The Ben Cousins Debacle
Ben Cousins. Where did it all go wrong? That is the question I have been pondering over the entire 2007 season. He has had an astonishing career in football, winning the Rising Star award in his first season, earning six selections in the All Australian team, playing the role of captain at the Eagles for 4 years, donning four club Best & Fairest’s at West Coast, a Brownlow Medal and a Leigh Matthews Trophy in 2005 and recently winning the Premiership in 2006. What happened?
I believe players have a right to their privacy, just like every one of us are afforded the same right. Just last week I was opposed to the charge of Ben bringing the game into disrepute. Now we are hearing reports of a five day cocaine binge in the U.S. which resulted in Ben being admitted to hospital by a friend, all while he was apparently in rehabilitation for his substance abuse. This just leaves me wondering, where did it all go wrong?
More reading:
- Demonising Ben Cousins
- Cousins story proves AFL is more than a game
- Eagles reputation in tatters, Worsfold
- Cousins may face criminal charges
- Ben’s sad story gets sadder
February 25th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
Were did it go wrong?
One) he knew he was good and that he could manage under the influence.
Two) No one said NO to him (same as Wayne Carey).
Three) Allowed to get away with it for too long.
btw I started a new website you may be interested in (http://www.kick2kick.net)
January 1st, 2009 at 4:32 pm
The American scholar Joseph Campbell once defined a hero as someone who must leave to undergo a big challenge, be transformed, and then return.
If that is true, then Ben Cousins is closer to becoming a true hero than many of his football colleagues.
Congratulations to Richmond on getting Ben and good luck for 2009!