Am I the only one who feels for Ben Cousins?

[Riewoldting]

Sam23, why the F*** have you replaced your Saints avatar with a picture of a former West Coast player?

[G-Unit]

Ben Cousins was given an amazing talent and if he stuck to the requirements of a person in his position, he would still be an AFL player.

Instead of doing what is needed to maintain an AFL career, he chose to satisfy his own selfish needs. He may have had personal issues, and yes, the death of a close friend would certainly place added stress on him, but there are other options besides drugs.

As a man seen as a role model, idol and hero to many, including kids, he could not maintain the standard expected.

You may say it's an addiction, but he chose this way of life. It was HIS decision.

He was given MANY chances to prove himself, but failed time and again.

I do not take pleasure from watching a star fall, but I certainly do not feel sorry for him. If anyone, I feel sorry for his team mates (the clean ones) and the eagles supporters, they have had a tough year. Ben Cousins has only himself to blame and I really hope young footballers can learn something out of this sad story.

[fingers]

I don't take any pleasure in seeing a fit man with all ahead of him drop to these depths. But my sympathy is with his family and friends more than him. In the end he can choose to do what he likes - but not considering the impact on others shows the selfishness. I don't feel sorry for sorry.

It is an illness. NOW. It wasn't the first time he took drugs. The first time he took drugs was a choice not an illness.

[saintsrus]

A huge part of his downfall was the game he played first up and the standing ovation he got from his fans. He ran away from the cops which anyone else would be jailed for. Basically he was the little kid that got away with every bad thing hes done and still made out to be a hero, but this is not his fault
He thinks/thought he is/was bullet proof

I too feel sorry for him.

[St Fidelius]

Sam23, why the F*** have you replaced your Saints avatar with a picture of a former West Coast player?

Who cares what avatar Sam uses???

It is his choice to pick any avatar he wants.

If you re-read his OP, he obviously feels for him as a human being and has friends in the same position.

Good on you Sam for sticking up for what you believe in

[CURLY]

Defanatly feel sorry for him and am also very dissapointed in the Eagles. Being part of a club this is when you should pull together and get behind him. I would be more annoyed as a parent of a possible recruit I would be horrified that they have sacked him. Yes he has done the wrong thing but this is were he needs his club the most thats what being part of a club is about it becomes your family.

[Armoooo]

Simple. Have the brains / common sense not to take em in the first place

Agree, should just tell this to the 100+ million people addicted to them around the world.

If it is just that simple.

It really is that simple, those people made the choice, they knew the risks and they will have to deal with the consequences, no sympathy for a drug addict....

[TimeToShineFellas]

Maybe he could start by giving the names of his suppliers.........

[Mr Magic]

Defanatly feel sorry for him and am also very dissapointed in the Eagles. Being part of a club this is when you should pull together and get behind him. I would be more annoyed as a parent of a possible recruit I would be horrified that they have sacked him. Yes he has done the wrong thing but this is were he needs his club the most thats what being part of a club is about it becomes your family.

Did anybody hear Josh Kennedy's grandmother on SEN yesterday morning?

Nothing WCE did testerday. or for the past 2 years for that matter, would ease her fears of the culture at that Club and how they react to these types of problems.

IMHO they have shown that the first, last and only factors that come into the equation for them is the best interests of the WCE. Not necessarily are they the same as the best interests of the players.

[Lennon]

I'm not getting any "joy" (I think that's what you meant to say) out of this - but I am not feeling sorry for someone's that's been given the keys to the kingdom but choses to repeatedly f*** himself & the people that care about him. The only problem is Ben only cares for Ben. Until HE shows remorse then the rest is useless.

Drug addicts DO only care about themselves and their drug of choice, that isn't something that's unique to Ben.

And you cannot honestly expect him to show remorse while he's still on drugs.

He should never have been brought back to Australia to play this year.

It was a selfish and stupid decision on the part of the West Coast Eagles, and now, that he has inevitably relapsed after being brought straight back into the environment in which he was first using, West Coast have cut him loose.

If you're looking for somewhere to pour your scorn, choose the club.

[riccardo]

It may well be an illness plugger, but it's an illness he chose.

I hope that he can sort himself out, but surely it's a long road back.

An illness he chose... Contentious point satchmo..

Many drug users go with the intention of saying "What the hell, it's only ice/heroin/coke/ecstacy/whatever i'll only try it once, there's no harm in trying"...

