Ben Cousins
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Benjamin Luke Cousins (born 30 June 1978) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for and in the Australian Football League (AFL). Cousins is listed by journalist
Mike Sheahan Michael Sheahan (born 4 March 1947) is an Australian journalist who specialises in Australian rules football. He was chief football writer and associate sports editor for the '' Herald Sun'' for 18 years. Although he left these positions at t ...
as one of the fifty greatest players of all time. During his 12-year, 238-game career with West Coast, he won several of the league's highest individual awards, including a
Brownlow Medal The Charles Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal (and informally as "Charlie"), is awarded to the "best and fairest" player in the Australian Football League (AFL) during the home-and-away season, as determined by votes cast by t ...
, Most Valuable Player and a
premiership medallion The AFL Grand Final is an Australian rules football match to determine the premiers for the Australian Football League (AFL) season. From its inception until 1989, it was known as the VFL Grand Final, as the league at that time was the Victo ...
. He was also selected six times in the
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 an interchange bench, of the best-performed players during the season, led b ...
and represented Australia in the
International Rules Series The International Rules Series is a senior men's international rules football competition between the Australia international rules football team (selected by the Australian Football League) and the Ireland international rules football team (se ...
. He was West Coast's club champion for four seasons and captain for five seasons. Cousins' football career was 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 West Coast, culminating in his contract's termination in October 2007. The following month, he was banned from AFL for one year by the
AFL Commission The AFL Commission is the official governing body of the Australian Football League Limited (AFL), its subsidiaries and controlled entities. Richard Goyder has been chairman since 4 April 2017, replacing Mike Fitzpatrick. It was formed in 198 ...
for "bringing the game into disrepute". Amid predictions that he would remain undrafted, Richmond claimed Cousins with the last pick of the 2008 draft. He played 32 games across two seasons at the club, retiring from the AFL at the end of the 2010 season. Cousins co-produced a documentary film titled '' Such is Life: The Troubled Times of Ben Cousins'', saying he hoped it would serve as a cautionary tale against drug use. Released days after his retirement, it went onto become "one of the most-watched documentaries in Australian history."Toohey, Paul (18 September 2010)
"A Perth funeral that triggered that Cousins doco"
''The Advertiser'' (Adelaide). Retrieved 7 July 2018.
Post-football, Cousins continued to struggle with his drug addiction and have run-ins with the law, and in 2017 he received a 12-month prison sentence for a variety of offences.


Early life

Cousins was born in Geelong,
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...
, in 1978, to Stephanie and Bryan, an Australian rules footballer who had moved from
Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
to play for the Geelong Football Club in the
Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...
. When Cousins was 18 months old, his family moved back to
Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...
, Western Australia, 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, he was recruited to join the East Fremantle Football Club's senior side in the
West Australian Football League The West Australian Football League (WAFL) is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The league currently consists of ten teams, which play each other in a 20-round season usually lasting from March to September ...
(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 The father–son rule is a rule that allows clubs preferential recruiting access to the sons of players who have made a major past contribution to the club in Australian rules football, most notably in the Australian Football League. The rule ...
: the Geelong Football Club, the
West Coast Eagles The West Coast Eagles are a professional Australian rules football club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 as one of two expansion teams in the Australian Football League (AFL), then known as the Victorian Football L ...
, and the newly formed
Fremantle Football Club The Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed the Dockers, is a professional Australian rules football club competing in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. The team was founded in 1994 to represent the port city of Fr ...
. Cousins' father Bryan played 238 games for
Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...
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.


AFL career


West Coast Eagles


1996–1997: Rising Star Award and increasing 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 Coast 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 Shannon Grant (born 19 April 1977) is a former Australian rules footballer who was a midfielder 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 ...
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 Ricky Lee Nixon (born 3 April 1963) is a former Australian rules footballer in the VFL/AFL and a former sports agent. At the height of his career, he was one of the most high-profile sports agents in Australia, and a powerful figure in the AF ...
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 Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods (born December 30, 1975) is an American professional golfer. He is tied for first in PGA Tour wins, ranks second in men's major championships, and holds numerous golf records. * * * Woods is widely regarded as ...
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:
"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."


