Brendan Fevola opens up about the night he saved Ben Cousins during one of the footy bad boy’s lowest moments
Brendan Fevola has opened up about the time he stayed up all night in a casino with fellow AFL bad boy Ben Cousins because he was very worried about the troubled football great’s state of mind .
Speaking on the ‘Fifi, Fev & Nick’ radio show on Melbourne’s 101.9 FM on Wednesday with Cousins as a guest, Fevola revealed he was gravely concerned about welfare of his companion at that time.
“We know each other very well,” Fevola said of the formidable West Coast Eagles.
“I have never told this story in public. There was a night after the engagement party of one of my best friends, (former Richmond captain) Chris Newman, and you were from Perth, and we were at Crown.
“I wasn’t there with Ben, but I was going up to stay at Crown, and Ben jumped in the elevator.
“I was like, ‘Hello buddy, how are you?’ and something happened with your rental car, and you couldn’t get to the airport, you missed your plane, and you you said, “Can you stay with you tonight? »
Brendan Fevola has spoken about the time he was up all night at Crown Casino with fellow AFL bad boy Ben Cousins.
Ben Cousins’ dramatic fall from grace due to persistent drug addiction has saddened many football fans (pictured, after he left a Perth court in 2016 for breaching a violence restraining order)
Cousins has turned his life around in recent years, leading to calls for him to be inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame.
“So we went up to our room on the 33rd floor. You had a few phones, you were constantly taking the battery out and then charging the battery. I’m like, “Are you okay, buddy?” and Ben says, “I just don’t know.”‘
Fevola then added: “We sat there all night and I didn’t go to sleep because I was a little worried about Ben.
“We sat and talked for about seven hours until you left the next morning. We delved into some things.
“And I couldn’t believe how worried I was about you. You were worried about me.
“Two cooked units sitting there, chewing the fat, talking about life.”
Fevola then asked Cousins how he managed to turn his life around following a persistent drug addiction, which saw him jailed on several occasions.
“It’s hard to attribute it to just one thing,” the 2005 Brownlow Medalist said in response.
“Unfortunately, when I think about it now, I really wish (addiction) didn’t have to run its course the way it did. Sometimes it wasn’t for lack of will to turn things around, but it’s just… it’s just a complicated thing.
“I remember that night (at Crown Casino) fondly. We always had a good time when we caught up, but I wasn’t feeling great at the time.
Cousins (pictured left, with West Coast legend Chris Judd) did more than enough on the field to earn a place in the AFL Hall of Fame.
Channel Seven first took a chance on Cousins by offering him a job as a newsreader in Perth, an act which helped the struggling former AFL star turn the corner
Fevola, whose gambling addiction once caused him to lose $360,000 in four days of punting, admitted he “wasn’t doing well either.”
Cousins, 45, then thanked ‘Fev’ for “constantly checking in” when the fallen football star was at his lowest – before expressing his deep regret over how his off-field behavior saw many many former teammates turn their backs on the champion. Midfielder.
It comes as calls have grown for Cousins – who won the AFL premiership in 2006 – to be inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame.
The former Brownlow medalist has been eligible since 2013 – but has been consistently overlooked due to his past conduct.
His public battles began in 2007 when rumors surfaced of his illegal drug use amid incidents such as abandoning his car to escape police and being found asleep outside a casino.
Cousins has since significantly changed his life working for Channel 7 as a sports news reader in Perth three times a week.
He has also joined a Perth radio breakfast team on Mix94.5 and is set to make his debut on hit show Seven Dancing With the Stars.
And after joining Seven last year, the former West Coast player analyzes AFL games at the weekend.
Cousins’ revival hasn’t gone unnoticed by football identities either.
“I will say it’s a joy to see Ben in the form he’s in at the moment, and I’ve seen quite a bit of him,” AFL commission chairman Richard Goyder said .
“I think (Cousins’ recovery) is fantastic…what I will say about the Hall of Fame, and it’s almost my precursor in our committee discussions every year, is that it doesn’t It’s not who’s in it, it’s who’s not in it.
“It’s an incredibly high bar to be a member of the AFL Hall of Fame, and it’s an even higher bar to be a legend, so we’ll look at those things in due course.”
