Ben Cousins
It’s the wild day of the AFL calendar – Mad Monday – and there’s a BEN-DER alert on those party animals, the Tigers.
After Richmond farewelled Ben Cousins yesterday, the players will pump up the celebrations on Mad Monday.
It was a brave last AFL game for Cousins, who racked up 21 touches while playing with a bung hamstring.
Continue reading "Cousins’ toughest task will be Mad Monday" »
“Ben Cousins makes me want to take ice,” was the declaration of one punter into the twitterverse.
Others commented that if coke helped you get a body that ripped, it was time to get snorting.
Cousins said in the introduction of his doco Such is Life that he wanted to “send a powerful message to young people, for that matter all people, about the way drugs affect your life”.
Continue reading "The next Cousins instalment better include some remorse" »
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The chapter has ended. The super-cut frame of Richmond star Ben Cousins won’t grace the AFL’s gladiatorial arena ever again.
The recovering drug addict will announce his retirement at 10.15am today. It’s a wise move, as Cousins has fought his demons for two years since returning to the AFL as a Tiger.
As an Eagle, Cousins was invincible. A Brownlow medallist. A West Coast premiership captain. He had looks and a body to die for. Confidence – even a smug arrogance. But as a confessed sufferer of an “addictive personality”, Cousins would always battle long-term after his comeback.
Continue reading "Drug-troubled Cousins quits footy at the right time" »
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LisaJ says:
why did you change the title of the article from “drug-addicted Cousins quits footy at the right time” to “drug-troubled Cousins quits footy at the right time”? Read more »
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Matt says:
Everyone makes mistakes, Cousins has just had to work through his in the most public of arenas. Never has he asked for sympathy or a reprieve from the media, nor has he tried to pin his ‘chequered’ past on his teammates or the culture of his club. He has tackled… Read more »
Even if you take the Richmond Football Club’s explanation at face value, the troubled Ben Cousins’ latest flirtation with disaster proves that he still uses substances as a crutch. And he probably always will.
Following a profile on Cousins in GQ last year, I wrote that he was still in the grip of his addiction and despite all the hype about his new clean image.
He offered a throwaway remark in the interview that he could still “have a few beers” and had learned to “drink differently.” Rubbish.
Continue reading "Ben Cousins should steer clear of pills, even legal ones" »
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Skid says:
But when you overdose on sleeping medication (which he admitted today that he did), it clearly is about his approach to drug taking. It wasn’t a mixture of booze/caffine and sleeping pills, it was an overdose plain and simple. The fact that the drugs were legal is not the issue,… Read more »
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Jenni says:
Carl - from one Swans supporter to another, I agree with all of your comments. (On a more selfish note, couldn’t he have put himself out of commission BEFORE our game last Sunday? LOL) Read more »
Our national enthusiasm for deifying and excusing flawed sports stars was demonstrated again this week with Ben Cousins being afforded hero status for manfully accepting a one-week ban over his role in a fracas with a group of Richmond teammates at a Sydney hotel last weekend.
The discussion surrounding the incident – in which Cousins’ role was very limited and, up to a point, defensible – reveals a major problem with the way this troubled footballing champion’s battle with drugs and alcohol is being addressed.
It is this – the people who are ostensibly supporting Cousins still seem more worried about keeping him on the park, than keeping him away from the very environment which could drag him back into the world of drug abuse.
Continue reading "A footy club is the worst possible place for Cousins" »
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Bleeemo says:
I’m not a sports fan, never have been. I am however very gratefull for it’s existance. It keeps all the idiots away from the places I like to hang out. AFL is the worst role model for any young person, anyone that says otherwise is biased and lying to themselves. Read more »
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Bella says:
I have a close family friend who was taken in the draft by one of the top performing teams for the past decade. He played 12 games over two seasons during which time he personally witnessed at least one very famous player taking amphetamines directly prior to games and insinuated… Read more »
The AFL and its clubs have had no shortage of moral minefields to tip-toe through this year.
From nude photos to boozy cruises to rape charges to senior coaches abusing opposition players to drug trafficking charges, the league has run the gamut of off-field issues. Or, as I like to think of it, they’re a Christmas Day scuffle away from earning their Charlie Sheen Badge.
Two incidents have dominated the airways over the past five days: The tete-a-tete between Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse and St Kilda’s Steven Milne and Richmond’s late-night hotel ruckus .
Continue reading "Malthouse and Cousins: a tale of two confused clubs" »
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Nigel Catchlove says:
Thanks acker. Looked at the reference and particularly enjoyed definition No 5. Ironical - just like ironic but with an -al. Read more »
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Dunno says:
Dunno .. beating your chest a lot? Read more »
BEN Cousins still drinks. I discovered this in Fred Pawle’s excellent piece on the AFL’s favourite recreational drug user in this month’s GQ magazine. I also learned that the Louis Vuitton drawstring (tracksuit) pants he wore in the photo shoot cost $1460, but I won’t get into that except to say footballers have changed.
It would not be such a revelation that Cousins still enjoys the odd beer had he not spent the slabs of his career heading out for a quiet drink after the game, only to emerge four days later on the front of The West Australian in the same jeans, white thongs and Elwood t-shirt. In his final season at West Coast, he was spending more time with bikies than at training.
We’ve been led to believe Cousins’ transformation from druggie to role model is complete, but Pawle’s article proves he has a long way to go. When asked if he still has a drink, Cousins’ reply was sheepish. “Yeah…I have to be careful with that sort of stuff,” he said.
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regina says:
@Mr Pastry - why thank you! you might be surprised to hear that i don’t even barrack for richmond. actually i don’t care much for afl at all. i’m not saintly. in fact far from it. i just don’t think his cries for help can be ignored ... particularly when… Read more »
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Mr Pastry says:
Regina - glad you have thought this through sensibly, I wish you well in performing therapeutic duties to aid his rehabilitation - you are almost saintly and an example to us all. Read more »
At last, a breath of fresh air from a footballer - and Ben Cousins, of all people.
He flashed his middle finger to a dressing-room camera before the Richmond-Fremantle game in Perth at the weekend (video below). The Tigers won by three points. Cousins went on to issue a pro-forma apology at the urging of his club, saying he didn’t “mean to offend anyone and I apologise if my actions have caused offence”.
The tone in there is like a po-faced seven-year-old apologising under pain of not getting any more lollies at a party. Today, in this piece, we meet the man:
Continue reading "And now, a trick I learned from my grandmother" »
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Nathan says:
i think it is a complete joke the way people are carrying on about this. give a man a break. if he did it out on the feild then it would be different. leave the poor guy guy alone Read more »
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John says:
Who is upset. Patrick from the Australian obviously is. He seems to think he is the concious of the football world. I dont agree with you Patrick and it dissapoints me that you are in a position to post your views to the public. Ben greatly contributed to turning that… Read more »
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