Richmond investigates behaviour of Ben Cousins and teammates in Sydney hotel * Malcolm Conn
* From: The Australian
* April 12, 2010 THE playing future of Ben Cousins at Richmond is under a cloud after confirmation that he was among a group of players on a drunken escapade at the team hotel in Sydney during the early hours of yesterday morning.
Richmond has begun investigating Cousins and a number of other players over their behaviour only hours after the Tigers' 55-point loss to the Swans at the SCG.
Richmond has informed the AFL of its investigation. Under the league's code of conduct, clubs are required to keep the AFL informed but handle discipline internally.
Witnesses have told The Australian that Cousins was part of a group "yahooing" in the Intercontinental Hotel at 3am, waking competitors from around the world who were due to take part in the opening round of the World Triathlon Championship series.
It was held in Sydney yesterday, with the men's event beginning at 7am.
Richmond will seek footage from hotel security cameras and interview hotel staff, although the hotel last night claimed no official complaints had been made.
"The club is investigating a possible incident during the early hours of Sunday morning," a Richmond spokesperson told The Australian last night.
One hotel guest who did not want to be named claimed he attempted to tell the unruly mob to shut up.
"It says a fair bit about where Richmond is at the moment," the guest said.
The Tigers have lost their opening three matches by a total of 183 points and sit firmly on the bottom of the ladder.
There have been claims that Richmond has been covering up bouts of excessive drinking by the recovering drug addict this year. Cousins was hospitalised twice in a week shortly before the start of the season with what the club claimed was a gastric problem.
At the club's official dinner before the opening round against Carlton, president Gary March denied reports Cousins has a problem with binge drinking.
March slammed the claims as "unsubstantiated rumour and innuendo" although he conceded that Cousins was "no angel" and came to the club "with baggage".
Last week, high-profile AFL player manager Ricky Olarenshaw, a former Essendon premiership player, told Melbourne radio that he heard Cousins "will step away from the game".
"We know that he was in hospital about two weeks ago and there have been a lot of sightings of him out and about with his behaviour a little bit erratic," said Olarenshaw, who also has Richmond midfielder Daniel Jackson as part of his stable.
"He's been out with his shirt off and this sort of thing and it's sad."
Richmond chief executive Brendon Gale denied the claims.
"It is a well-known fact that as a part of his condition of employment, Ben is drug-tested by the AFL up to three times a week," Gale said last week.
"We get these rumours and speculation on a daily basis relating to Ben."
Cousins played the first round against Carlton, was ruled out for the second round against the Bulldogs with what the club claimed was a knee injury and returned to the side for Saturday night's game.
Cousins, 31, was thrown a lifeline by the Tigers two years ago after the Brownlow Medallist and premiership player was eventually forced out of West Coast in disgrace because of his long-running drug addition.
He is only a shadow of the player who was regularly named as an all-Australia during his time at West Coast and his career is heading in the same direction as Richmond, which threatens to become the first team to have a winless season since Fitzroy in 1964.
The Tigers meet reigning wooden-spooner Melbourne at the MCG next Sunday in what was shaping as the battle for the paddle. However the Demons claimed their first victory of the year yesterday, beating Adelaide at the MCG by 16 points a week after losing to Collingwood by a point in round two.
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