Well, there goes Kouta. True champion of the game. It seems that this year everyone who was a legend is going, Kouta, Hird, Buckley(IMO), Sheedy, and in years to come, all of the other oldies will be gone.

Jordan McMahon used to go to my school actually

Cousins arrested, car searched

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story...382-601,00.html

CONTROVERSIAL West Coast Eagles star Ben Cousins has been arrested in Perth.

The fallen Eagle, who is currently undergoing drug rehabilitation, is believed to have been taken into custody just after midday.

The Australian understands that Cousins was pulled over by two police cars while travelling in a light blue Toyota Kluger along Aberdeen Street in East Perth just after noon.

According to workers at a nearby construction site, he was sitting in the back seat of the car with his shirt off when pulled over. A young unidentified brunette was driving the vehicle at the time of the incident.

Cousins sat in the back of the vehicle for at least an hour, the workers said, before he left with police. He was led away in handcuffs.

Police sources have confirmed that Cousins was talking to detectives. No more details are available

Cousins, whose 2007 season was riddled with drug allegations and injury, was one of the last people to visit Chris Mainwaring before the former Eagle’s champion midfielder and dual premiership player died of a suspected heart attack two weeks ago.

Police suspect that the heart attack was brought on by a cocktail of cannabis and ecstasy.

The Brownlow medallist, considered one of the Eagle’s best ever midfielders, was a pallbearer at Mainwaring’s funeral last Monday. Mainwaring, 41, left behind a wife, Rani, and two young children, Maddy, 8, and Zac, 6.

After admitting mid-season that he had an addiction to as yet unnamed drug, Cousins has yet to apologise to his many fans. He has rarely been out of the headlines since.

drugs found, careers over just like that

The AFL have sat back so far and done nothing about the issue so I think they may come out and say that he can't play for a certain period like 2 years. Either that or he most likely wouldn't want to go to another club anyway as it seems like he'll be occupied with other matters for a while now anyway.

police have dropped charges against cousins http://www.afl.com.au/Default.aspx?tabid=2...mp;newsId=52642

thats really annoying, he wasnt doing anything wrong it the drug is legal and now we have lost one of our best players for nothing

but then again, he failed to give a drug test which suggests that he oculd of been on something

Hope another team picks him up if he wants to continue playing. I think the fact he has a court appearance some time this year in WA for indecent assault or something may make other clubs think twice though.

Collingwood have 10 out of the first 12 games at the MCG and 7 Friday night games for the season. What a joke.

Collingwood have 10 out of the first 12 games at the MCG and 7 Friday night games for the season. What a joke.

Ben Cousins 'skips drug rehab'

Troubled West Coast Eagle Ben Cousins, who has reportedly failed to check into a California rehabilitation clinic, would not be allowed on to the grounds of the centre if he were detoxing, a spokesman said today.

According to reports, the fallen West Coast Eagles star, who was scheduled to check into a treatment program at the Summit Centre in Malibu on Monday, failed to show up.

The 29-year-old is believed to be battling a methamphetamines addiction, which contributed to his sacking from the AFL club last month after his arrest in Perth for possession of drugs and refusing to undergo a driver assessment after his car was pulled over by police officers. The drug charge was dropped.

Cousins flew out of Australia for LA on Friday after a magistrate granted him a 90-day adjournment to allow him to return to rehabilitation. He was met by two blonde women at Los Angeles International Airport, but he did not check in to Summit on Monday, as expected.

The Australian newspaper today quoted sources close to the clinic saying they concerned for Cousins's safety.

The news was greeted with shock in the AFL community.

AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou said he was concerned for the former Brownlow medallist's welfare.

"I hope he's safe and sound and I hope he's about to check into the clinic, as he told everybody (he would) and I think we should all be concerned about his whereabouts," Demetriou said on ABC radio.

AFL Players' Association (AFLPA) chief Brendan Gale today said the reports of Cousins' disappearance "comes as some surprise''.

"But I'm in no position to verify the reliability or not - I simply don't know,'' he told Southern Cross Broadcasting in Melbourne.

But he has rejected the general view that the sacked West Coast player's career was at an end after his recent arrest in Perth.

"He's got to demonstrate that he is fit and willing and able to perform his duties as a professional footballer,'' Gale said.

"Should he be able to do that I would expect that he would be given permission to resume playing.

"For the AFL to deny that opportunity would be a very complex decision.

"He'd need to demonstrate that he was up and going and willing and able.''

Clyde R. Steele, executive director of the Summit centre in Malibu told The Age today that he knew nothing about Cousins - either as an in-house client or a guest that never arrived.

Any client in the throes of what was once called cold turkey must be cared for in a medical context, a hospital or other facility, before admittance to Summit, Mr Steele stressed.

Other staff at Summit, an ultra-expensive resort-style centre, said they could not discuss any clients or confirm their arrival.

They also would not comment on suggestions Cousins may be at a detox centre.

Admissions officer Tondalaya Williams refused to confirm or deny whether Cousins checked in to rehabilitation.

"That's our stated procedure for any client - we can cannot admit or deny,'' Ms Williams said.

Meanwhile, detectives with missing persons units at the Los Angeles Police Department and the sheriff's department, which covers Malibu, said Cousins was not in their systems.

Detective Diane Harris from the sheriff's missing persons unit said it would be up to Cousins' family in Australia to report him missing.

"When someone is reported missing in the state of California it goes into a nationwide computer, and his name is not in there,'' Detective Harris said.
"I don't see anyone by that name that has had a report taken.

"Normally what happens is that if someone is missing from a different country, a report needs to be taken in the country of origin and also the country that they are missing in."