Cousins one of four banned by Richmond

Richmond have suspended Ben Cousins, fuelling the perception that the star
midfielder's off-field behaviour is again sending his AFL career downhill.
The recovering drug addict was one of four players banned by the Tigers for bad
behaviour at the team's Sydney hotel after Saturday night's 55-point thumping by the
Swans at the SCG.
Running defender Daniel Connors was hit with an eight-week suspension while Cousins,
Luke McGuane and Dean Polo were all banned for one, Sunday's MCG clash with
Melbourne.
The Tigers said Connors was guilty of "unsociable behaviour" while being intoxicated
and that the other three were not intoxicated, but had acted in an irresponsible
manner.
Connors cannot train at the club for the first six weeks of his suspension and must
also undergo alcohol counselling indefinitely.
Cousins, 31, a 255-game player, former West Coast skipper and Brownlow Medallist, is
by far the most experienced of the quartet.
He was strongly praised by Tigers officials last season for the example he set at
training and his value as a role model to the club's youngsters.
But the latest hit to his reputation comes after the club has had to defend him
several times in recent weeks over allegations his off-field behaviour was on the
slide.
Last week, chief executive Brendon Gale staunchly denied a claim by player manager
Ricky Olarenshaw that Cousins had "lost his way again".
Olarenshaw said Cousins had been sighted numerous times indulging in "erratic"
behaviour and forecast that he would soon step away from the game, although he later
watered down his allegation after the Tigers' angry reaction.
Before the opening round, Richmond president Gary March hit out over reports that
the club had needed to reprimand Cousins for binge drinking.
March said the claims were unsubstantiated, although he said the midfielder - banned
by the AFL for the entire 2008 season for bringing the game into disrepute, before
being handed a career lifeline by the Tigers - was "no angel".
New coach Damien Hardwick recently hinted at some discontent with Cousins' attitude
early in the pre-season, saying the player was the "first to admit that
pre-Christmas he had a few things on his mind".
Cousins was also twice hospitalised in the lead-up to the opening round, for what
the club said was a gastric complaint, and missed the second-round loss to the
Western Bulldogs with knee soreness.
He failed to impress in his two matches so far - round one against Carlton and
against Sydney.
Football-wise, the bans are a huge blow for a club belted in all three rounds so
far, ahead of what had loomed as a rare winnable match against the Demons.
But football manager Craig Cameron said the club could not tolerate their behaviour.
"These actions go against all the values that we set for ourselves as a club,"
Cameron said.
The huge ban for Connors is particularly galling, given his pre-season and early
season form was a rare bright spot for the inexperienced and uncompetitive outfit.
The length of his suspension and forced time away from the club echoes the
punishment Geelong handed Mathew Stokes, banned until round eight after he was
charged with trafficking and possession cocaine.
Connors apologised to supporters and those affected by his behaviour, saying he had
been "stupid".
"Over the next few weeks I will be doing everything I can to win back the respect of
those who I have let down," he said.
"This has been a massive wake up call for me and I accept that I have a problem with
alcohol which I need to address."
The Tigers also had to suspend first-year forward Relton Roberts for round two for
unspecified misbehaviour, in what has been an incredibly bad start to Hardwick's
reign.