1997–2000: First finals appearance and first All-Australian selection

In 1998, Cousins was selected in the
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 an interchange bench, of the best-performed players during the season, led b ...
and was runner-up in West Coast's Best and Fairest. He played in his first AFL finals game in 1999, against the
Western Bulldogs The Western Bulldogs are a professional Australian rules football team that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition. Founded in 1877 as the Footscray Football Club, and based in West Footscray in the o ...
in a qualifying final at the
MCG The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as "The 'G", is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadium in the Southern Hem ...
, and the year included another selection in the All-Australian Team and representing Australia in the
International Rules Series The International Rules Series is a senior men's international rules football competition between the Australia international rules football team (selected by the Australian Football League) and the Ireland international rules football team (se ...
. In 2000, Cousins signed a new three-year contract with the West Coast Eagles, reportedly worth nearly A$1 million.


2000–2003: Best and Fairest at West Coast and appointed co-captain

He played his 100th game amid speculation he would take over the captaincy from
Guy McKenna Guy Lindsay McKenna (born 11 May 1969) is a retired Australian rules football player and the former senior coach of the Gold Coast Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). McKenna played 267 games for the West Coast Eagles, inclu ...
, 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, a feat 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 Richard Worsfold (born 25 September 1968) is a former Australian rules football coach and player. He was the senior coach of the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL) between October 2015 and September 2020. He pr ...
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".


2003–2004: Continued individual success and injuries

In early 2003, Cousins injured his ankle in a game against
Hawthorn Hawthorn or Hawthorns may refer to: Plants * '' Crataegus'' (hawthorn), a large genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rosaceae * ''Rhaphiolepis'' (hawthorn), a genus of about 15 species of evergreen shrubs and small trees in the family Rosace ...
but played 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".


2004–2006: Brownlow Medal and Grand Final berth

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 The Charles Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal (and informally as "Charlie"), is awarded to the "best and fairest" player in the Australian Football League (AFL) during the home-and-away season, as determined by votes cast by t ...
, the AFL's highest individual player award, on 19 September 2005 with 20 votes, ahead of teammate
Daniel Kerr Daniel Alan Kerr (born 16 May 1983) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL). He played 220 games for the club between 2001 and 2013, as a hard-running inside midfie ...
on 19 votes and
Nick Dal Santo Nick Dal Santo (born 22 February 1984) is the senior coach of the St Kilda Football Club in the AFL Women's competition and a retired Australian rules footballer who played for St Kilda and North Melbourne in the Australian Football League ...
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 Swans 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 Christopher Dylan Judd (born 8 September 1983) is a former professional Australian rules footballer and captain of both the West Coast Eagles and Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Widely regarded as one of the bes ...
'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 award, with 159 votes compared to runner-up
Matthew Pavlich Matthew Pavlich (born 31 December 1981) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Fremantle Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). A versatile player, Pavlich is widely regarded as one of the premi ...
's 99 votes. He was runner-up to
Barry Hall Barry Hall (born 8 February 1977) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the St Kilda Football Club, Sydney Swans and Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League (AFL). He is considered to be one of the be ...
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: Premiership Cup, off-field misconduct and captaincy resignation

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 Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final (sometimes colloquially abbreviated to "grannie") is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. S ...
, defeating Sydney by one point. 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 abuse problem. After returning from four weeks of rehabilitation in
Malibu, California Malibu ( ; es, Malibú; Chumash: ) is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, situated about west of Downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate and its strip of the Malib ...
, 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 the following Monday. However, he injured a
hamstring In human anatomy, a hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in between the hip and the knee (from medial to lateral: semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris). The hamstrings are susceptible to injury. In quadrupe ...
in training, delaying his comeback until West Coast's home game against Sydney on 21 July at
Subiaco Oval Subiaco Oval (; nicknamed Subi) was a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia, located in the suburb of Subiaco. It was opened in 1908 and closed in 2017 after the completion of the new Perth Stadium in Burswood. Subiaco Oval was the high ...
. He gained 38 disposals and six marks in the game, inspiring West Coast's win.


2007–2008: Drug possession arrest, delisted by West Coast Eagles and 12-month AFL ban

On 16 October 2007, Cousins' car was stopped in Northbridge and searched. He was arrested for drug possession and refusing to submit to a blood test. The Eagles sacked him the next day, which meant that he was no longer a registered AFL player. On 19 November, he was banned from playing senior football for 12 months by the AFL Commission for "bringing the game into disrepute", and was formally delisted by West Coast on 30 November. Eagles officials said that he would never appear in an Eagles guernsey again, and AFL CEO
Andrew Demetriou Andrew Demetriou (born 14 April 1961) is an Australian businessman, sports administrator, and former Australian rules football player who was chief executive officer (CEO) of the Australian Football League (AFL) up to June 2014. Demetriou play ...
said it would be "extremely difficult" for him to ever return to the AFL.


