of teammate Daniel Kerr
Daniel Kerr
Daniel Matthew Kerr is an Australian rules footballer.Kerr was recruited from East Fremantle Football Club and made his AFL debut in 2001 with the West Coast Eagles. He is a hard-running midfielder who is a vital part of the midfield at the Eagles.-Background:Kerr is of Anglo-Indian descent...
on 19 votes and Nick Dal Santo
Nick Dal Santo
Nick Dal Santo is an Australian rules footballer for the St Kilda Football Club in the Australian Football League .-Early career:...
on 18 votes. Cousins was the favourite to win with bookmakers, after five previous top-10 finishes. He did not attend the award ceremony in Melbourne, remaining in Perth to prepare for West Coast's Grand Final match against Sydney
Sydney Swans
The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
the following weekend. His celebration was "very quiet, I went over to the bar, bought the folks a bottle of champagne, had one lemonade and went up to the (hotel) room. I managed to get to sleep before midnight, which was a bonus." West Coast's last training session in Perth, before travelling to their first Grand Final game since 1994, was attended by 3,000 fans. Trevor Nesbitt, West Coast's chief executive, said he expected that the combination of the team's Grand Final appearance, Cousins' Brownlow win, and Chris Judd
Chris Judd
Christopher Dylan "Chris" Judd is a professional Australian rules footballer and current captain of the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League ....
's Brownlow win in the previous year, would lead to a turnover of around $2 million in club merchandise. Nesbitt added:
"It's quite a special time for the club and it's probably worth $1 million to WA footy as a minimum I would think... The performances of Chris and Ben assist us in raising more money for WA football and their contribution is just outstanding. They're marquee players and, apart from everything else that happens with them, they are extremely beneficial for all West Australians."
West Coast lost the 2005 Grand Final to Sydney by four points, but as well as his Brownlow win, Cousins was awarded another West Coast Best and Fairest and the players' Most Valuable Player
Leigh Matthews Trophy
The Leigh Matthews Trophy is an annual award given by the AFL Players Association to the Most Valuable Player in the Australian Football League. It is named in honour of Leigh Matthews, who won the first MVP award in 1982, when the league was still known as the Victorian Football League...
award, with 159 votes compared to runner-up Matthew Pavlich
Matthew Pavlich
Matthew Pavlich is a professional Australian rules footballer currently playing with the Fremantle Football Club in the Australian Football League ....
's 99 votes. He was runner-up to Barry Hall
Barry Hall
Barry Hall is a former Australian rules footballer. Hall is considered to be one of the best forwards of the modern era, being named All-Australian, leading his club's goalkicking on nine occasions and captaining the Sydney Swans to their 2005 AFL Grand Final victory...
in the coaches' player of the year award, and in statistics, had 612 disposals, 24 goals, and ranked in the top five of the league in nine of the 12 categories.
2006–2007: Captaincy resignation, Grand Final win and AFL ban
In February 2006, Cousins resigned his captaincy after an off-field incident where he fled a booze bus. In May 2006, he signed a new three-year contract with West Coast, and in September 2006, West Coast won the Grand Final, defeating Sydney. Cousins was suspended indefinitely by West Coast on 20 March 2007 after missing two training sessions. It was later confirmed that Cousins had a substance abuseSubstance abuse
A substance-related disorder is an umbrella term used to describe several different conditions associated with several different substances .A substance related disorder is a condition in which an individual uses or abuses a...
problem.
After returning from four weeks of rehabilitation in Malibu, California for substance abuse, Cousins was offered an amended contract by West Coast, rumoured to contain strict conditions such as repaying the cost of rehab and undertaking regular drug tests. On 29 June 2007, Cousins was given clearance by the AFL to resume training with the West Coast Eagles, which he did on the following Monday. However, he injured a hamstring
Hamstring
In human anatomy, the hamstring refers to any one of the three posterior thigh muscles, or to the tendons that make up the borders of the space behind the knee. In modern anatomical contexts, however, they usually refer to the posterior thigh muscles, or the tendons of the semitendinosus, the...
in training, delaying his comeback until West Coast's home game against Sydney on 21 July at Subiaco Oval
Subiaco Oval
Subiaco Oval , known colloquially as Subi, is the highest capacity sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia...
