BEN GIVES THE BIRD

[Dogwatcher]

such a (semi) public display of beligerence... what's he trying to prove?
Immature of Ben, & those who chose to make it public.

I do agree with this.

[whufc]

Alot of people on here are carrying on like his the only player in the AFL to have/is taking drugs.

People in glass houses really shouldn't throw stones, alot of people on this forum would be embarrased about their comments towards him if they really knew some stuff that happens at their own clubs, which hasn't come out in the media.

[Adelaide Hawk]

I'm amazed so many West Aussies are so keen to support him by signing memberships to Richmond and cheering him on the weekend.

Same here, it just amazes me the support this guy has, especially from supporters a once proud and powerful club like West Coast who Cousins helped tear apart.

Maybe the newer generation of footy supporter does not embrace the notion that the club is ALWAYS greater than the individual.

[catchit]

the point being!! ben has only hurt himself out of what he has done!!

Think so?
I'm amazed so many West Aussies are so keen to support him by signing memberships to Richmond and cheering him on the weekend.
He has left West Coast in disarray.
The circus that surrounded him during his last few years at the Eagles resulted in the club's premiership defence being derailed and at the same time forced Chris Judd's hand in leaving the West. There was always a contention that Judd would head back East but the Cousins circus and the non-professional way in which he carried on was one of the major reasons for his departure.
Take Cousins and Judd out of that side and look what's happened....
I'm pretty certain this downward slide would not have been so rapid had at least one of Judd or Cousins still been with the Eagles.

yes you are so right!! carlton have judd and richmond have cuz, and look how good they are going ATM.. and yes he is no angel but at least he got back on his bike and gave it another crack..

[whufc]

I'm amazed so many West Aussies are so keen to support him by signing memberships to Richmond and cheering him on the weekend.

Same here, it just amazes me the support this guy has, especially from supporters a once proud and powerful club like West Coast who Cousins helped tear apart.

Maybe the newer generation of footy supporter does not embrace the notion that the club is ALWAYS greater than the individual.

Very americanized to support an INDIVIDUAL rather than a franchise.

[Booney]

My God.

He was saying West Coast had both ( Judd and Cousins ) and Cousins' actions have resulted in you having neither of them and sitting near the bottom of the ladder.

You think Judd isn't helping Carlton?

[Dirko]

My God.

He was saying West Coast had both ( Judd and Cousins ) and Cousins' actions have resulted in you having neither of them and sitting near the bottom of the ladder.

You think Judd isn't helping Carlton?

He's forgotten we wiped their arse on Friday night...and Judd was BOG !!

[catchit]

I'm amazed so many West Aussies are so keen to support him by signing memberships to Richmond and cheering him on the weekend.

Same here, it just amazes me the support this guy has, especially from supporters a once proud and powerful club like West Coast who Cousins helped tear apart.

Maybe the newer generation of footy supporter does not embrace the notion that the club is ALWAYS greater than the individual.

i support the bloke because all he has done has made some bad decisions in life.. dont we all..
another reason is he came out and said he had a problem[ not because of the 3 strike policy] and was shot down for saying that.. so what that says to me is that any young fella with the same problems in the afl is better off not saying he has a problem untill that 3rd strike comes out.. is that the right message for our young fellas??

[Adelaide Hawk]

Alot of people on here are carrying on like his the only player in the AFL to have/is taking drugs.

People in glass houses really shouldn't throw stones, alot of people on this forum would be embarrased about their comments towards him if they really knew some stuff that happens at their own clubs, which hasn't come out in the media.

It's not the drugs that a lot of people have taken exception to, it has been his entire manner over this whole episode. Young people make mistakes, we can all accept that, but when a guy keeps making the same mistake over and over again, it's hard to stick up for him.

You talk about what people don't know, I am here to tell you that Mr Cousins is very lucky to be walking the streets, let alone playing football. I'll just leave it at that. But if you think I'm just blowing wind, ask yourself why Collingwood suddenly dropped interest in him like a hot spud.

[catchit]

My God.

He was saying West Coast had both ( Judd and Cousins ) and Cousins' actions have resulted in you having neither of them and sitting near the bottom of the ladder.

You think Judd isn't helping Carlton?

turn it up booney of course he is helping but it takes more than 2 people to win a premiership..

[interested observer]

Other than being an extremely immature attempt to deflect the attention from Cousins to Brogan, what has this got to do with anything?[/quote]


ben has only hurt himself out of what he has done!!

[/quote]

Yep, Im sure his close family, friends and extended family at the WC Eagles have felt no grief from his recent actions. ( Im not talking about just the bird )[/quote]

Southee and Booney, you have obviously been extremely fortunate in your lives, in not seeing or dealing first hand with any family member or close mate that has been to the extreme brink and edge of life that they all initially do not set out to do..
Addiction is not elitist and certainly does not discriminate...
A lot of damage that has been caused cannot be reversed by the lucky ones who survive and bounce back..
Will they be perfect again??
Like us probably never were from the beginning.!!
So if you think that being a highly paid athlete immediately exempts you from lifes battles then you both have your heads very deep in a sad pile of sand...
I also hope dearly that a family member or close associate of either of you never has to call on either of you for help of this nature....

