Ben Cousins gives a defiant one-finger salute



BEN Cousins has angered the football world by giving a defiant middle-finger salute to a TV camera that was broadcasting to thousands of fans across the country.

Cousins was going through his warm-up with Richmond teammates at Subiaco Oval when he looked at the in-room eye used by TV during pre-game build-ups and gave it ``the bird''.

His obscene gesture, 90 minutes before the Tigers' match against Fremantle, will now be reviewed by AFL chiefs who can hit him with a $1200 fine.

Commentators castigated the former Eagle for his gesture with former premiership coach Robert Walls describing it as ``stupid and unnecessary''.

It was a dramatic preview to Richmond's thrilling three-point victory in which Cousins played an integral role.

The one-fingered salute is at odds with his efforts in recent months to repair his battered image.

FULL STORY

He's trying to repair his image, and does that. Enough said, the bloke hasn't changed, this has proved it, and Richmond should cease involvement with him.

bit of an overeaction there

He probably wouldn't have done it if the media actually kept him alone for longer then 5 minutes.

agreed

but still that is no way to act when you are being looked up to by kids all across the country.

it was deliberately done and its just disgraceful

i dont see why its so bad, its not as though he's wearing a KKK outfit whilst injecting himself, smoking a bong and beating up a woman.

its the bird ffs!

and if the media didnt make such a big deal outta it, young'uns wouldnt see it in the first place

he of all ppl shouldnt have done that.

everything he does is now scrutinized by the media. he has to grow up and realise that he is setting a bad image..

(if this happened in league there would be a public out cry to have him sacked)

It's a stupid thing to do by anybody.

The fact that it's him doing it makes him a tool because he knows what will happen.

No big deal really.

But a stupid thing to do, especially in his situation

It was a stupid thing to do.

But wouldnt we all do it if the media were always around every day of the week.

Uh, no.

Because we're smart.

yep when you know what it feels like to not only have your entire life of the past couple of years be front page news in most parts of the country and play sport at the highest level you can. then you can tell me how he is going act.

He isn't the first player of any sport to do the above, it happens, move on.

i find it funny if this was a rugby league player to do this then he would have had been destroyed and since its an afl player everyone is just letting it go

Correct, I would not have given the finger.

I would've blown a raspberry to say, "Nah nah, I'm back and better than ever."

Not that hard.

Was an unnecessary thing to do, but an overreaction from the media at the same time.

In my opinion if it had have been any other player had have done it, then it wouldn't have gone to air..

Give him the fine, then close the story. That's what the media should do, however, money talks, so this will be front page news all week