Why do Foody players need to be defended in the first place?

In my work I get abused by every 3rd person, whether i'm doing the right thing, the wrong thing, or if someone else has done something wrong. I get threatened with punchings, stabbings, rock throwing and spitting. I get blood smeared on the inside of my bus, slushies thrown around, seats set on fire/ripped/thrown out the f***ing window. I get retards calling the PTD government department and shoving their mobile phone in my face threatening that their friend will fire me, whilst i'm driving 60kph in peak hour, all because I ask them to buy a damned ticket. And you know what? I get paid $20.20 an hour.

Ben Cousins gets paid 400 grand a year to go on a drugs binge and ordered to go on an overseas holiday, so cry me a f***ing river!

Totally agree with yob. I don't expect footballers to spend their free time either visiting children in hospital, planting trees or feeding the homeless but to say we should only judge footballers on how they play the game is simplifying things too much and ignoring the fact that these men are members of a civilised society.

They get paid a shitload to pay the game they love. Part of that money is consideration for being in the public eye and being reported on. Clubs - as businesses - are aware that reputation can influence goodwill and the ability to attract investors, be they fans or sponsors. If the footballers cannot handle their role in the footballing world, then they got themselves in the wrong career.

God you talk some sh*t yob.

Cousins gets 600 grand a year.

Plus they can do no wrong in WA, thus even with negative media attention, you have the dumbwits going psycho at the media.

So at the end of the day, even with the attention...they maintain their god like image.

Just as Ben Cousins is today...make no bones about it, he will be given the biggest roar when he comes back to playing football and all of East Fremantle games will be packed with Cousins playing.

Akermanis said it nicely, he chose to use the drugs, we should have no sympathy for him...yet there are plenty who are to one eyed to even give a stuff.

Nothing here for me to disagree with. Jeffles is reporting the realities of modern professional sport and its intimate intertwining with big business - with the result that footballers are increasingly being held up as examples of virtue, good works and solid moral values - or else, if they fail (as some inevitably will) to live up to these virtues (at least in the public eye) they are publicly scorned and condemned.

Contrast this to the Romans and their views on gladiators (and also actors). We now know that successful gladiators were extremely highly trained professionals, who could have long careers, performing in dozens (in some cases even more than a 100) bouts. The best could make a fortune in the amphitheatres in front of huge crowds and (as both contemporary literature and grafitti at Pompeii show) have an assortment of hot chicks(or boys) , including even high society hotties, on tap - any way they liked it.

However, (as contemporary literature also makes clear) beyond their great fighting (and sexual) abilities, they were simply regarded as scum of the earth, and in no way a role model of anything worthwhile. They would never be allowed to visit any sick kids in hospital. Actors were also regarded as artful deceivers, nothing more.

Perhaps there's something to consider in all this - are our sportsmen (and for that matter entetainers) now put on too high a pedestal in our celebrity obsessed society? Should we just pay them to play, and expect nothing more? Or is modern society so berefit of any so-called 'good rolemodels', that we resort to our sportsmen and entertainers to fill the void.

Ben Cousins is again dominating the news in Melbourne tonight (e.g the lead story on ch7 news).

Yep I woke up to the beautiful sounds of my clock radio informing me of benny's latest bender.

Love this sh*t.

The sh1t has hit the fan again. Headlines on ch7 news tonight - Akermanis has accused Michael Braun of taking EPO. Evidently the basis of his evidence seems to be that he thought Braun's performance against him a couple of years back was too good to not be performance enhanced! Braun and the Eagles have denied the accusation and are (not surprisingly) threatening to sue.

This report was made before Braun was publicly outed today -
http://realfooty.com.au/news/news/alleg ... 12434.html

I still don't know where it says anywhere that Aker said it was Braun, Channel Seven said 'sources' or other media told them it was Braun, but they then said it was Akers accusations only, not the Seven network.

If it turns out to be false, Braun will probably sue and if Seven can't find evidence where Aker says it is Braun he is talking about, not just word of mouth then surely he could sue them, or whoever leaked it.

Tora! Tora! Tora!

