Ben Cousins is a 'tosser' The documentary is only about Ben Cousins justifying his drug addiction!!!

I felt, and feel for his caring dad. What a top bloke he is.

Why is it an issue. the guy played some of the greatest football ever seen.why is it any ones business what Mr. Cousins does at the weekend. As long as he performs training requirements and plays his role on the field , then for me, my interest in cousins ends there. If he is arrested by the police and charged then he pays the fine and that's that. To me the big problem is with the sporting codes that think that part of the deal is that sports people have to be " role models". It's a totally bogus concept.

Only half way through, but so far so good.
The bugger was a tough nut physically on the training track pre-game preparation.
I may get off side with a few here in the next comment, but I wear that easy as.
The three strike rule is the most logical way to go, considering what its meant to be, and do in its requirement.
1: The AFL is the "only" sporting group agreeing to out of season testing. No other code will follow this lead.
2: The testing is "medical" by that its agreed by all, AFL and players that its "medical" which means its "confidential" thus the original agreement three strike before your slammed.
This is no different to any workplace industry requirement, same thing, three strike rule. first is warning, second warning and seek counseling, third is final and must go rehab.
However, as in any society, you get sprung by law enforcement your done, first time full stop.
So how does this system work, any results, good bad?
I can only speak from experience in the workplace. Was unfortunate/fortunate to be allocated the task to manage a few young people Ben's age, who like Ben were pulling in the big bucks and we started to see signs that the railway tracks had some ugly kinks in them..
I dont tolerate fools lightly, cant hack bludgers on the system, or weak minder individuals that are easily lead. So why the hell they allocated this task to me, is anybodies guess. Those we caught early, we had top level success turning them around, the second strike individuals, less successful, but following the guidelines, 75% made the step back to reality.
Third strike, not so good, most fell into the abyss, and were then allocated to full on counseling teams and rehab.
But the point made is, you catch the 1st timers, and get them sorted, then the majority make it through life with only a few scrapes and bumps.
Public sentiment hammers the AFL to just slam first time around, and the individual gets lost outside the system, no support, or very limited support.

I had to pull the pin on the management in the end, that was a real tough job, that has mental pressures like nothing I have undertaken before. Seeing the three strike boofs crash and burn, and you just cant do anything to stop the crash, isn't nice.
So for me "KEEP" the three strike system, I know first hand its the most successful approach.

I spent time with Ben Cousins Dad one night in a pub in the hills of Perth.

We were both drinking beer.

Hang on??!!

Isn't alcohol a drug!!

We both must be drug dependent then.

Probably the fact that our habit wasn't maladaptive provides the answer to why we

weren't censored.

It really has to be asked then, were Ben's activities maladaptive?

I'm sure there will be many views on that.

I didnt want to watch it. But everything Mark says I agree with

Why wasnt he treated like any other olympic person and get a life ban.

He made a mockery out of football.

Once again if football was that good it would be played around the world.

I dont feel sorry for him one bit.
Well now after admitting he used it since he was 17 after another 5 years of football his career is finally finished because he has come clean.
Good riddence Ben
The game has no place for you or you addiction.

Mark _australia said...

So Logman - do you want your kids to think that as long as they are a high achiever, they can work hard all week and then write themselves off on drugs as a reward?

Regardless of if they want to be role models, or if they should be role models, it is a fact of life that they are in the public eye.
Using your logic, police officers can get as high as they want off-duty and then go to work straight and it is OK.... as it is in private and not affecting their work.
Is that OK?