[whufc]

Alot of people on here are carrying on like his the only player in the AFL to have/is taking drugs.

People in glass houses really shouldn't throw stones, alot of people on this forum would be embarrased about their comments towards him if they really knew some stuff that happens at their own clubs, which hasn't come out in the media.

It's not the drugs that a lot of people have taken exception to, it has been his entire manner over this whole episode. Young people make mistakes, we can all accept that, but when a guy keeps making the same mistake over and over again, it's hard to stick up for him.

You talk about what people don't know, I am here to tell you that Mr Cousins is very lucky to be walking the streets, let alone playing football. I'll just leave it at that. But if you think I'm just blowing wind, ask yourself why Collingwood suddenly dropped interest in him like a hot spud.

I agree his lucky to be walking the streets thats not my argument, my argument is he is not the only person in the AFL to be involved with illegal substances, illegal activites and people who are of interest to the men in blue. People act like every player from their club are saints while Cousin is the only crook in the AFL.

[dedja]

i support the bloke because all he has done has made some bad decisions in life.. dont we all..
another reason is he came out and said he had a problem[ not because of the 3 strike policy] and was shot down for saying that.. so what that says to me is that any young fella with the same problems in the afl is better off not saying he has a problem untill that 3rd strike comes out.. is that the right message for our young fellas??

I admire your supprt for him but please don't think that he outed himself, well not deliberately anyway.

He was suspended then sacked by West Coast for humiliating public events over a number of years ... Cousins didn't 'come out' so to speak until well after the the horse had bolted and even then he has been mostly smug and evasive.

No doubt he has suffered from an insidious addiction and that is very sad, but he either has been very poorly advised, hasn't fathomed his predicament or both.

[Psyber]

..yes you are so right!! carlton have judd and richmond have cuz, and look how good they are going ATM.. and yes he is no angel but at least he got back on his bike and gave it another crack..

He was eventually allowed to resume his career after he had rather resentfully gone through the motions of saying the right things to suggest he may have learned something about acceptable conduct, and might not destroy his next club. Most people recognised that he was not convincingly sincere, which is why no one but Richmond was prepared to take the risk with him.
It is not as though he has striven to resume his career from serious injury - he is coming back a self-inflicted condition caused by his own behaviour choices, and his abuse of the trust of people who believed his early claims that he was not abusing drugs.
Giving the finger is a small example, demonstrating that his basically hostile attitude to other people has not changed.
It is not normal or acceptable social behaviour in the wider community, any more than foul language is.

[Adelaide Hawk]

i support the bloke because all he has done has made some bad decisions in life.. dont we all..
another reason is he came out and said he had a problem[ not because of the 3 strike policy] and was shot down for saying that.. so what that says to me is that any young fella with the same problems in the afl is better off not saying he has a problem untill that 3rd strike comes out.. is that the right message for our young fellas??

Nope, I don't agree with the 3 strikes policy either.

The reason Cousins "came out" and said he "had a problem" was to explain some of his bizarre anti-social behaviour, not because of any sense of duty he felt towards the game.

You want to support Ben Cousins? Go right ahead, it's your choice. But I just wonder what message THAT would be sending to the impressionable youths reading this forum.

[Psyber]

..i support the bloke because all he has done has made some bad decisions in life.. dont we all..?

Well I haven't done anything serously criminal....
And before you say it, no he hasn't been found guilty, but he did eventually admit it under pressure when he found continuing to try and hide it wasn't going to save his career any longer..
Self-interest forced his hand.

[Q.]

But I just wonder what message THAT would be sending to the impressionable youths reading this forum.

Too late, Michael Phelps smoking a bong has messed our youth up for life

[dedja]

But I just wonder what message THAT would be sending to the impressionable youths reading this forum.

Too late, Michael Phelps smoking a bong has messed our youth up for life

yep, just doing what everyone else is doing ...

[Dogwatcher]

"Birds do it, bees do it, even educated fleas do it, let's do it, let's do some druggggssssss"

[Zelezny Chucks]

i support the bloke because all he has done has made some bad decisions in life.. dont we all..
another reason is he came out and said he had a problem[ not because of the 3 strike policy] and was shot down for saying that.. so what that says to me is that any young fella with the same problems in the afl is better off not saying he has a problem untill that 3rd strike comes out.. is that the right message for our young fellas??

Nope, I don't agree with the 3 strikes policy either.

The reason Cousins "came out" and said he "had a problem" was to explain some of his bizarre anti-social behaviour, not because of any sense of duty he felt towards the game.

You want to support Ben Cousins? Go right ahead, it's your choice. But I just wonder what message THAT would be sending to the impressionable youths reading this forum.

Interestingly though listening to the radio the other night they explained the 3 strikes rule and mentioned that once they get a 3rd strike it is only referred to the tribunal and results in a ban of x amount of games. I think they had a maximum on the penalty that was around 12 games or so, might be more but definitely wasn't a season.

I think a lot of people are under the impression 3 strikes and you will never play AFL again which listening the other night is not the case.