But nobody goes in to any illness saying "its only a bit of cancer, I'll just try it out"

Drug addiction, like any other addiction (nicotine, food, gambling, etc), is often self chosen, and the cure needs to be self motivated, there is no pill you can take or diet you can go on or radiotherapy to rid yourself of it, you need to do it mostly through your own willpower.

I'm sure Cousins didn't set out to be a junkie, but its not like he had no idea it was likley to happen, unless he is either amazingly ignorant or monumentally stupid.

I feel sorry he is in such a pathetic state, but I don't feel as sorry for him as, say, victims of crime or anyone who didn't bring it on themselves.

I just hope he gets the help he needs now.

[Dan Warna]

nope very little sympathy for ben cousins.

I have more sympathy for people who are placed in circumstances beyond their control.

there are genuine people suffering, and ben cousins probably doesn't even think he's done anything wrong going by the various comments and press releases.

the only thing he seems upset at is being caught.

IMO he quite possibly cheated by consuming drugs in season as well.

TBH I was a fan of the WCE style of play, and going back through posts pre-drug scandal rated their midfield as the best since brisbane. 01-04 run.

Ben cousins at his best, drug free > cousins and kerr.

Ben Cousins quite possibly turned the game against st kilda fueled by drugs.

the AFL has buried its head int eh sand hoping the issue will go away. If it was a private test that sprung him, I have no doubt it would have been buried with yet another injunction.

the fact that the test was out in the open and he was caught in the glaring eye of the public, the AFL can't bury the issue.

the fact chick's partner of the day was sprung with drugs (which apparently are NOT chicks ) suggests that the issue is wider than that.

I cast also back tot he buried toxology report, now the subject of an injunction of a certain incident in Las Vegas of another WCE player.

IMO, BIG questions have to be asked and will be asked about the WCE.

do I have sympathy for Ben Cousins? hell no, he made his lifestyle choices. Now he can retire with his millions and do what he wants, but he is a disgrace.

of course fanbois' will blame the police for arresting him (how dare they ) but the reality is he is a petty criminal and will get a slap on teh wrist.

[Saint Mik]

The common theme here is CHOICE.

We all have them and it affects us all in different ways depending on which one we make.

I dont feel sorry for any of them they have all made there choices and have to live them.

I will say and think that the right thing has NOT been done by many and that is from the top right through to the individual.

Even people saying I feel for Kennedy which i was one, but when you think about it even he could of said NO but didnt so now he needs to just get on with it and choose to help change the CULTURE at the WC that has been put in place by others before him.

The system and decisions have let alot of people down which is the worst thing that has come out of this which is very sad

[Russman]

I think it is sad to see any talented person throw their career away through druges etc.. , but I don't feel sorry for Ben Cousins as it was a choice he made, which came at a high risk.
I feel sorry for his family and REAL friends , who are just watching him self-destruct.
I also think WestCoast didn't do him any favours by playing him this year. I know they can't control what he does in his personal life , but playing him towards the end of the season with a heroes welcome back was surely the worst thing for him.
It would be a long and hard road back for a recovering drug addict , but when Westcoast played him , along with the hero worship , it was just a positive re-enforcement of his lifestyle and made things too easy.
Picking Cousins was purely selfish by Westcoast as their midfield was falling apart due to various injuries.

[Lennon]

Sam23, why the F*** have you replaced your Saints avatar with a picture of a former West Coast player?

It's not your concern what anyone uses as their avatar.

Actually I can remember you going so far as to start a thread in general about one of mine. Who the "F***" do you think you are?

Tool.

[BAM! (shhhh)]

I have great sympathy for anyone on the rehabilitation path.

I have sympathy for the last couple of weeks Cousins has experienced - from appearances, between the death of Mainwaring, falling off the wagon and getting caught falling, he may have just discovered he's human and had to do it in the publice spotlight. For him, that would be pretty long fall.

I have sympathy for anyone who finds themselves in a situation where they're looking at their lives and saying "how did it get this far?".

I have no sympathy for Ben Cousins being the centre of a spectacle. He chose to be an AFL player, he chose to accept the captaincy of WCE, he chose to sacrifice his privacy. He chose to return to the AFL and put footy above getting well, and left himself open to the suggestion of old habits. So while I do have sympathy for the pain of a human being falling off the wagon, I cannot find it in myself to feel sorry for the man to have to do so in a spotlight he chose to stand in... and the sporting spotlight was never likely to be either well informed or sympathetic, recreational drugs are not the ubiquitous items at footy games they would be at for example raves, if Cousins were a DJ.