Mark, Howdy, your second point first. Police are banned from using drugs because it's illegal and you can be fired for breaking the law. pro sports people are subject to the law as any other citizen is, the only diff in my eyes is they are subject to the scrutiny of the public who seem to demand more and more of their sports people. The whole "role model " crap is the result of corporatism in sport where sponsors demand that players tow the line and not "trash the brand". This corporatism has now crossed into ordinary society and where winners of TV cooking competitions now declare that they want to be role models. I think if you have to have a footballer or whateva as a role model then you have no role model. Your first point, don't have kids but as a kid growing up, yeah it was a long time ago and being cricket mad I had favorite players. Jeff Thomson was who I wanted to be but somehow I knew that my bromance with Jeff was just about what he did on the field I knew that off the field he was different man and looking back now my elderly auntie was my greatest guide. Oh yeah one more thing : people take drugs : people take drugs because its fun: I'm not saying there are no downsides to taking drugs,far from it but to tell younger people that drugs are pure evil is just setting yourself up for failure. the whole "just say no " message is as vacant as using a 25 year old footballer as a role model

Double edged sword with a third edge in there as well with Ben. He played brilliant, gutsy, skilled footy, later revealed that he trained obsessively and played so hard so he could go on a bender. I am a Benny fan but that statement put me off side a little.

Playing good footy a) afforded him the cash to support his habit b) kept the media off his back (brownlow, captain, premiership) and c) gave him motivation to keep his unbalanced life as straight as it could be. In the end it was not enough though. Imagine if he had died after the premiership season, tragedy.

Remarkable how he kept it up for so long? I have seen what Ice does to people and it almost defys belief that he was the player he was for so long. Had me sold. I knew of his drug use and partying but not the extent as how could he play such an elite sprt and be the best at it if he was a full on druggie?? I cannot decide what side to take, will have to wait and see what tonight brings.

2 things that I am dissapointed they will not show in the movie is did the Eagles know and how did he beat the drug testing for so long? Education on the testing, corruption???

what would your life look like in a doco

e0422713 said...

what would your life look like in a doco

No one would watch it, thats for sure

getfunky said...

Mark _australia said...

So Logman - do you want your kids to think that as long as they are a high achiever, they can work hard all week and then write themselves off on drugs as a reward?

I think Cousins is actually saying that he was kidding himself that that was acceptable and his way of justifying his extreme actions. He is not attempting to say to anyone that this is the way to live your life. Rather he is fessing up about his stupidity and denial.

Agreed - that is what he is saying.

But how I read logman's post, logman was saying that it is OK for a footballer to do whatever he likes as he was a good player.
I say no as he is a role model (by being famous) and like it or not, he can't just do whatever he likes

log man said...

Why is it an issue. the guy played some of the greatest football ever seen.why is it any ones business what Mr. Cousins does at the weekend. As long as he performs training requirements and plays his role on the field , then for me, my interest in cousins ends there. If he is arrested by the police and charged then he pays the fine and that's that. To me the big problem is with the sporting codes that think that part of the deal is that sports people have to be " role models". It's a totally bogus concept.

sorry but he ran from a booze bus and got slapped on the wrist , he gots caught with pills on him without prescription and got a slap on the wrist. Every time he got busted he received nothing more than a little smack on the bum and sent on his way . The guy was lucky he was a talented footballer otherwise from being a year above him at school i can tell you he was certainly no academic and would probably be collecting garbage from your house early morning .

I take nothing away from this football skills , very talented but what annoys me is the **** he got away with . Infact it goes to any high profile athlete . He is paid ****loads of money and is to 1000's of young kids in the sport a role model . All the money from this "doco" should have gone to a charity to do with rehab or drug abuse .

I didn't watch it , nor will i watch it tonight



it was also very interesting in school to watch him as a year 10 student , thin as a rake to within a year or two beef up to unnatural size for someone his age . you do the maths

dusta said...

it was also very interesting in school to watch him as a year 10 student , thin as a rake to within a year or two beef up to unnatural size for someone his age . you do the maths, he did the meth

There fixed it for you Dusta.

PS - cannot believe C7 aired this crap - It's so far from an anti-drug message that it would be perceived as a pro-drug message by some younger and more influenced viewers. BC doesn't show one ounce of contrition (as opposed to him showing an ounce of his coke).

doggie said...

jimmy87 said...

What do you Think!!!!!

He should have been banned for life once tested positive and the media should be shot for making such a big deal of it all, IMO

Why should he be banned for life , we're talking recreational drugs not performing enhancing drugs. Doggie if you were tested and it was positive then would your career ( pole dancing male escort) be over?