Richmond Tigers


2008–2010: Career renewal at Richmond Tigers and retirement

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 A drug test is a technical analysis of a biological specimen, for example urine, hair, blood, breath, sweat, or oral fluid/saliva—to determine the presence or absence of specified parent drugs or their metabolites. Major applications of drug ...
, 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 Cousins for 2009, including Collingwood Football Club, St Kilda Football Club and
Brisbane Lions The Brisbane Lions is a professional Australian rules football club based in Brisbane, Queensland, that plays in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club was formed in late 1996 via a merger of the Melbourne-based 1883 foundation VFL c ...
. Collingwood sent a
private investigator A private investigator (often abbreviated to PI and informally called a private eye), a private detective, or inquiry agent is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private investigators of ...
to Perth to follow Cousins for several days. After meeting with Victorian Chief Commissioner of Police
Christine Nixon Christine Nixon (born 11 June 1953) is an Australian former police officer who was the chief commissioner of Victoria Police from 23 April 2001 to 27 February 2009, being the first female chief commissioner in any Australian state police force. ...
in October 2008, Collingwood announced that they would not draft Cousins. In November, 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
AFL National Draft The Australian Football League draft is the annual draft of unsigned players, especially new nominations, by Australian rules football teams that participate in the main competition of that sport, the Australian Football League (AFL). History ...
. Ahead of the AFL Pre-season Draft in December 2008, Richmond Football Club approached the AFL Commission for approval to move injured senior player
Graham Polak Graham Polak (born 16 June 1984) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Fremantle Football Club and the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Fremantle career Polak began his AFL career with the Fr ...
to its
rookie list The rookie list is a means for Australian Football League (AFL) clubs to maintain additional players outside the 38-man primary or senior list. Rookie listed players are not eligible to play in AFL home-and-away or finals matches unless they are e ...
in order 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 may refer to: Australia *Electoral district of Essendon *Electoral district of Essendon and Flemington * Essendon, Victoria **Essendon railway station **Essendon Airport * Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League United Ki ...
two years earlier to do similar with
Adam Ramanauskas Adam Ramanauskas (born 19 November 1980) 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. In 2000 ...
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) 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 may refer to: People * Carlton (name), a list of those with the given name or surname * Carlton (singer), English soul singer Carlton McCarthy * Carlton, a pen name used by Joseph Caldwell (1773–1835), American educator, Presbyterian ...
on 26 March, Cousins strained his
hamstring In human anatomy, a hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in between the hip and the knee (from medial to lateral: semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris). The hamstrings are susceptible to injury. In quadrupe ...
during the final quarter. He played a game with the
Coburg Football Club The Coburg Football Club, nicknamed the Coburg Lions, is an Australian rules football club based in Coburg, a northern suburb of Melbourne, and currently playing in the Victorian Football League (VFL). It is based at Coburg City Oval since 191 ...
in the
Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...
before returning to the AFL in Round 7 against
Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...
. 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 had assisted him during his career, acknowledged his encounters with drugs and the law, and apologised to his family for the situation he had 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 family.