[True Blue Sainter]

It may well be an illness plugger, but it's an illness he chose.

I hope that he can sort himself out, but surely it's a long road back.

An illness he chose... Contentious point satchmo..

Many drug users go with the intention of saying "What the hell, it's only ice/heroin/coke/ecstacy/whatever i'll only try it once, there's no harm in trying"...

But nobody goes in to any illness saying "its only a bit of cancer, I'll just try it out"

Drug addiction, like any other addiction (nicotine, food, gambling, etc), is often self chosen, and the cure needs to be self motivated, there is no pill you can take or diet you can go on or radiotherapy to rid yourself of it, you need to do it mostly through your own willpower.

I'm sure Cousins didn't set out to be a junkie, but its not like he had no idea it was likley to happen, unless he is either amazingly ignorant or monumentally stupid.

I feel sorry he is in such a pathetic state, but I don't feel as sorry for him as, say, victims of crime or anyone who didn't bring it on themselves.

I just hope he gets the help he needs now.

Well expressed Ric... it's all in the head. Once the array of chemicals mess with your brain - it's hard to turn back to a normal life...

[stinger]

there are forumites here that seem almost too happy to ridicule Cousins... that is very sad

it never ceases to amaze me how people can such jpy put ofother ppls misfortune... like those carlton supporters who are actually glad Hamils career ended prematurely

i get no joy out of it...sad really.....how would you like to be his parents...the joy at having a son play afl football....one of the best ever...then have him be the first to be delisted under the drug regime......tragedy...for them.....ben can go f*** himself......

[stinger]

Sam23, why the F*** have you replaced your Saints avatar with a picture of a former West Coast player?

It's not your concern what anyone uses as their avatar.

Actually I can remember you going so far as to start a thread in general about one of mine. Who the "F***" do you think you are?

Tool.

[saintsRrising]

As a related aside.....

Evidently Ch 9 in Perth released yesterday the toxicology report on Mainwarring. (and Mainwarring’s father consented to the release as he preferred it be known rather than just rumoured).


It reported that alcohol, cocaine, ecstasy, cannibis, anti depressants and roaccutane were all present.



Evidently Roaccutane is a treatment for Acne that should never be mixed with drugs. It is also known to cause depression in some people.

[GrumpyOne]

there are forumites here that seem almost too happy to ridicule Cousins... that is very sad

it never ceases to amaze me how people can such jpy put ofother ppls misfortune... like those carlton supporters who are actually glad Hamils career ended prematurely

i get no joy out of it...sad really.....how would you like to be his parents...the joy at having a son play afl footballer....one of the best ever...then have him be the first to be delisted under the drug regime......tragedy...for them.....ben can go f*** himself......

Agree with half your post, Sting. Feel very sorry for his parents. They would have experienced the highs of Ben's career, now have to face every parents nightmare.

Feel sorry for Ben, but only too the extent of feeling sorry for anyone with an addiction, be it drugs, alcohol, gambling, nicotine or even caffeine. Those are the times where the addictee must draw on their own personal strength to kick their habit. I feel sorry that he apparently does not have the level of that strength to succeed.

BTW, what going on with his ex-girlfriend and his dad? Hand in hand to the cop-shop? Seems a little inappropriate to me.

[claystreet]

alcohol, cocaine, ecstasy, cannibis, anti depressants

i think a cocktail of these would be enough with out worrying about the effects of acne medication

[True Blue Sainter]

As a related aside.....

Evidently Ch 9 in Perth released yesterday the toxicology report on Mainwarring. (and Mainwarring’s father consented to the release as he preferred it be known rather than just rumoured).


It reported that alcohol, cocaine, ecstasy, cannibis, anti depressants and roaccutane were all present.



Evidently Roaccutane is a treatment for Acne that should never be mixed with drugs. It is also known to cause depression in some people.

Shouldn't be mixed with much alcohol either SRR....it's a highly toxic drug that can cause many ill effects when mixed with the toxins found in alcohol and/or drugs.

[TimeToShineFellas]

i get no joy out of it...sad really.....how would you like to be his parents...the joy at having a son play afl footballer....one of the best ever...then have him be the first to be delisted under the drug regime......tragedy...for them.....ben can go f*** himself......

Exactly what I was thinking......

[Saint Mik]

Play with fire and you will get burnt end of story and the road for Mainy.

Simple really dont do drugs.

Anyone that thinks otherwise is just making excuses IMO.