Amidst reports that Cousins is winging his way to Sydney, the headlines news in Melbourne tonight is the AFL has launched a surprise torpedo attack upon the Eagles administration -

http://www.afl.com.au/Default.aspx?tabi ... wsId=53099

Ex-Supreme Court judge to review Eagles
4:27 PM Wed 7 November, 2007 AFL BigPond News

THE AFL Commission has appointed a former Supreme Court judge to assess whether West Coast has taken the necessary steps to address concerns about the conduct of the club and its players. Commission chairman Mike Fitzpatrick and AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou on Wednesday contacted West Coast chairman Mark Barnaba and CEO Trevor Nisbett to inform them of the appointment of the Honourable Justice E William Gillard, QC.

In announcing the appointment of Justice Gillard as the Special Investigator, Fitzpatrick said, “Earlier this year, following a series of incidents of concern to the Commission, the West Coast Eagles management and player leadership group appeared before the Commission. At that meeting in April, the West Coast Eagles outlined a series of initiatives they had been undertaking since becoming aware of the issues of concern, as well as further initiatives that they planned to put in place.

“The AFL Commission recently decided that the most suitable way to assess whether these initiatives had been properly put in place and were having the desired effect was through an investigation by an appropriately experienced and qualified person who would be appointed as a Special Investigator. Justice William Gillard has been appointed as AFL Special Investigator under the AFL Regulations, and we will receive his report and recommendations in due course. The West Coast Eagles, its players and officials are required to fully co-operate with the Special Investigator. "The Special Investigator can exercise the powers of the Commission to request persons to attend meetings with the Special Investigator, and to request from any person such documents or information which the Special Investigator is satisfied are relevant to the investigation ," he said.

Justice Gillard was a Judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria from 1997 until his retirement on July 31 this year. As a Supreme Court Judge, he was involved in a variety of cases including some high profile commercial and criminal law trials. His other career highlights include:

Appointed Queen’s Counsel in Victoria in 1979.
Chairman, Anti Doping Committee of Cricket Australia since 1998.
Barrister at Law since 1965 with a strong background in commercial law.
Chairman, Victorian Bar Council, 1988-1990.
President Australian Bar Association, 1989-1990
Deputy Chairman Company Auditors and Liquidators Disciplinary Board, Victoria, 1983-1985.
Member Victorian Law Reform Advisory Council 1981-1984.

The AFL Commission has appointed the Special Investigator to provide a report to the Commission on the results of the investigation, and to make recommendations as to how the strategies and programs of the Club may be improved in order to minimise the risk of any inappropriate behaviour.

In undertaking this investigation, the Special Investigator has been asked amongst other things to:

- give consideration to the culture and behaviour of the Club’s players;
- make an assessment of the effectiveness of strategies and programs implemented by the Club since April 29, 2007 to change the culture and behaviour of the Club’s players:
- make an assessment of the effectiveness of the Club’s corporate governance and of the commission between its Board, senior management and the players, in addressing issues of player conduct;
- make an assessment of the effectiveness of the Club’s player leadership group and its role and level of authority since April 29, 2007, in so far as those matters are relevant to the investigation.

It just gets better

I wonder if they are doing something similar at Hawthorn with their druggies?

AFL Commision are wankers.

Our lawyers will get us off anyway

Don't understand why this is happening now and what it's going to achieve, other than yet another clip over the ears.

Stadiumking - The more the club gets clipped over the ears the better, the whole superiority complex of the Eagles culture is being disrupted.

I have it on good authority that Ben Cousins was on drugs at Wesley and was always protected and given special treatment, because he was the chosen child. Sports Captain etc.

Whether the school knew or not, Cousins on drugs is not something that has happened at the Eagles, it was something that has been a long period of time.

Whether or not the Eagles have known for that long, who knows. But the culture has been forced to change, where success is paramount has been the key issue for Eagles over many years, it is now forced to not turn a blind eye, just because it wants to win a premiership.

In other news Darren Glass has been named as then new Captain of the West Coast Eagles. Seems like a solid decision, he still has a few good years left, has been playing very well over the last couple of seasons and i would guess is well respected around the club.