Benjamin Luke "Ben" Cousins, born 30 June 1978 is a former Australian rules footballer, best known for his 270-game career with West Coast and Richmond 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.
Troubled years
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 A$900 plus costs. He was fined an additional A$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. He 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:
"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 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:
"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."
Rehabilitation commences
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, 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 was 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 the Premier of Victoria, John Brumby, disapproving of their use.
Personal life
In 1997, Cousins took part in an education campaign for the WA Asthma 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.
West Coast coach Ken Judge was told by a Perth detective in 2001 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 award celebrations, after an argument about 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:
"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.