. He gained 38 disposals in the game, and six marks, inspiring West Coast's win.
Cousins was sacked by West Coast on 17 October 2007, a day after his car was stopped and searched and he was arrested for drug possession, which meant that he was no longer a registered AFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
player. He was banned from playing senior football for 12 months by the AFL Commission on 19 November for "bringing the game into disrepute", and formally delisted by West Coast on 30 November.
2008–2010: Career renewal at Richmond
In November 2008, the AFL Commission cleared Cousins to play AFL football in 2009. The Commission ruled that Cousins must submit to regular drug tests, including urine testing up to three times per week and hair testing up to four times annually. Cousins attended drug testing in early November with no body hair long enough to sample.Several teams showed an interest in drafting
Draft (sports)
A draft is a process used in the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, Russia and the Philippines to allocate certain players to sports teams. In a draft, teams take turns selecting from a pool of eligible players...
Cousins for 2009, including Collingwood Football Club
Collingwood Football Club
The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
, St Kilda Football Club and Brisbane Lions
Brisbane Lions
The Brisbane Lions is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Brisbane, Queensland. The club was formed from the merger of the Brisbane Bears and the Fitzroy Lions in 1996...
. Collingwood sent a private investigator
Private investigator
A private investigator , private detective or inquiry agent, is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private detectives/investigators often work for attorneys in civil cases. Many work for insurance companies to investigate suspicious claims...
to Perth to follow Cousins for several days. After meeting with Victorian chief commissioner of police Christine Nixon
Christine Nixon
Christine Nixon APM was the Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police between 23 April 2001 and 27 February 2009. After leaving Victoria Police, she was appointed chair of the Victorian Bushfire Reconstruction and Recovery Authority in February 2009 until she stood down from the position in July...
, in October 2008 Collingwood announced that they would not draft Cousins. In November 2008, after reviewing Cousins and consulting stakeholders for five months, St Kilda said they would not draft him. The day before the national draft, Brisbane issued a media release that said they would not be drafting Cousins. On 29 November 2008, Cousins was not selected in the 2008 AFL National Draft.
Ahead of the AFL Pre-season Draft
AFL Pre-season Draft
The AFL Pre-season Draft is the drafting of uncontracted players to teams in the Australian Football League. The draft is conducted after the National AFL Draft and before the start of the next AFL season. It is conducted at the same time as the AFL rookie draft...
in December, Richmond Football Club
Richmond Football Club
The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...
approached the AFL Commission for approval to move injured senior player Graham Polak
Graham Polak
Graham Polak is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Fremantle Football Club and the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League .-Fremantle career:...
to its rookie list
Rookie list
The Rookie List is a means for Australian Football League clubs to maintain additional players outside of the 38-man primary or senior list. Rookie listed players are not eligibile to play in AFL home and away or finals matches unless they are elevated to the senior list, either to replace a...
to obtain a second draft pick in the pre-season draft, which it said it would use to select Cousins. The AFL Commission had given approval to Essendon
Essendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
two years earlier to do similar with Adam Ramanauskas
Adam Ramanauskas
Adam Ramanauskas is a former Australian rules footballer for the Essendon Football Club.Of Lithuanian descent, Ramanauskas was selected at no. 12 in the 1998 AFL Draft and was mainly a defender or midfielder...
during his battle with cancer. The commission, with the support of the AFLPA and most of the clubs, denied Richmond's request. However, Richmond selected Cousins with its only Pre-season Draft selection (#6 overall) anyway on 16 December. Following this Richmond received an influx of new club members and Cousins trained with the team the following day in front of a crowd of around 2,000. In Richmond's Round 1 game against Carlton
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
on 26 March, Cousins strained his hamstring
Hamstring
In human anatomy, the hamstring refers to any one of the three posterior thigh muscles, or to the tendons that make up the borders of the space behind the knee. In modern anatomical contexts, however, they usually refer to the posterior thigh muscles, or the tendons of the semitendinosus, the...
during the final quarter. He played a game with the Coburg Football Club in the Victorian Football League
Victorian Football League
The Victorian Football League which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association , taking its new name as from the 1996 season, is the premier Australian rules football league in Victoria The Victorian Football League (VFL) which evolved from the former Victorian Football Association...
before returning to the AFL in Round 7 against Brisbane.
