Frankness, Apology Fail To Save Cousins From Ban

Sydney Morning Herald

Tuesday November 20, 2007

Karen Lyon

FALLEN Brownlow medallist Ben Cousins finally offered the AFL world the apology it had waited eight months to hear last night, but the former West Coast skipper said he was "bitterly disappointed" to be suspended from the game for 12 months.

After a marathon hearing, the AFL Commission yesterday found the self-confessed drug addict had brought the game into disrepute. His continuing rehabilitation will be monitored by the league over the next year by chief executive Andrew Demetriou, and only with the AFL's approval will Cousins, 29, be allowed to restart his brilliant career in 2009.

Demetriou and medical experts will meet to determine the rehabilitation that is best for him, and also the most suitable form of target drug-testing.

Another relapse will almost certainly end his career. Should the commission decide next year that returning to football is not in his or the game's best interests, it can extend the ban for 12 months.

Should he win back his place in the AFL next year, Cousins may again be subjected to strict conditions on his contract.

Supported by his parents, Bryan and Stephanie, as well as his lawyer, David Grace, QC, and manager, Ricky Nixon, Cousins spoke for just 90 seconds, offering an apology, publicly admitting to drug addition for the first time and asking for privacy.

Neglecting the handwritten statement before him, he spoke calmly, first thanking the AFL Commission for a "fair hearing".

He also said his rehabilitation was further progressed than had been portrayed in the media.

"I would like to address the fact that I am overcoming drug addiction," Cousins said. "It is an ongoing process. Contrary to media reports, I am a lot further down the track in my rehabilitation than has been reported."

For the first time, he made a full apology for his dramatic behaviour over the past year.

"I would like to apologise to the AFL, the players and supporters for the embarrassment my conduct has brought to the game," he said. "I would like to thank my family, my friends and supporters for their support and also their understanding.

"I am bitterly disappointed that I cannot continue to play football, but that is not to say that I have given up hope in the future of doing so in the future.

"Finally, I would like to ask the media to give us some space as I continue my rehabilitation and gain full health."

Earlier, he had spent more than 41/2 hours being grilled by the AFL Commission. The meeting started just after 9am, and he was said by AFL chairman Mike Fitzpatrick to have been frank and very honest in his answers.

Neither Fitzpatrick nor Demetriou would say whether Cousins detailed his drug use.

His evidence complete, Cousins was then forced to wait more than 21/2 hours in his manager's offices, also in the Telstra Dome, while the AFL decided his immediate future.

The commission sorted through hundreds of pages of documents before making its decision.

Fitzpatrick said the decision to ban Cousins should be seen as a message to players, supporters, clubs and the public that the commission was prepared to tackle difficult subjects for the best interests of the game.

"It was a sad day today, a day when the AFL Commission was called on to exercise its responsibility to our players, our supporters, our clubs and the general public," he said.

He acknowledged the difficulties faced by footballers but continued: "It is a privilege to play at the highest level and players must take responsibility for their actions and understand the expectations of AFL supporters and the general community."

© 2007 Sydney Morning Herald

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