Ben Cousins appeared happy and healthy as he eased back into society by attending a cricket match and mingling with fans.
In the first photo of the fallen AFL legend since his release from prison on January 10, the 39-year-old smiled for a selfie at the Big Bash semi-final on Thursday night.
The former West Coast Eagle served 10 months of a one-year sentence for stalking his ex-partner Maylea Tinecheff, with whom he has two young children.
Ben Cousins appeared happy and healthy as he eases back into society by attending a cricket match and mingling with fans at Perth Stadium, weeks after his release from prison
Cousins sported the same bushranger beard and shoulder-length hair as when he walked out of Perth’s Acacia prison a free man (pictured)
Cousins sported the same bushranger beard and shoulder-length hair as when he walked out of Perth’s Acacia prison a free man.
Fans were quick to voice their support for his recovery after seeing him at the match at the new Perth Stadium between the local Scorcers and Hobart Hurricanes.
Those who saw him at the game remarked that he appeared healthy and happy in his denim shirt unbuttoned halfway down his chest.
Cousins would likely be seen frequently at the stadium after his old club offered him a part-time job as a member of its Community and Game Development department.
The Eagles said the job fulfilled one of the former captain’s parole requirements and would be ‘mutually beneficial’.
The former West Coast Eagle served 10 months of a one-year sentence for stalking his ex-partner Maylea Tinecheff, with whom he has two young children
Cousins was staying with his parents in Bicton, on Perth’s Swan River, and spending time with his son Bobby, six, and daughter Angelique, four
Cousins was staying with his parents in Bicton, on Perth’s Swan River, and spending time with his son Bobby, six, and daughter Angelique, four.
Relatives expressed hope that he would be able to overcome his drug addiction and rebuild his life as he reintegrates to society.
Ex-teammate Andrew Embley said the Brownlow medalist was in ‘good spirits’ following his release.
However, former Eagles captain Glen Jakovich warned he entered a ‘very dangerous period for relapse’ and it was crucial he found the right path.
The 39-year-old former West Coast Eagles captain and Brownlow medallist was jailed in March for causing ‘ongoing terror’ to Maylea Tinecheff
Jakovich, who played alongside Cousins from 1996-2004, he thinks the former Eagle and Richmond Tiger will relish the ‘freedom’ and hopes that leads him to a ‘good path’
‘I think the biggest thing we’ve noticed and the whole situation of him going inside was the fact he wasn’t able to see his kids and that really affected him,’ he told the Herald Sun.
‘Not being able to see his two kids, he really struggled to deal with that before he went inside.’
Jakovich said the reality of working would be something new for Cousins, who he says hasn’t ever had to have a real job because of his immense footballing talent.
‘He’s never really had a job. I think there was a few little jobs there in the last couple of years but he’s struggled to hold them and hold them down and that’s where the troubles have continued for him in the last three or four years,’ he said.
Cousins’ former teammate Glen Jakovich told the Herald Sun the fallen star has entered a ‘very dangerous period for relapse’ and it is crucial he finds the right path
Jakovich, who played alongside Cousins from 1996-2004, he thinks the former Eagle and Richmond Tiger will relish the ‘freedom’ and hopes that leads him to a ‘good path’.
Ms Tinecheff had a restraining order placed on Cousins in May 2016, preventing her former partner from coming within 50m of her.
Cousins was jailed in March 2017 for causing ‘nine months of ongoing terror’ to her, including flooding her phone with more than 2,000 texts and calls in two months.
Cousins also turned up at Ms Tinecheff’s church, home and the school their two children attended.
In November, the former Eagles player tried to contact his former partner 542 times, with 103 of those attempts taking place on the same day.
When Cousins was initially arrested, police found eight grams of methamphetamine, which his lawyer Michael Tudori told the court at the time would only last four days.
The father-of-two was jailed in March 2017, after he flooded Ms Tinecheff’s phone with more than 2000 texts and calls over two months
Relatives expressed hope that he would be able to overcome his drug addiction and rebuild his life as he reintegrates to society
Cousins, 39, was fined $2400 for drug possession and driving without a licence.
During his time behind bars, Cousins was involved in a minor scuffle but was not injured.
In September, Cousins faced court over drug-driving charges, after crashing into a truck while high on methamphetamine in 2016.
His license was disqualified and he was fined $1200. He was also ordered to pay $2295 in chemical analysis fees from the crash.
His early release came as the Prisoners Review Board decided the release of Cousins ‘would not present an unacceptable risk to the safety of the community’.
As part of his parole conditions, he must stay away from Ms Tinecheff, attend counselling, and submit to random urine tests.
Ben Cousins in one of his frequent arrests during his drug addiction that ended his career and eventually landed him in jail