On 17 August 2010, after weeks of speculation by the media, Cousins announced his retirement in front of his family and huge crowd.
During the speech, he thanked everyone who has assisted him during his career, particular his encounters with drugs and the law, as well as apologising his family for the situation he has put them in:
I'll always regret what I've put my family through. There's a lot of shame and regret. People wonder why I haven't broken down or shed a tear (in public). My tears are something that I hold close to me; they're for me and my...
Career Statistics
- Statistics are correct as of 30 August 2010 (Round 22, 2010 season2010 AFL season-Premiership season:The draw for the 2010 AFL Premiership Season is not a random selection of matches, but rather is planned by the AFL. It is intended to produce a balanced draw while also providing the fans and television networks with blockbuster games. In a competition with 16 teams and 22...
). Averages are in brackets.
| Season | Team | No. | Games | Disposals | Kicks Kick (football) Kicking is a method used by many types of football, including:* Association football* Australian rules football* International rules football* American football* Canadian football* Gaelic football* Rugby league* Rugby union... |
Handballs Handball (Australian rules football) Handball is a term in the sport of Australian rules football which describes a method of disposing of possession of the football by hand. It is the most frequently used alternative to kicking the ball... |
Marks Mark (Australian football) A mark is a skill in Australian rules football where a player cleanly catches a kicked ball that has travelled more than 15 metres without anyone else touching it or the ball hitting the ground.... |
Tackles Tackle (football move) Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. The primary purposes of tackling is to disposses an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gaining ground towards goal or to stop them from carrying out what they intend.... |
Goals | Behinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 1996 AFL season Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 1996.See List of Australian Football League premiers for a complete list.-Lighting Premiership:... |
West Coast | 35 | 20 | 276 (13.8) | 170 (8.5) | 106 (5.3) | 61 (3.1) | 24 (1.2) | 34 (1.7) | 15 (0.8) |
| 1997 1997 AFL season Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 1997.The Port Adelaide Power joined the competition.The Brisbane Lions also joined the competition after the merger of the and .... |
18 | 263 (14.6) | 149 (8.3) | 114 (6.3) | 48 (2.7) | 21 (1.2) | 22 (1.2) | 13 (0.7) | ||
| 1998 | 9 | 23 | 489 (21.3) | 294 (12.8) | 195 (8.5) | 63 (2.7) | 33 (1.4) | 20 (0.9) | 13 (0.6) | |
| 1999 | 22 | 515 (22.4) | 310 (14.1) | 205 (8.3) | 75 (3.4) | 25 (1.1) | 14 (0.6) | 13 (0.6) | ||
| 2000 | 17 | 431 (25.4) | 261 (15.4) | 170 (10.0) | 67 (3.9) | 34 (2.0) | 9 (0.5) | 11 (0.6) | ||
| 2001 2001 AFL season Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 2001.See List of Australian Football League premiers for a complete list.-National Cup:Port Adelaide defeated Brisbane Lions 17.9 to 3.8 in the Final.... |
22 | 600 (27.3) | 335 (15.2) | 265 (12.1) | 63 (2.9) | 34 (1.5) | 15 (0.7) | 7 (0.3) | ||
| 2002 2002 AFL season -Round 2:-Round 3:-Round 4:-Round 5 :-Ladder:All teams played 22 games during the home and away season, for a total of 176... |
23 | 556 (24.1) | 327 (14.2) | 229 (9.9) | 56 (2.4) | 57 (2.5) | 16 (0.7) | 11 (0.5) | ||
| 2003 2003 AFL season Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 2003.See List of Australian Football League premiers for a complete list.-National Cup:... |
23 | 520 (22.6) | 295 (12.9) | 225 (9.8) | 68 (2.9) | 42 (1.8) | 20 (0.9) | 8 (0.3) | ||
| 2004 2004 AFL season Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 2004.See List of Australian Football League premiers for a complete list.-Wizard Home Loans Cup:The Wizard Home Loans Cup Final saw St... |
17 | 369 (21.7) | 203 (11.9) | 166 (9.8) | 52 (3.1) | 38 (2.2) | 8 (0.5) | 7 (0.4) | ||
| 2005 2005 AFL season Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 2005.See List of Australian Football League premiers for a complete list.-National Cup:... |
24 | 612 (25.5) | 391 (16.3) | 221 (19.2) | 146 (6.1) | 33 (1.4) | 24 (1.0) | 11 (0.5) | ||