Statistics

: , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 1996 , style="text-align:center;" , , 35 , , 20 , , 34 , , 15 , , 170 , , 106 , , 276 , , 61 , , 24 , , 1.7 , , 0.8 , , 8.5 , , 5.3 , , 13.8 , , 3.1 , , 1.2 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,
1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...
, style="text-align:center;" , , 35 , , 18 , , 22 , , 13 , , 149 , , 114 , , 263 , , 48 , , 21 , , 1.2 , , 0.7 , , 8.3 , , 6.3 , , 14.6 , , 2.7 , , 1.2 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,
1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...
, style="text-align:center;" , , 9 , , 23 , , 20 , , 13 , , 294 , , 195 , , 489 , , 63 , , 33 , , 0.9 , , 0.6 , , 12.8 , , 8.5 , , 21.3 , , 2.7 , , 1.4 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,
1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...
, style="text-align:center;" , , 9 , , 22 , , 14 , , 13 , , 310 , , 205 , , 515 , , 75 , , 25 , , 0.6 , , 0.6 , , 14.1 , , 9.3 , , 23.4 , , 3.4 , , 1.1 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,
2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...
, style="text-align:center;" , , 9 , , 17 , , 9 , , 11 , , 261 , , 170 , , 431 , , 67 , , 34 , , 0.5 , , 0.6 , , 15.4 , , 10.0 , , 25.4 , , 3.9 , , 2.0 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 2001 , style="text-align:center;" , , 9 , , 22 , , 15 , , 7 , , 335 , , 265 , , bgcolor="b7e718" , 600 , , 63 , , 34 , , 0.7 , , 0.3 , , 15.2 , , 12.0 , , 27.3 , , 2.9 , , 1.5 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 2002 , style="text-align:center;" , , 9 , , 23 , , 16 , , 11 , , 327 , , 229 , , 556 , , 56 , , 57 , , 0.7 , , 0.5 , , 14.2 , , 10.0 , , 24.2 , , 2.4 , , 2.5 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 2003 , style="text-align:center;" , , 9 , , 23 , , 20 , , 8 , , 295 , , 225 , , 520 , , 68 , , 42 , , 0.9 , , 0.3 , , 12.8 , , 9.8 , , 22.6 , , 3.0 , , 1.8 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 2004 , style="text-align:center;" , , 9 , , 17 , , 8 , , 7 , , 203 , , 166 , , 369 , , 52 , , 38 , , 0.5 , , 0.4 , , 11.9 , , 9.8 , , 21.7 , , 3.1 , , 2.2 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 2005 , style="text-align:center;" , , 9 , , 24 , , 24 , , 11 , , bgcolor="b7e718" , 391 , , 221 , , 612 , , 146 , , 33 , , 1.0 , , 0.5 , , 16.3 , , 9.2 , , 25.5 , , 6.1 , , 1.4 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 2006 , style="text-align:center;" , , 9 , , 22 , , 20 , , 13 , , 312 , , 241 , , 553 , , 107 , , 39 , , 0.9 , , 0.6 , , 14.2 , , 11.0 , , 25.1 , , 4.9 , , 1.8 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 2007 , style="text-align:center;" , , 9 , , 7 , , 3 , , 3 , , 90 , , 85 , , 175 , , 19 , , 16 , , 0.4 , , 0.4 , , 12.9 , , 12.1 , , 15.0 , , 2.7 , , 2.3 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 2009 , style="text-align:center;" , , 32 , , 15 , , 5 , , 3 , , 154 , , 204 , , 358 , , 42 , , 45 , , 0.3 , , 0.2 , , 10.3 , , 13.6 , , 23.9 , , 2.8 , , 3.0 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 2010 , style="text-align:center;" , , 32 , , 17 , , 7 , , 6 , , 156 , , 220 , , 376 , , 68 , , 48 , , 0.4 , , 0.4 , , 9.2 , , 12.9 , , 22.1 , , 4.0 , , 2.8 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=3 , Career ! 270 ! 217 ! 134 ! 3447 ! 2646 ! 6093 ! 935 ! 489 ! 0.8 ! 0.5 ! 12.8 ! 9.8 ! 22.6 ! 3.5 ! 1.8


