AFL playing Devils Advocate - A dangerous game
Twelve months out of big time football might be the best thing for Ben Cousins. The incentive of a possible return in 2009 may well be a big enough carrot for the wayward star to mend his ways. The AFL has looked after itself and seems to have tried to do the same with Cousins, but the question remains:
What exactly is Cousins being punished for?
| > | Cousins: I am an addict and I am sorry |
| > | Cousins ban: AFL statement in full |
| > | 12 month ban for Cousins |
The AFL finally decided to take action once Cousins was charged by WA Police for illegal drugs possession and failing to provide an appropriate sample. Without the police charges, there would have been no AFL charge. There wouldn’t have been the sacking from the Eagles either. Everything was indelibly intertwined, so Cousins can count himself extremely unlucky today, despite his horrendous past.
The ‘disrepute’ charge always meant the AFL were holding the all aces. To bring the game into disrepute could mean basically anything. Picking one’s nose in public could conceivably draw punishment. The league could well have brought up previous indiscretions. The booze bus incident. The links with the underworld. Links with heroin dealers. All crimes that went unpunished at the time, but all quite safely perched underneath the ‘disrepute’ banner.
However the fact remains: with no WA police charges, we wouldn’t have been here today.
Quite the paradox.
The league has made a decision that will appease the populous. Seen to be acting tough. The media will be satisfied. As will the constituents. Everyone at AFL house will be patting themselves on the back between sauvignon blanc’s.
Ben Cousins is a sick boy. Tonight he begins a twelve month stint with no football to look forward to. Is this the best medicine for a guy who has a problem that has enveloped him whole? The AFL thinks so.
Cousins has a lot riding on what happens in the next year.
So does the AFL.
| > | Roos: Mistake to let Cousins play |
| > | Eagles sack Cousins |
| > | Mainwaring full of drugs |
| > | Is sacking Cousins the best option? |
| > | Ben Cousins arrested |
| > | For Gods sake let Cousins recover in peace |
| > | Cousins apology a sorry affair |
| > | Cousins to never play again? Oh please |
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Dan, you sound like an West Coast supporter. Trying to spin Ben out of trouble yet again.
The fact is Cousins has a long list trouble and the only thing the AFL has done wrong here is…too little too late. They should have taken action 5 years ago when Cousins and Gardner refused to cooperate with WA Police over a nightclub shooting.
We are here now, in this sorry state because the AFL and West Coast have continually tried to cover up, turn a blind eye or try to spin the facts, for all these years.
The rest of us in WA knew the Eagles had serious a drug problem with a number of their players, 6 years ago.
Now that the AFL has finally done what they should have done years ago it remains to be seen what they will do with the rest of the cess pit that is the West Coast Eagles.
Bruce,
Thank you for your comment. Thankfully I am not a West Coast supporter, and your points perfectly illustrate why the Eagles should be under the gun, not necessarily Cousins in this instance.
Just about every action the Eagles have taken has been wrong, from ignoring all of those indiscretions you mentioned, to not having a welfare officer with Cousins when Chris Mainwairing died (they didn’t even know Cousins was still in the country??), to sacking Cousins on account of police charges that didn’t hold up.
West Coast have seemed to escape any sort of sanction, while Cousins has been hung out to dry in this case. He certainly should have been punished in the past, but would this 12 month suspension have stood up in a court situation?