| 2006 2006 AFL season Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 2006.-National Cup: 3.10.5 defeated 1.10.15 in the 2006 NAB Cup Final... |
22 | 553 (25.1) | 312 (14.2) | 241 (10.9) | 107 (4.9) | 39 (1.8) | 20 (0.9) | 13 (0.6) | ||
| 2007 2007 AFL season The 2007 AFL Season was the 111th season of the Australian Football League, the highest-level professional Australian rules football league in Australia... |
7 | 175 (25.0) | 90 (12.9) | 85 (12.1) | 19 (2.7) | 16 (2.3) | 3 (0.4) | 3 (0.4) | ||
| 2009 2009 AFL season -Round 1 :-Round 2:-Round 3 :-Round 4:-Round 5 :-Round 6:-Round 7:-Round 8:-Round 9 :-Round 10:... |
Richmond | 32 | 15 | 358 (23.9) | 154 (10.3) | 204 (13.6) | 42 (2.8) | 45 (3.0) | 5 (0.3) | 3 (0.2) |
| 2010 2010 AFL season -Premiership season:The draw for the 2010 AFL Premiership Season is not a random selection of matches, but rather is planned by the AFL. It is intended to produce a balanced draw while also providing the fans and television networks with blockbuster games. In a competition with 16 teams and 22... |
17 | 376 (22.1) | 156 (9.2) | 220 (12.9) | 68 (4.0) | 48 (2.8) | 7 (0.4) | 6 (0.4) | ||
| Totals | 270 | 6093 (22.6) | 3447 (12.8) | 2646 (9.8) | 935 (3.5) | 489 (1.8) | 217 (0.8) | 134 (0.5) | ||
Personal life
In 1997, Cousins took part in an education campaign for the WA AsthmaAsthma
Asthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath...
Foundation. During his first year in the AFL, Cousins said his chest often felt tight and he had difficulty playing, "but if I monitored my asthma correctly and took the right medication, I was able to overcome those effects". In 1999, he had a mild asthma attack while warming up for a game against Melbourne
Melbourne Football Club
The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....
, then fainted after the game at a restaurant. West Coast's football manager, Rod Lester-Smith
Rod Lester-Smith
Rod Lester-Smith is a former Australian rules footballer who played with East Fremantle in the West Australian Football League, as well as Hawthorn and the Brisbane Bears in the VFL/AFL. He was a member of the 1985 All-Australian Team....
said Cousins may have been affected by asthma, low blood pressure from playing the game earlier, and a corked leg that caused some internal bleeding. He was taken to Murdoch Hospital and recovered quickly.
In 2001, West Coast coach Ken Judge
Ken Judge
- Playing career :He was recruited from East Fremantle Football Club to Hawthorn and made an immediate impact in his VFL debut in 1983, being part of a premiership side in his first season and winning the Hawks' Best First Year Player award...
was told by a Perth detective that Cousins and two of his teammates may be using illegal drugs. Judge passed this information on to the club's administration but no action was taken.
In September 2002, Cousins punched teammate Daniel Kerr
Daniel Kerr
Daniel Matthew Kerr is an Australian rules footballer.Kerr was recruited from East Fremantle Football Club and made his AFL debut in 2001 with the West Coast Eagles. He is a hard-running midfielder who is a vital part of the midfield at the Eagles.-Background:Kerr is of Anglo-Indian descent...
at the club's Best and Fairest celebrations, after an argument over Kerr's relationship with Cousins' sister Melanie. The altercation resulted in Cousins breaking his arm.
In May 2005, Cousins and teammate Michael Gardiner
Michael Gardiner
Michael S. Gardiner is a former Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League. He played for the West Coast Eagles from 1997–2006 and the St Kilda Football Club from 2007–2011.- Early life :...
were questioned about their acquaintance with John Kizon and Troy Mercanti, two Perth underworld figures who were allegedly involved in a stabbing and shooting at Perth's Metro City
Metro City
Metro City can refer to:*Metro City , a R&B group*Metro City , a private housing estate and a shopping centre in Tseung Kwan O, Hong Kong*MetroCity AVM, a shopping mall in Istanbul, Turkey...
nightclub. Cousins was in Melbourne at the time of the shooting, but it was claimed that he and Gardiner had received phone calls from the figures both before and after the incident at the nightclub. Police questioned Cousins and Gardiner about the incident but they refused to co-operate.