Honours and achievements

* Team **
AFL Premiership This page is a complete chronological listing of VFL/AFL premiers. The Australian Football League (AFL), known as the Victorian Football League (VFL) until 1990, is the elite national competition in men's Australian rules football. The inaugur ...
(
West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...
): 2006 **
McClelland Trophy The McClelland Trophy is an Australian rules football trophy which has been awarded each year since 1951 by the Australian Football League (known prior to 1990 as the Victorian Football League) to the best-performing club in the home-and-away sea ...
(
West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...
): 2006 * Individual **
Brownlow Medal The Charles Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal (and informally as "Charlie"), is awarded to the "best and fairest" player in the Australian Football League (AFL) during the home-and-away season, as determined by votes cast by t ...
: 2005 **
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 st ...
(AFLPA MVP Award): 2005 **
All-Australian 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 an interchange bench, of the best-performed players during the season, led b ...
: 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006 ** Australian Football Media Association Player of the Year Award: 2005 ** John Worsfold Medal (West Coast Eagles Best & Fairest): 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005 ** Herald Sun Player of the Year Award: 2005 **
Lou Richards Medal The Lou Richards Medal is an annual Most Valuable Player award for the Australian Football League, based on votes from the '' Sunday Footy Show'' panel each week. History The Lou Richards Medal is named after former Collingwood player, Lou R ...
: 2005 ** Australian Representative Honours in
International rules football International rules football ( ga, Peil na rialacha idirnáisiunta; also known as international rules in Australia and compromise rules or Aussie rules in Ireland) is a team sport consisting of a hybrid of football codes, which was developed ...
: 1999 ** West Coast Eagles – Team 20 ** Geoff Christian Medal: 2001 **
Western Australian Sports Star of the Year The Western Australian Sports Star Award, currently known as ''The West Australian'RACSports Star Award, is an annual award for sportspeople from the Australian state of Western Australia and/or playing for teams based in Western Australia. It has ...
: 2005 ** Goal of the Year: 1999 **
AFL Rising Star The AFL Rising Star is an Australian rules football award presented annually to the player adjudged the best young player in the Australian Football League (AFL) for the year. It was first presented in the 1993 season, and was won by Nathan Buc ...
Award: 1996 **
AFL Rising Star The AFL Rising Star is an Australian rules football award presented annually to the player adjudged the best young player in the Australian Football League (AFL) for the year. It was first presented in the 1993 season, and was won by Nathan Buc ...
Nominee: 1996 (Round 12) **
West Coast Eagles The West Coast Eagles are a professional Australian rules football club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 as one of two expansion teams in the Australian Football League (AFL), then known as the Victorian Football L ...
Life Membership Inductee: 2003


