Cousins to Tigers: ‘Thanks for giving us our son back’The West Australian
SEN
28 March 2020Terry Wallace says he is “really interested” to watch 7’s exclusive Ben Cousins interview, after the former Richmond coach gave the troubled star an AFL lifeline back in 2009.
Speaking on SEN on Friday, Wallace recalled how Ben’s grateful father Bryan spoke to him before Cousins’ last game in 2010.
“It was a difficult time for us to make a decision whether to give (Ben) an opportunity to get back into the sport,” Wallace revealed.
“He was a much healthier person, in a much better headspace with enforced discipline in his life at Richmond.
“Ben’s dad said to the club but also to me, ‘Thanks for giving us our son back for a couple of years. We’ve been able to break bread with him. He’s more the person that we knew when he was growing up’,” Wallace recounted.
But the ex-Richmond mentor said Cousins “lost his way” when he returned to Perth after retiring from the game.
“He didn’t have the discipline of AFL football surrounding him,” Wallace said.
He also admitted he “didn’t know” if Cousins remained free from drugs during his two seasons at Tigerland, but said he remembered the star midfielder was in a “healthier position” when at the club.
“I’m not going to sit here for one second and say he was clean the whole time he was with the Richmond footy club,” he said.
“I do know he was in a lot healthier position.
“There wasn’t a time where I went to training and saw him and thought, ‘What’s happening here?’.”
Ben Cousins’ exclusive interview, Coming Clean, will air on 7News this Sunday at 7pm.https://thewest.com.au/sport/afl/terry-wallace-reveals-familys-gratitude-after-richmond-gave-troubled-ex-eagle-ben-cousins-a-second-chance-ng-b881502003z
