Ben Cousins has responded to news that he won’t be inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame anytime soon, declaring he ‘totally understands’ the decision of the committee.
The premiership winner with West Coast and All Australian undoubtedly has the playing credentials to achieve the league’s highest honour, but his well-documented battles with booze, drugs and his criminal past have held him back to date.
That includes a conviction for stalking his ex-partner, which saw him spend seven months in jail in 2020.
Cousins has turned his life around in recent years, appearing healthy, clean and sober and picking up a new job as a television news presenter in his home town of Perth.
He is also tipped to appear on Seven’s Dancing with the Stars.
AFL great Ben Cousins says he ‘completely understands’ why he will not be inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame anytime soon
The West Coast Eagles premiership winner would walk into the AFL Hall of Fame, but has been held back because of his off-field actions
However those efforts have not swayed the AFL, with Cousins ruled out of contention for the 2024 inductions and reportedly not set to be considered for several more years.
On Wednesday morning, Cousins told Mix94.5’s Pete & Kymba for Breakfast that he doesn’t expect to be named.
‘I don’t find myself thinking about this, you know, ever really,’ he said.
‘It’s an honour that, um, it’s hard to come by and, you know…
‘There’s been so many great players over the years, I wouldn’t be envious of the job of trying to only put in a limited few each year.
‘I totally understand their decision.
‘I, like everybody else, will sit there and be looking forward to celebrate whoever gets in this year.
‘That’s just the way it is.’
Ben Cousins had many troubled years during and after his playing career but has cleaned himself up and is a picture of health in 2024
Cousins says he will be watching the Hall of Fame induction regardless
Inductees are chosen partly based on their character, and the hall of fame has updated its rules to allow for the removal or suspension of members – a decision sparked by Barry Cable’s civil court conviction for child sexual abuse.
However, despite recent AFL actions to address violence against women, including a moment’s silence and participants linking arms, The Age has reported that Cousins was not considered for induction into the hall of fame even before these events.
The process of how the AFL makes these decisions is kept confidential.
It comes after the AFL announced that Cousins’ off-field scandals hadn’t ruled him out of the Hall of Fame in April.
‘I will say it’s a joy to see Ben in the shape he’s in right now, and I’ve seen a fair bit of him in the west,’ AFL commission chair Richard Goyder said at the time.
‘I think [Cousins’ recovery] is fantastic … what I would say with Hall of Fame, and it’s almost my precursor to our committee discussions each year, is it’s not who’s in, it’s who’s not in.
‘It’s an incredibly high bar to be a Hall of Famer in the AFL, and it’s even higher to be a Legend, so we’ll look at those things in due course.’
