West Coast Eagles premiership player Karl Langdon has spoken unflinchingly about the plight of Ben Cousins, who Langdon says is a “full blown drug addict” and must be taken off the streets for his own and others’ safety.
“Sadly Ben is very sick and he has been for quite some time,” Langdon told the FIVEAA sports show on Monday.
An incoherent Cousins was taken to a Perth hospital on Sunday after reportedly trying to direct traffic at an intersection and attempting to jump onto the back of a stranger’s motorbike.
“He’s at a situation in his life where he needs serious help,” Langdon said.
“He is a full blown drug addict. He has never been able to shake it. He has been a drug user ever since it was revealed years ago that he was a drug user. He’s been to various clinics both here and overseas, which unfortunately haven’t helped and he just lapses straight back into the same sort of behaviour.”
LISTEN TO KARL LANGDON:
Langdon said Cousins’ behaviour had spiralled further out of control in recent times.
“I’ve been hoping that he would be ok for years, but in the last few weeks and months he has become far more erratic in his behaviour.
“It’s become more consistent. To be totally honest, he needs to be put in a facility where he can’t do himself or anyone else any harm. I’m concerned now that he’s at the point where he could do other people harm,” Langdon said.
“Mentally he is not in a place where he can make rational decisions anymore, so therefore he needs professional help.”
Langdon reported that Cousins had nearly been “cleaned up by a truck” a couple of weeks ago.
“He is constantly out on the street. Numerous times he’s been seen in situation where he’s just really out of his mind.
“The mother of his children, she’s much the same. She’s got the same sort of struggles as he has. I feel very sorry for those children in the situation that they are caught up in with their mother and father.
“He’s a person who needs to confront himself and I’m not sure he’s in the state of mind to do that.
Langdon said Cousins was the only member of the Eagles’ notorious ’06 premiership side who was a drug addict.
“He became a drug addict while he was playing football for the West Coast eagles. How does that happen?”
“During his playing career he was a high functioning drug addict, which is just something he was able to do. And he was able to get away with it, unbelievably.”
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