AFL West Coast Eagle star Ben Cousins has been charged with drug possession following a police search of his vehicle in Perth, police said last night.
Channel 9 reported that both Cousins and dumped Eagle Daniel Chick had been charged with drug possession.
Cousins is also understood to have been charged with refusing to submit to blood and saliva tests.
In a move that could see Cousins become the first West Australian charged under the new laws, which only came into effect on Friday, the embattled footballer was questioned by detectives at Curtin House.
PerthNow understands that Cousins was stopped by detectives earlier yesterday because of erratic driving and was taken to the police traffic branch along with Chick and a scantily clad blonde - who were also in the car.
There, Cousins allegedly refused a driver-assessment interview with police.
Because of this, police could then not demand urine or blood to test for drugs.
Cousins and Chick were then taken to Curtin House to be interviewed by detectives.
Under the new drug-impaired driving laws, people found to be driving under the influence face fines of $800-$5000, 18 months' jail, and a six-month to permanent licence disqualification.
Cousins was in his four-wheel drive when two police cars pulled it over in Aberdeen St, Northbridge, about 12.30pm (WST).
Channel 9 reporter Grant Taylor, who witnessed the arrest, said a bare-chested Cousins was handcuffed and taken away by detectives after his vehicle was searched for about 45 minutes.
He was questioned at the East Perth traffic branch, before being transferred to CIB headquarters at Curtin House before 4pm.
Cousins, wearing large sunglasses and displaying his new body tattoo "Such is life'', did not appear to be saying anything when led away.
Taylor said police conducted a thorough search of Cousins and his vehicle on the roadside.
"Police have taken Ben Cousins away, handcuffed, shirtless, into custody, taken him away for questioning after stopping him and a young woman in his car on Aberdeen St,'' Taylor said.
Cousins, a former skipper and Brownlow Medal winner with the Eagles, was with Eagles legend Chris Mainwaring hours before he died earlier this month.
He was a pall-bearer at last week's funeral.
Eagles communications manager Gary Stocks said he was not aware of the reason for the arrest.
"I haven't been told what he has been arrested in relation to,'' Stocks said.
He said no one from the club had yet spoken to Cousins.
Cousins' father, Bryan, and the footballer's former girlfriend, Samantha Druce, arrived at Curtin House after first checking in at the traffic branch.
They were accompanied by Cousins' lawyer, Peter Momber.
Ben Cousins will fight drug charges
DISGRACED West Coast Eagles star Ben Cousins will return to rehab in the United States before fighting the drug charge in Perth that has cost him his career.
Cousins' plans were revealed in court today as Prime Minister John Howard backed the Eagles' decision to sack him and AFL chief Andrew Demetriou cast doubt on whether the 2005 Brownlow medallist will ever play top-level football again.
Cousins wore silver-studded jeans, a white shirt unbuttoned to half way down his chest and blue snakeskin boots when he appeared in Perth Magistrates Court today.
Tight-lipped and red-eyed, Cousins did not say a word when he appeared before Chief Magistrate Steven Heath on a charge of possessing a prohibited drug.
The 29-year-old was charged after police pulled him over for driving erratically on Tuesday. He has also been charged with failing to comply with a requirement to undergo a driver assessment.
Drug rehabilitation
Mr Heath agreed to a 90-day adjournment on $1000 bail so that Cousins, who has never tested positive for illicit drugs, could return to drug rehabilitation in the United States at an undisclosed date.
Outside the court today, Cousins' lawyer Shane Brennan said the footballer would fight the charges after he returned to court on January 21, 2008.
"These charges will all be vigorously defended and they are without basis,'' Mr Brennan said.
Conditions "breached"
Cousins was suspended indefinitely by the Eagles seven months ago and subsequently entered drug rehab in California.
Cousins returned to the club on condition he agree to a zero tolerance clause to testing positive to banned substances and did not fall foul of the law.
Those conditions were allegedly breached on Tuesday when a bare-chested Cousins was arrested in his car in the busy inner Perth suburb of Northbridge.
Cousins "sick"
Following his arrest and charging, West Coast sacked the star for an "accumulation of incidents'' which included fleeing from a booze bus test last year.
Eagles chief Trevor Nesbitt said Cousins was sick, needed help, and the club's decision was in the best interests of his health.
"It was probably one of the most painful (decisions) in the history of the club,'' Nesbitt said last night.
"Great tragedy"
Mr Howard described Cousins' predicament as "a great tragedy''.
"He's a very talented player, he's a wonderful athlete,'' Mr Howard told ABC Radio.
"I hope for his sake that he can get over his drug problem, I hope for his family's sake ... that they, together, can work through it.