Personal life


Early professional career

In 1997, Cousins took part in an education campaign for the WA
Asthma Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, co ...
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 ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
, then fainted while at a restaurant after the game. West Coast's football manager,
Rod Lester-Smith Rod Lester-Smith (born 18 July 1959) 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 also a member of the 1985 All- ...
, 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 have been 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 Alan Kerr (born 16 May 1983) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL). He played 220 games for the club between 2001 and 2013, as a hard-running inside midfie ...
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 Michael Strickland Gardiner (born 5 July 1979) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the St Kilda Football Club and the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL). Originally from Albany, Western Australia. Ga ...
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 ''The West Australian'' is the only locally edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia. It is owned by Seven West Media (SWM), as is the state's other major newspaper, '' The Sunday Times''. It is the second-oldest continuous ...
'' 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."


Troubled years

On 12 February 2006, Cousins fled a booze bus, abandoning his
Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to as Mercedes and sometimes as Benz, is a German luxury and commercial vehicle automotive brand established in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a Mercedes-Benz Group subsidiary established in 2019) is headquartere ...
and girlfriend Samantha Druce in the middle lane of Perth's
Canning Highway Canning Highway is an arterial road in Perth, Western Australia, linking the inner Perth suburb of Victoria Park in the north-east, to the port city of Fremantle in the south-west. The road is mostly a four-lane divided carriageway, with a g ...
and running from police with a male passenger. The male passenger was later caught and breath-tested, but Cousins eluded the police by swimming into the Swan River. On 20 February, Cousins resigned as captain of the West Coast Eagles. He pleaded 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 in 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 13 years, Samantha Druce, ended their relationship. On 20 March, Cousins was suspended indefinitely from West Coast after failing to attend two training sessions. West Coast club chairman
Dalton Gooding Dalton Gooding (born 18 November 1954) is a Western Australian businessman, and from 2002 to 2007 he was the chairman of the West Coast Eagles Australian Football League club. He was also a founding partner of the Chartered Accounting firm 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 later revealed that Cousins underwent an AFL drug test on 19 March 2007, and it was later confirmed that he had a substance abuse problem. On 21 March, Cousins was admitted to
drug rehabilitation Drug rehabilitation is the process of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and street drugs such as cannabis, cocaine, heroin or amphetamines. The general intent i ...
. 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 Malibu ( ; es, Malibú; Chumash: ) is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, situated about west of Downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate and its strip of the Malib ...
, for rehabilitation at the Summit Center where he stayed for four weeks. He returned to Perth on 30 April 2007, 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 Christopher Douglas Mainwaring (27 December 1965 – 1 October 2007) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL) and for the East Fremantle Football Club in the West Australian ...
, a former West Coast Eagles player and close friend of Cousins, died of a drug overdose on 1 October 2007. Cousins received renewed media attention, as he was the last person to see Mainwaring alive, having visited him 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 Diazepam, first marketed as Valium, is a medicine of the benzodiazepine family that acts as an anxiolytic. It is commonly used to treat a range of conditions, including anxiety, seizures, alcohol withdrawal syndrome, muscle spasms, insomnia, ...
,
Viagra Sildenafil, sold under the brand name Viagra, among others, is a medication used to treat erectile dysfunction and pulmonary arterial hypertension. It is unclear if it is effective for treating sexual dysfunction in women. It is taken by ...
,
oxycodone Oxycodone, sold under various brand names such as Roxicodone and OxyContin (which is the extended release form), is a strong, semi-synthetic opioid used medically for treatment of moderate to severe pain. It is highly addictive and a commonly ...
and Caverta as well as traces of ecstasy and
cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Ameri ...
on a $20 note in the car. Cousins was sacked by West Coast for serious breaches of his agreement with the club the day after his arrest. 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, and he was admitted to hospital several days later after an alleged cocaine binge. No charges were laid by US police. He returned to Australia and told a packed media conference that he was "overcoming a drug addiction". A week later he flew to the
Gold Coast Gold Coast may refer to: Places Africa * Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana: ** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642) ** Dutch G ...
for a three-day alcohol and drug binge during
Schoolies week Schoolies or schoolies week (also known as leavers' or leavers' week in Queensland and Western Australia and coasties in the Australian Capital Territory) refers to the Australian tradition of high-school graduates (also known as "schoolies" or ...
. A painting of Cousins titled ''Waiting for the Day'' reached the finals of the 2009
Archibald Prize The Archibald Prize is an Australian portraiture art prize for painting, generally seen as the most prestigious portrait prize in Australia. It was first awarded in 1921 after the receipt of a bequest from J. F. Archibald, the editor ...
. Painted by South Australian artist Megan Roodenrys, it shows Cousins in bed battling through a sleepless night during his drug scandal. The painting was bought at auction by a Melbourne businessman the following year for $18,000. 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 shortened by excessive alcohol consumption. On 12 April, Cousins was among four Richmond players suspended by the club after a drunken escapade at the team hotel in Sydney earlier that week. Although Cousins was not intoxicated, the club deemed that he had not acted responsibly or in a manner expected of him by the club, and he was suspended for one week. On 5 July, 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 John Mansfield Brumby (born 21 April 1953) is the current Chancellor of La Trobe University and former Victorian Labor Party politician who was Premier of Victoria from 2007 to 2010. He became leader of the Victorian Labor Party and premier ...
, disapproving of their use. A feature-length documentary on Cousins' personal problems, filmed over a two-year period, aired on the
Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by Seven West Media Limited, and is one of five main free-to-air television networks in Australia ...
in August 2010. Titled ''Such is Life'', it is named after bushranger and outlaw
Ned Kelly Edward Kelly (December 1854 – 11 November 1880) was an Australian bushranger, outlaw, gang leader and convicted police-murderer. One of the last bushrangers, he is known for wearing a suit of bulletproof armour during his final shootout wi ...
's alleged last words, which Cousins got tattooed across his torso in 2007. Cousins is featured taking illicit drugs, speaking candidly about his addiction and saying that he hopes his story will ultimately help to save lives. It was one of the year's most-watched programs in Australia, with over two million viewers nationwide. In November of that year, Cousins released an autiobraphy, ''Ben Cousins: My Life Story'', published by Macmillan Australia.


