- Looking back, Cousins said he felt ‘like a goldfish’
Footy legend Ben Cousins has revealed a horror concussion not long after signing with Richmond saw him lose at least two years’ worth of memories.
Cousins also had no recollection of going to rehab for his well-publicised battles with drug addiction, which started during his time with the West Coast Eagles.
Speaking on Mix94.5’s Pete & Kymba with Ben Cousins for breakfast on Tuesday, the AFL premiership winner was asked about his strangest injury – and his response was disturbing.
‘I had a concussion. This happened not long after I arrived at Richmond (ahead of the 2009 season),’ the champion midfielder recalled.
‘It was one of the first games that I played, it was a pre-season game, and I came off halfway through the first quarter, [I] don’t remember getting hit or knocked (out) at all.
‘I sat on the bench and had no memory whatsoever of the previous two or three years, and I was like a goldfish.
Footy legend Ben Cousins (pictured with his sister Mel) has revealed a horror concussion incident after signing with Richmond in 2009 saw him lose two years’ worth of memories
While heavily concussed, Cousins had no recollection of going to rehab for his well-publicised battles with drug addiction (pictured, playing for the Tigers in 2010)
After beating his drug addiction, a fit and healthy Cousins is now a doting father to his two children, Angelique and Bobby
Cousins has also carved out an impressive media career, namely on TV with Channel 7’s footy coverage as an analyst and breakfast radio in Perth
‘Every 30 seconds to a minute, I would have no memory of the conversation that I just had, and kept going, “Why am I playing for Richmond? What’s happened?”
‘[Richmond] go, you know, we picked you up over the summer. [I asked] “Why aren’t I playing for West Coast?” No memory.’
Even once the game finished, Cousins, who won the 2005 Brownlow Medal, recalled he was ‘just going around in circles.’
‘People were trying to fill me in on the blanks, they said, you know, you’ve been sacked from West Coast, you went to rehab… even someone said, you know, Chris Mainwaring had passed,’ he added.
‘That was like being told for the first time, [I was] so emotional, in tears, crying.
‘It wasn’t until the next morning or next day that I felt normal.’
Cousins’ redemption story in recent years has warmed the hearts of many footy fans.
He endured numerous legal issues between 2010 and 2019, including drug possession, breaching restraining orders and stalking, which led to multiple stints in jail.
The penny finally dropped in 2019, and now a fit and healthy Cousins is a doting father for his two children Angelique and Bobby from his previous relationship with their mother Maya.
He has also carved out an impressive media career, namely as an analyst on Channel Seven’s footy coverage, and appeared on Dancing With The Stars as well as breakfast radio in Perth.
Additionally, the reformed footy bad boy regularly appears at community events, where he shares his story to inspire others facing addiction issues.