"But I don't think the West Coast Eagles had any alternative.''
"May never play top-level football"
By sacking Cousins, West Coast has probably ended the prospect of any further punishment by the AFL, which threatened the club with loss of draft picks or premiership points if any player was involved in drugs again.
Demetriou said today Cousins may never again play top-level football.
"I think it's going to be really hard, really, really difficult for him to play in our competition,'' the AFL boss said from Paris.
"From our perspective the AFL has now got an obligation to manage this great competition on behalf of our stakeholders, of which there are many.
"Ben Cousins' obligation is now to go and manage his life and to get his health in order.''
Cousins out of the family
THERE is no place for Ben Cousins to play AFL football, AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou told Fox Sports News.
Speaking from Paris, Demetriou said the disgraced premiership footballer and Brownlow medal winner is no longer a registered AFL player after being sacked by his West Coast club last night.
"At the end of the day, there is no place for Ben Cousins playing in the AFL competition," Demetriou told Fox Sports News.
"He has got to go away and get himself healthy, which we want him to do and im sure most people would want him to do. and we've got to get on with managing the competition," he said.
"The club, the AFL, all the medical officers have done their very best to try and help a young man get back to full health. Unfortunately it hasn't been successful.
"And from our situation and our position, we've got an obligation to our stakeholders and to the game to uphold the spirit of the game," Demetriou said.
The former West Coast captain's arrest and subsequent court appearance to face a drug possession charge was the final straw.
West Coast chief executive Trevor Nisbett last night confirmed there was no chance Cousins would play for the Eagles again following his latest misdemeanour.
But Cousins would continue to be offered support to overcome his issues and return to "full health" according to the AFL boss.
"He'll continue to get support I'm sure from the Eagles and from the AFL system and from our medical officers. So there's a lot of issues for the Eagles to work through, and obviously a lot of issues for us to work through."
Cousins vows to play again
By Mark Robinson
October 26, 2007
THE most controversial sporting story of the year last night took another dramatic turn when sacked West Coast Eagles star Ben Cousins declared he was keen to pursue an AFL comeback.
Cousins flew into Sydney en route to Los Angeles to resume his drug rehabilitation.
But before leaving his home city of Perth, the disgraced drug user gave his most revealing interview of the year - speaking for the first time about the death of his close friend Chris Mainwaring while also telling of his desire to keep playing footy.
While talk of a comeback is sure to cause community outrage, Cousins revealed he was dealing with personal issues but also training on a daily basis in an endeavour to fast-track his return.
"Absolutely," Cousins said at Perth airport when asked if he was eager to continue his 238-game AFL career.
Expanding on that earlier in the day in his first major interview, with Channel 7, Cousins said: "Well, I'm training every day in the hope that I get an opportunity. That's all I can say about that at the moment so hopefully that gets sorted out while I'm away.
"I had the summer mapped out a long time ago. Nothing changes. I go over to get back in contact with the network I established when I was in rehab earlier in the year and keep training and hopefully come back to play a bit of footy."
Cousins told of his pain over the recent death of close friend and mentor Mainwaring.
"Obviously Chris has been a good mate of mine and I've always had my own personal issues," Cousins said.
"But, I guess, when something like that happens, it makes what I'm going through insignificant when you look at what the Mainwaring family are going through."
Looking tanned, relaxed and free of his demons, Cousins flew out to LA as several AFL clubs circled the fallen champion. Collingwood has expressed interest, with conditions. But St Kilda, Essendon and Hawthorn all said last night they would not take Cousins to their lists if he was eligible. Other clubs would not comment.
Cousins' manager Ricky Nixon has dramatically changed his opinion on Cousins' career after saying last week he feared it was over.
"It's not a matter of if, but when," Nixon said last night. "And in Victoria."
To play again, Cousins would need to convince AFL bosses he is drug free and physically and mentally fit.
Cousins, 29, will today again book in to the exclusive Summit Centre drug rehabilitation clinic in Malibu.
He said he bore no resentment to West Coast for his sacking and claimed the consequences of that and his arrest were now out of his hands.
"That's all out of my control. Listen,
I don't have any ill-feeling towards the club at all," he said. "I go away with some real fond memories," he said.
On his arrest: "I'm just hoping to go away and let the people that are in a position to sort that out do that."
Geelong president Frank Costa said he believed Cousins was capable of a return to professional football if given a fresh start at a new club.
"If he gets away from the environment where unfortunately he was tempted too much, I believe like any other young human being you're entitled to another chance," Costa said.
Many others, especially the parents of young, impressionable men, might not be so forgiving.
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Do you think that the AFL should allow Ben to play again in the future once he is over his drug problems?