AFL star Ben Cousins, former captain of the West Coast Eagles, is reportedly being assessed in a mental health unit, after being caught behind a secure fence at an SAS base in Perth.
The Australian report that Cousins was apprehended at Campell Barracks in Swanbourne at 11pm Saturday, and is currently being held in the mental health unit at Sir Charles Gairdner hospital.
This incident follows another one last week, when he was charged after allegedly driving erratically, and refusing to provide a breath test when stopped by police. He is due to appear in Fremantle Magistrates Court on April 8.
Cousins began his career with the West Coast Eagles in 1996, and was awarded the AFL’s highest honour, the Brownlow Medal, in 2005. Since then, however, he has faced a number of legal troubles and substance abuse issues.
After a 2006 incident in which he abandoned his car on the Canning Highway and fled from a breath test, Cousins resigned as Eagles captain. Later that year, he faced public intoxication charges after passing out at Melbourne’s Crown Casino.
He was suspended indefinitely from the Eagles in 2007, and later revealed that he was entering drug rehabilitation. Further incidents followed, and Cousins officially announced his retirement from the sport in 2010.
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