Brendan Fevola has opened up about the time he was stayed up all night at a casino with fellow AFL bad boy Ben Cousins because he was so worried about the troubled footy great's state of mind.
Speaking on the 'Fifi, Fev & Nick' radio show on Melbourne's 101.9 FM on Wednesday with Cousins on as a guest, Fevola revealed he was gravely concerned for his mate's wellbeing at the time.
'We know each other very well,' Fevola said of the West Coast Eagles great.
'I've never told this story in public. There was a night after one of my best mate's engagement party, [former Richmond captain] Chris Newman, and you were down from Perth, and we were at Crown.
'I was not there with Ben, but I was going upstairs to stay at Crown, and Ben hopped in the lift.
'I was like, "G'day mate, how are you going?", and something had happened with your rental car, and you couldn't get to the airport, you'd missed your plane, and you said, "Can I stay with you tonight?"
Brendan Fevola has opened up about the time he was up all night at Crown Casino with fellow AFL bad boy Ben Cousins
Ben Cousins' dramatic fall from grace due to an ongoing drug addiction has saddened many footy fans (pictured, after leaving a Perth court in 2016 for breaching a violence restraining order)
Cousins has turned his life around in recent years, leading to calls for him to be inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame
'So, we went up to our room on the 33rd floor. You had a couple of phones, you kept taking the battery out, and then you are charging the battery. I'm like, "Are you alright mate?" and Ben's like, "I just don't know."'
Fevola then added: 'We sat there all night, and I didn't go to sleep because I was a bit worried about Ben.
'We sat and chatted for about seven hours until you left the next morning. We got in deep to some stuff.
'And I couldn't believe how worried I was about you. You were worried about me.
'Two cooked units sitting there, chewing the fat, talking about life.'
Fevola then asked Cousins how he has successfully turned his life around following an ongoing drug addiction, which saw him jailed on multiple occasions.
'It's hard to put it down to one thing,' the 2005 Brownlow Medallist said in response.
'Unfortunately, when I think about it now, I do wish that it [drug addiction] didn't have to run its course the way it did. It wasn't through lack of wanting to turn it around at times, but it's just... it's just a complicated thing.
'I do remember that night [in Crown Casino] fondly. We have always had a good time when we have caught up, but I wasn't too well at that time.'
Cousins (pictured left, with fellow West Coast legend Chris Judd) did more than enough on the field to warrant a place in the AFL Hall of Fame
Channel Seven first took a chance on Cousins by offering him a newsreader position in Perth in an act that has helped the troubled former AFL star turn the corner
Fevola, whose previous gambling addiction saw him once lose $360,000 across four days on the punt, 해외에이전시 admitted he 'wasn't well eithe
/>Cousins, 45, went onto thank 'Fev' for 'constantly checking in' when the fallen footy star was at a low ebb - before expressing his deep regret at how his off-field behaviour has seen many former teammates turn their back on the champion midfield
/>It comes as calls have increased for Cousins - who won an AFL premiership in 2006 - to be inducted into the AFL Hall of Fa
/>The former Brownlow Medallist has been eligible since 2013 - but has been consistently overlooked due to his past condu
/>His public battles began in 2007 when rumours surfaced about his illicit drug use amid incidents like abandoning his car to evade police and being found asleep outside a casi
/>Cousins has since significantly changed his life by working at Channel 7 as a sports newsreader in Perth three times a week
/>He has also joined a Perth radio breakfast team on Mix94.5, and is about to debut on the Seven hit show Dancing With the Stars
/>And after joining Seven last year, the former West Coast player has been analysing AFL games on weekends
/>Cousins' revival also hasn't gone unnoticed by footy identities.<
/>'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,' AFL Commission chair Richard Goyder sa
/>'I think [Cousins' recovery] is fantastic...what I will 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
/>'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 cours
/>Brendan FevolaMelbournePerthAFL
Speaking on the 'Fifi, Fev & Nick' radio show on Melbourne's 101.9 FM on Wednesday with Cousins on as a guest, Fevola revealed he was gravely concerned for his mate's wellbeing at the time.
'We know each other very well,' Fevola said of the West Coast Eagles great.
'I've never told this story in public. There was a night after one of my best mate's engagement party, [former Richmond captain] Chris Newman, and you were down from Perth, and we were at Crown.
'I was not there with Ben, but I was going upstairs to stay at Crown, and Ben hopped in the lift.
'I was like, "G'day mate, how are you going?", and something had happened with your rental car, and you couldn't get to the airport, you'd missed your plane, and you said, "Can I stay with you tonight?"
Brendan Fevola has opened up about the time he was up all night at Crown Casino with fellow AFL bad boy Ben Cousins
Ben Cousins' dramatic fall from grace due to an ongoing drug addiction has saddened many footy fans (pictured, after leaving a Perth court in 2016 for breaching a violence restraining order)
Cousins has turned his life around in recent years, leading to calls for him to be inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame
'So, we went up to our room on the 33rd floor. You had a couple of phones, you kept taking the battery out, and then you are charging the battery. I'm like, "Are you alright mate?" and Ben's like, "I just don't know."'
Fevola then added: 'We sat there all night, and I didn't go to sleep because I was a bit worried about Ben.
'We sat and chatted for about seven hours until you left the next morning. We got in deep to some stuff.
'And I couldn't believe how worried I was about you. You were worried about me.
'Two cooked units sitting there, chewing the fat, talking about life.'
Fevola then asked Cousins how he has successfully turned his life around following an ongoing drug addiction, which saw him jailed on multiple occasions.
'It's hard to put it down to one thing,' the 2005 Brownlow Medallist said in response.
'Unfortunately, when I think about it now, I do wish that it [drug addiction] didn't have to run its course the way it did. It wasn't through lack of wanting to turn it around at times, but it's just... it's just a complicated thing.
'I do remember that night [in Crown Casino] fondly. We have always had a good time when we have caught up, but I wasn't too well at that time.'
Cousins (pictured left, with fellow West Coast legend Chris Judd) did more than enough on the field to warrant a place in the AFL Hall of Fame
Channel Seven first took a chance on Cousins by offering him a newsreader position in Perth in an act that has helped the troubled former AFL star turn the corner
Fevola, whose previous gambling addiction saw him once lose $360,000 across four days on the punt, 해외에이전시 admitted he 'wasn't well eithe
/>Cousins, 45, went onto thank 'Fev' for 'constantly checking in' when the fallen footy star was at a low ebb - before expressing his deep regret at how his off-field behaviour has seen many former teammates turn their back on the champion midfield
/>It comes as calls have increased for Cousins - who won an AFL premiership in 2006 - to be inducted into the AFL Hall of Fa
/>The former Brownlow Medallist has been eligible since 2013 - but has been consistently overlooked due to his past condu
/>His public battles began in 2007 when rumours surfaced about his illicit drug use amid incidents like abandoning his car to evade police and being found asleep outside a casi
/>Cousins has since significantly changed his life by working at Channel 7 as a sports newsreader in Perth three times a week
/>He has also joined a Perth radio breakfast team on Mix94.5, and is about to debut on the Seven hit show Dancing With the Stars
/>And after joining Seven last year, the former West Coast player has been analysing AFL games on weekends
/>Cousins' revival also hasn't gone unnoticed by footy identities.<
/>'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,' AFL Commission chair Richard Goyder sa
/>'I think [Cousins' recovery] is fantastic...what I will 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
/>'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 cours
/>Brendan FevolaMelbournePerthAFL