Legal issues

In May 2011, it was reported that since Cousins' departure from AFL football his life had lost direction: he had failed to commit to a mining job in Western Australia and was struggling to find focus. His father confirmed that his son's attempt to rebuild his life had taken a "couple of bad turns" in the previous three months and that he was battling "troubled times". In September 2011, Cousins' partner Maylea Elizabeth Tinecheff gave birth to their first child, a son, Bobby Ernest Cousins. On 9 January 2012, Cousins was admitted to
Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital (SCGH) is a teaching hospital in Nedlands, Western Australia. Opened in 1958 as the Perth Chest Hospital and later named in honour of Sir Charles Gairdner, governor of Western Australia from 1951 to 1963, it is pa ...
after suffering a fall at a drug rehabilitation clinic. He slipped while getting out of a shower, striking his head on a basin and injuring his neck. It was reported that Cousins had been experiencing continuing problems with illicit drugs, despite seeking help at several drug rehabilitation clinics, and that he had "never been clean for more than three months." It was also reported that he had recently undertaken an extreme drug binge lasting for approximately eight days. Cousins was committed by doctors to a suburban mental health unit under police escort on 13 January 2012 after suffering a four-day episode of drug-induced psychosis while being treated at Sir Charles Gardiner Hospital. On 27 March 2012, Cousins was arrested by police at
Esperance Airport Esperance Airport is an airport in Esperance, Western Australia. The airport is northwest of the city, near the locality of Gibson. Airlines and destinations Qantas and Virgin Australia Regional Airlines previously operated flights fro ...
, in the south of Western Australia, on suspicion of possession of drugs. He was strip-searched and found to have methylamphetamine secreted in his anus. The initial charge of intent to sell or supply the drug was later downgraded to simple possession, to which Cousins pled guilty and was fined $800. On 17 April 2012, Cousins was arrested and charged again in Western Australia for possession of cannabis and a smoking implement. On 11 March 2015, Cousins was arrested in the Perth suburb of Bicton after leading police on a slow-speed car chase, stating he could not stop due to a family emergency. Four days later, it was reported that Cousins had been sent to a mental health facility after he was found inside the Special Air Service's
Campbell Barracks Campbell Barracks, in Heidelberg, Germany, was home to Headquarters, United States Army Europe (USAREUR) from 1948 to 2013. It was also home to Headquarters, V Corps and Headquarters, Allied Force Command Heidelberg. History As part of the Ge ...
in Swanbourne. Cousins was arrested for the third time in two weeks after trying to outrun police in
Canning Vale Canning is a method of food preservation in which food is processed and sealed in an airtight container (jars like Mason jars, and steel and tin cans). Canning provides a shelf life that typically ranges from one to five years, although u ...
following a "bizarre incident" outside a Sikh temple. In June 2016, police intervened when Cousins attempted to direct traffic on Perth's
Canning Highway Canning Highway is an arterial road in Perth, Western Australia, linking the inner Perth suburb of Victoria Park in the north-east, to the port city of Fremantle in the south-west. The road is mostly a four-lane divided carriageway, with a g ...
. He was described by witnesses as being "really lost, confused and making no sense at all", and taken to
Fiona Stanley Hospital Fiona Stanley Hospital (FSH) is a state government hospital and teaching facility in Murdoch, Western Australia. Completed in December 2013, the hospital is the largest building project ever undertaken for the Government of Western Australia. ...
. In November 2016, Cousins failed to appear in court on charges of breaching a violence restraining order and possessing methamphetamine. A bench warrant was issued for his arrest. At around 1:30 am the following day, while driving high on methamphetamine in
High Wycombe High Wycombe, often referred to as Wycombe ( ), is a market town in Buckinghamshire, England. Lying in the valley of the River Wye, Buckinghamshire, River Wye surrounded by the Chiltern Hills, it is west-northwest of Charing Cross in London, ...
, he crashed his car head-on into a truck. He sustained minor injuries and was taken to Royal Perth Hospital under police guard.


Imprisonment

Cousins was arrested in the Perth suburb of Melville in February 2017 and charged with a number of offences related to drugs, violence and stalking, including seven counts of breaching a violence restraining order. The following month, at the Magistrates Court of Western Australia, Cousins was charged with eleven offences and received a 12-month prison sentence. He served his sentence at
Acacia Prison Acacia Prison is a medium security prison facility located in Wooroloo, Western Australia. The prison was opened in May 2001. Acacia was the first privately managed prison in Western Australia and was managed by Australian Integration Managemen ...
.McNeill, Heather (15 September 2017)
"Fallen ex-Eagle Ben Cousins back in court on drug charges"
''WA Today''. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
In May 2017, it was reported that Cousins was attacked by another inmate after borrowing his tea cup and not returning it. Cousins became eligible for parole six months into his sentence, but the parole board denied his application and ordered him to complete rehabilitation courses after he failed a drug test. Cousins was released from prison in January 2018. As part of his parole conditions, Cousins began part-time work in the West Coast Eagles' community and game development department, but abruptly left the job in April 2018. In August 2018, he was arrested and charged with multiple offences, including drug possession, making threats and breaking a violence restraining order. He was released on bail in April 2019.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cousins, Ben 1978 births All-Australians (AFL) Australian rules footballers from Western Australia Australian sportspeople in doping cases Brownlow Medal winners East Fremantle Football Club players Leigh Matthews Trophy winners Living people Richmond Football Club players AFL Rising Star winners People educated at Wesley College, Perth Australian rules footballers from Geelong Western Australian Sports Star of the Year winners West Coast Eagles players West Coast Eagles Premiership players John Worsfold Medal winners Australia international rules football team players One-time VFL/AFL Premiership players