More Trouble At West Coast

by Lisa Albergo reporting for AFANA from Chicago

Once again, West Coast is the center of controversy as it has been revealed that Chad Fletcher spent several days in a Las Vegas hospital last October, allegedly for a drug overdose. However, reports coming from the club or more specifically, chairman Dalton Gooding and Fletcher himself, are that the incident was alcohol related. Fletcher, who so far has refused to sign a consent form to release the hospital medical reports (consent is required by US law under the federal HPPA Act, which strictly regulates the distribution of medical patient information), claims he had an allergic reaction to a yellow fever vaccine, which he had as a number of Eagles were planning to head for South America after their Vegas stay.

The club and Fletcher deny any use of illegal drugs and are saying that Fletcher's hospitalization was due to a combination of that allergic reaction and consumption by Fletcher of an unspecified amount of vodka.  Fletcher returned to Australia after he was released from the hospital instead of joining his teammates for the South American leg of their trip.  
 

Collingwood players Josh Fraser and Nick Maxwell, who briefly met up with a group of Eagle players, were rumored to have witnessed drug use by several Eagles during a room party at the MGM Grand Hotel, but both players denied the allegations.

Drugs or no drugs, the incident has again sparked a heated debate on how to deal with the problem of drug use and players behaving badly. Some people, including the retired Michael Voss, believe "a name and shame" policy is the way the to go. These issues are high on the agenda of next month's meeting between league and club officials.

While the Eagles would not comment, it is believed that troubled star Ben Cousins has moved back home with his parents in an effort to clean up his off-field act and steer clear of trouble. It is believed that his parents have become concerned with his lifestyle, which has included a number of alcohol related incidents, including a drunk and disorderly arrest outside the Crown Casino in Melbourne late last year.

Source: Melbourne Age