Ben Cousins reveals concussion so bad he forgot mate's death, West Coast sackingNic Negrepontis
Nine
August 12, 2025Ben Cousins has revealed he copped a concussion in his first season with Richmond, which was so bad that it wiped out his memory of ever joining the club, leaving him in a very awkward situation.
When asked what the strangest injury of his career was, Cousins pointed out the concussion. To this day, he remains unsure how the incident occurred, but said it wiped out the last few years of his memory, including knowledge of his departure from West Coast and the death of friend Chris Mainwaring.
The 2005 Brownlow Medallist was banned from playing at AFL level for 12 months after being arrested for drug possession in 2007.
He ultimately was sacked by the Eagles and was signed by Richmond 12 months later.
Of course, the concussed Cousins had absolutely no memory of that happening during the pre-season game.
"I had a concussion. This happened not long after I joined Richmond. It was one of the first games I played. It was a pre-season game. I started the game and I came off halfway through the first quarter," Cousins told Mix 94.5 in Perth.
"I don't remember getting hit or knocked at all. I sat on the bench and had no memory whatsoever of the previous two or three years and I was like a goldfish so every 30 seconds I would have no memory of the conversation I just had.
"I kept going 'why am I playing for Richmond? What's happened'. They go 'you know, we picked you up over the summer'. 'Why aren't I playing for West Coast?'. No memory.
"This just kept happening. It was bizarre.
"Even after the game we went over the tape to see if I copped a knock in the vision and there was nothing in the vision where we thought 'gee it could have happened there'. It was bizarre.
"Even after the game I was still talking in circles. People were trying to fill me in on the blanks (of the last few years) and they said 'you know, you've been sacked from West Coast, you went to rehab', I went 'what?'. I had no memory of it.
"Even someone said 'Chris Mainwaring has passed away', that was like being told for the first time. I was so emotional, I was in tears. I had no memory of it. It was bizarre."
https://www.nine.com.au/sport/afl/news-2025-ben-cousins-bizarre-injury-concussion-richmond-tigers-memory-loss-20250812-p5mmep.html