Newspaper columnists at The West Australian
The West Australian
The West Australian is the only locally-edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia, and is owned by ASX-listed Seven West Media . The West is published in tabloid format, as is the state's other major newspaper, The Sunday Times, a News Limited publication...
and talkback radio callers demanded Cousins resign his captaincy. His judgment had previously been questioned by West Coast management after he and Gardiner were photographed entering Crown Casino
Crown Casino
Crown Casino and Entertainment Complex is a large casino and entertainment precinct located on the south bank of the Yarra River, in Melbourne, Australia. Crown Casino is a unit of Crown Limited....
with Kizon in 2001. However, no disciplinary action was taken. Trevor Nesbitt, the team's chief executive, said:
"We are prepared to give them more than one chance. In this case, it is maybe their last chance... They have had chances before, they have had opportunities before, they have made mistakes before. It gets to the point where those mistakes can't be tolerated any longer. This hurts us. It hurts our brand. It hurts our image."
On 12 February 2006, Cousins fled a booze bus by abandoning his Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
and girlfriend Samantha Druce in the middle lane of Perth's Canning Highway
Canning Highway
Canning Highway is a mostly 4 lane single carriageway major arterial road in Perth, Western Australia. The speed limit is 60 km/h. It is located south of the Swan River and links Perth with Fremantle, running between The Causeway in Victoria Park and Queen Victoria Street in...
and running from police with a male passenger. The male passenger was later caught and breath-tested
Breathalyzer
A breathalyzer or breathalyser is a device for estimating blood alcohol content from a breath sample...
, but Cousins eluded the police. On 20 February 2006, Cousins resigned as captain of the West Coast Eagles; he pled guilty to obstructing the path of another driver and obstructing a public officer in court in March 2006 and was fined $900 plus costs. He was fined an additional $5,000 by West Coast.
On 3 December 2006 Cousins was arrested for public intoxication
Public intoxication
Public intoxication, also known as "drunk and disorderly", is a summary offense in many countries rated to public cases or displays of drunkenness...
after passing out front of Crown Casino
Crown Casino
Crown Casino and Entertainment Complex is a large casino and entertainment precinct located on the south bank of the Yarra River, in Melbourne, Australia. Crown Casino is a unit of Crown Limited....
in Melbourne, and spent four hours in jail. Cousins was released without being fined or making a court appearance. The West Coast Eagles later announced that the club would not discipline Cousins, stating that the media scrutiny was sufficient punishment.
In early March 2007, Cousins and his girlfriend of eight years, Samantha Druce, ended their relationship.
On 20 March 2007 Cousins was suspended indefinitely from West Coast after failing to attend two training sessions. West Coast club chairman Dalton Gooding
Dalton Gooding
Dalton Gooding is a Western Australian businessman, and from 2002 to 2007 he was the chairman of the West Coast Eagles Australian Football League club....
stated at a press conference that Cousins was facing a "number of personal and professional issues" and that "Over the past few weeks those issues have come to the surface and it's time that Ben was suspended from the club to go away and try to tackle those issues head on." He also said:
"We always said we would suspend players if they reoffended and Ben has reoffended by missing training, and we have been very consistent with that ... We believe he's breached his contract and acted unprofessionally and that's why he's been suspended and that's why we're giving him every opportunity to fix up his personal and private issues."
It was revealed that Cousins underwent an AFL drug test on 19 March, and it was later confirmed that he had a substance abuse
Substance abuse
A substance-related disorder is an umbrella term used to describe several different conditions associated with several different substances .A substance related disorder is a condition in which an individual uses or abuses a...
problem.
On 21 March Cousins was admitted to drug rehabilitation
Drug rehabilitation
Drug rehabilitation is a term for the processes of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment, for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and so-called street drugs such as cocaine, heroin or amphetamines...
