AFL angers fans by intervening in Ben Cousins situation

Ben Cousins has had a difficult few years battling addiction and being thrown in and out of jail and now the AFL says it will step in to fund his drug rehabilitation.

In an unprecedented move, AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan announced Cousins would get a free ride to rehab to try to overcome his addiction – and many are not happy about it.

Cousins’ fall from grace as been swift and public. He went from AFL darling and Brownlow Medal winner to a drug addicted criminal in the space of a few short years.

While McLachlan says the AFL is looking out for one of its own, others are saying its just another case of a celebrity getting special treatment over ‘everyday’ people.

Some have questioned why Cousins deserves a ‘free ride’ when he already threw away all the privileges life had given him.

With millions of Aussies battling all kinds of addiction – from drugs to gambling – many are saying it doesn’t set the right example for Cousins to be treated differently.

Others though say its only right he be given a second chance given his current situation.

Cousins revealed this week that he is homeless and living out of a backpack.

“It’s hard to know where to go to,” he told a reporter who offered him a ride after his court appearance.

“I am living out of a backpack at the moment.

“I move between three mates’ houses, spend time on different couches. There’s a lady I knock around with these days who I stay with, otherwise I just move on to another place.”

With so many people divided over the idea, what do you think?

Should the AFL give Ben Cousins a second chance and fund his rehab? Or is it special treatment?