Ben Cousins on a recent cover of leading men's magazine GQ
Controversial Australian Rules Footballer Ben Cousins and his long-time manager Ricky Nixon have parted company.
Nixon, who has looked after various business affairs and sponsorship deals for Cousins for more than a decade, told me today that he and the champion Richmond midfielder severed their professional relationship two weeks ago.
He refused to comment on the reasons behind the split and said Cousins was now being represented by the Richmond Football Club.
When asked why, Nixon replied: “I’m not going to make a public comment about it”.
Nixon, who runs the Flying Start sports management company, stood beside Cousins when he was booted from the West Coast Eagles for drug abuse and deregistered from the AFL for “bringing the game into disrepute”. He was instrumental in getting the 31-year-old Brownlow medallist back into the game for the 2009 season at Richmond.
As reported elsewhere, it is believed Cousins’s upcoming documentary and book deal are part of the reasons for the split.
Cousins has had several problems during his long and successful career. He was busted for fleeing a booze bus in 2006, and suspended from the Eagles in mid-2007 while he underwent rehab for drug abuse the United States, before being brought back into the fold until his comeback was cut short by injury.
Ben Cousins with police after his arrest
Finally, though, he was sacked from the club after being arrested, shirtless with his “such is life” tattoo fully exposed, for drug possession at the end of 2007. The charge was later dropped but he was banished from the league for a year.
He is set to return to the field when the season kicks off in March.