. On 22 March, his father Bryan
Bryan Cousins
Bryan Cousins is a former Australian rules footballer who played over 300 games in the Victorian Football League and West Australian Football League competitions....
released a statement in a video broadcast by Network Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
:
"I am making this statement today not on behalf of Ben, but as a father on behalf of his son... Ben's problem relates to substance abuse and he faces a great challenge... We acknowledge the public scrutiny that comes with the opportunities and privileges that Ben has had, but I ask now with the issues that Ben faces, that my son be given the privacy and the opportunity that he needs to deal with this problem... Ben, you are not alone with this challenge. Your family, your friends, your fans and your footy club want you to overcome this issue and win in the same manner in which you have done throughout your whole career."
At the end of March 2007, Cousins flew to Malibu, California for rehabilitation at the Summit Center, where he stayed for four weeks. Cousins returned to Perth on 30 April, with much attention from the media. On 4 May, he released a televised apology, saying:
"As you are aware I have been at an overseas rehabilitation centre for the past month undergoing treatment for a number of personal issues, including illness as the result of substance use... I apologise to the West Coast Eagles Football Club, sponsors, the AFL and the community for my actions... I know that in order to play football again I will have to be accepted back by the players and staff of the West Coast Eagles and the AFL and I'm willing to fulfil any obligations imposed on me. At the present time I don't know when I'll play again. My priority is to regain my health, my life and my standing."
Chris Mainwaring
Chris Mainwaring
Chris Douglas Mainwaring was an Australian rules footballer. He played for the West Coast Eagles in the Victorian Football League/Australian Football League and East Fremantle in the West Australian Football League...
, a former West Coast Eagle and close friend of Cousins, died of a drug overdose on 1 October 2007. Cousins received media attention for visiting Mainwaring twice on the night of his death to provide emotional support and deliver food.
On 16 October, Cousins was arrested in the Perth suburb of Northbridge
Northbridge, Western Australia
Northbridge is an inner city suburb of Perth, Western Australia, separated from Perth's central business district by the Fremantle and Joondalup railway lines...
after police pulled over his vehicle because of "the manner of his driving". Cousins' vehicle was searched and he was charged with failure to comply with a police-ordered drug assessment and possession of a prohibited drug, the police having found quantities of prescription drugs diazepam
Diazepam
Diazepam , first marketed as Valium by Hoffmann-La Roche is a benzodiazepine drug. Diazepam is also marketed in Australia as Antenex. It is commonly used for treating anxiety, insomnia, seizures including status epilepticus, muscle spasms , restless legs syndrome, alcohol withdrawal,...
, Viagra, oxycodone
Oxycodone
Oxycodone is an opioid analgesic medication synthesized from opium-derived thebaine. It was developed in 1916 in Germany, as one of several new semi-synthetic opioids in an attempt to improve on the existing opioids: morphine, diacetylmorphine , and codeine.Oxycodone oral medications are generally...
and Caverta, and traces of ecstasy and cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
on a $20 note in the car. Cousins was sacked by West Coast the day after his arrest for serious breaches of his agreement with the club. On 19 October Cousins's lawyer, Shane Brennan, reported that police would drop the drug-related charges against him.
On 27 October Cousins flew to Los Angeles to continue his drug rehabilitation at the Summit Center. The media reported that Cousins was missing and had failed to attend treatment in Malibu; he was admitted to hospital several days later after an alleged cocaine binge. No charges were laid by US police.
In March 2010 Cousins was twice admitted to Epworth Hospital after suffering from abdominal pain and cramping. The Richmond Football Club
Richmond Football Club
The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...
denied reports that it had warned Cousins to curb his drinking, amid fears his AFL career could be further shortened by excessive alcohol consumption.
On 12 April 2010 Cousins is among four Richmond players suspended by the club after a drunken escapade at the team hotel in Sydney earlier that week. While not intoxicated, the club deemed he did not act responsibly or in a manner expected of them by the club. Cousins was suspended for one week.
On 5 July 2010, Cousins was admitted to hospital after a "severe reaction to prescribed sleeping medication". His hospitalisation prompted debate over the use of legal stimulants such as caffeine and legal sedatives such as sleeping pills among sportspeople, with Premier John Brumby
John Brumby
John Mansfield Brumby , is an Australian Labor Party politician who was Premier of Victoria from 2007 to 2010. He became Premier after the resignation of Steve Bracks. He also served as the Minister for Veterans' Affairs and the Minister for Multicultural Affairs. He contested his first election...
disapproving of their use.