Re: Will he never learn??
Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2007 7:35 pm
West Coast are expected to announce that Cousins has been sacked. I knew he had a good behaviour clause in his contract.
SUCKED IN
BROWNLOW Medallist and premiership player Ben Cousins has had his contract terminated by the West Coast Eagles.
West Coast chief executive officer Trevor Nisbett and chairman elect Mark Barnaba announced the board’s decision at a press conference in Perth moments ago following the arrest of their former captain on drugs charges on Tuesday.
Below is a transcript of Barnaba’s statement.
“At a special meeting today, the West Coast Eagles board decided to terminate the contract of Ben Cousins because he has seriously breached the conditions and spirit of the revised contract under which he returned to the club several months ago.
“While those conditions were private and confidential, Ben was aware of them and the incident yesterday left us with no alternative but to act in this manner. As you would understand, there are still some legal implications involved, but we will terminate his contract.
“Ben will no longer be a part of our playing group but we will not abandon him. He has a very serious health issue and we will continue to support him in his quest to regain his health and rebuild his life.
“I have spoken to Ben’s father, Bryan, and advised him of the club’s decision which was reached as a result of an accumulation of recent events.
“The board also wants to say that as administrators and directors of this great club, we recognise that we hold the club in trust on behalf of our members, fans, players and their families.
“This year we have faced issues we know many thousands of ordinary families have to face every day. They are not simple issues with simple solutions. But they are problems that this club must and will deal with.
“At all times we have tried to act in the best interests of the club, all our players and their families, and that includes Ben.
“We have done and will continue to do all we can to support our players through education, counselling and constant reinforcement but ultimately, individuals also have to take responsibility for their actions and accept the consequences when they fail to meet the standards set by their club and teammates.
“For the West Coast Eagles, this decision is part of a journey that is by no means finished.
“As chairman elect of the West Coast Eagles board, I can assure all of our members and supporters, as well as the players and their families, that we will leave no stone unturned to make the necessary changes within our club to ensure that we live up to the expectations and trust that so many people have placed in us.
“Over the last year, we have acknowledged that our club has had some issues. We have taken some massive steps including the delisting and suspension of players, and the establishment of a committee to oversee change within the club.
“But we are not finished, we know that and we still have challenges ahead. We need to continue to focus internally in order to rebuild - to rebuild a football culture that our members can be proud of and that process started last November."
More to come.