Brendan Fevola, The Train Wreck That Keeps Crashing.

It is a little bewildering when sporting clubs disregard the duty they have for protecting their junior players.

An Australian Football Club called The Casey Scorpions who are affiliated with the Melbourne Football Club who play in the Australian Football League. They have recruited a player who is nothing but a walking disgrace in my opinion.

Source: Herald Sun Newspaper

So what have the Casey Scorpions done you ask? They recruited a football player called Brendan Fevola. Why is this such a bad thing you ask?

Firstly let me say, Fevola had so much talent on the football field and on his day was great to watch, but the problem is he is a fool, as simple as that. A little boy that has never grown up.

In 1999 he made his debut for Carlton Football Club and stayed there for 10 years before they offloaded him (traded) in 2009 as his antics were just too much.

Brisbane Lions Football Club then picked Fevola up during the trade week, and this decision left many scratching their heads.

It made Lions fans furious at the time with many going onto Facebook and Twitter expressing their thoughts. But the deal was done for around $1 million dollars a year or something like that.

To cut a very long story short, Fevola lasted a year, and how he lasted that long was amazing. The Lions sacked him just a few weeks ago, and have had to payout his contract, well the settlement rumours of just over $1 million dollars of the nearly $2 million owed to Fevola for the next two years that he was contracted.

It has to be bad when a club is willing to lose a player, and also the close to $2 million dollars in their salary cap just to get rid of the guy. That is how bad Fevola was to them.

But the Lions got Fevola with baggage, he had himself confessed he was a “dickhead” and he had proven this many times.

Way back in 2001 when he was 19, he was fined by Carlton for spraying a woman at Victoria's University student village with a fire extinguisher when drunk.

In June 2001 he was thrown out of a Brunswick hotel after he and other players allegedly stole alcohol and abused staff.

In September 2001 he was fined $8,000 for apparently trying to steal jackets from a dry cleaner in North Melbourne, another player was fined $5,000.

Then in 2004 Carlton suspended him after he missed training, he was at Crown Casino in Melbourne and apparently from reports was thrown out by security but returned as he wanted to argue with the security guards and was thrown out again. I read that he even apparently had someone in a headlock. Fevola was suspended for one game and had a black eye from the apparent stoush

Then in 2006 he went to Ireland with the Australian team on the International Rules Tour of Ireland. Fevola again was drunk and assaulted a barman at a nightclub.

The barman had warned Fevola and other team mates to quieten down and they were being noisy or he wouldn’t serve them. Fevola apparently abused the barman so he said, “I will call the police.”

The barman heads for the phone, Fevola followed and grabbed him in a headlock. Fevola is sent home and he is all remorseful.

In 2007 Fevola was again suspended for 1 match by Carlton FC for “poor body language”, what this meant was Fevola was not putting in and cracking the shits if things were not going his way.

In 2008 Fevola is fined $10,000 for urinating on a window of a nightclub.

Then in the end of year celebrations known as “Mad Monday” he is pictured in a dress with a huge dildo strapped on. (this is not such a big thing for me but walking around in public view was stupid).

Then Fevola does his best yet, he is at the Brownlow Medal (AFL best and fairest player night) after party, again at the Crown Casino where he is on fire. Just watch the video above and you will see what I mean. He is so pissed and just off his rocker.

This was Carlton FC last straw and Fevola was offered in the trade. Brisbane Lions picked him up although all this baggage was well known.

After being traded it didn’t get any better, back in 2006 he had an affair with an absolute bimbo known as Lara Bingle and he took a semi naked picture of her. Somehow in March 2010 this picture surfaced. He was accused of forwarding it on to other AFL players but was cleared of any wrong doing. How the photo he took got out I don’t know.

In April 2010 Fevola admits to a gambling problem and that he has huge debts that some estimated of $200,000 plus to bookies. I would not be wanting to owe money to some of these guys.

Here are some of his gambling antics.

One weekend in February he had 87 bets via text message on the Saturday then 137 bets by text on the Sunday - and lost $50,000.

Grand total of bets: $321,270.

These were text messages from his phone apparently.

"Syd r1 number 4 1k win. Doomben race 2, $5k win. Adl 3, $5k win"
This simply means Sydney race 1 Horse number 4 $1,000 the win and so on

"$5k on the 4 at Singapore, $5k on the 1 at Bulli , $2k on 1 Medows, $3k on 1 toomba."

Above goes to show how stupid he had become. He is betting on Singapore races, and has $5,000 on a greyhound race in Bulli, a dish-lickers race. Then $3,000 on a Towoomba race. Absolute stupidity. He apparently lost $50,000 that weekend.

September 2010 he is accused by a lady of exposing himself at a park BBQ but denies this and is cleared by the police and his club.

In October he is in Shanghai with the Lions to play an exhibition match against Melbourne, he was ejected out of a night club and then missed the morning team meeting. (This was hushed up and not reported at the time)

January 2011 he is arrested on New Years Eve in Brisbane’s notorious Fortitude Valley. He was on a road and police asked him to move off it and he replied, "Come on, take your hat and badge off. I'll smash you."

When police went to arrest him he placed his hands into his pockets and would not co-operate.

He then had indefinite leave given to him by the Lions as he checked into a rehabilitation clinic.

Now there are claims of depression (from the break up of his marriage), alcohol abuse or addiction but this has been going on for years.

Do I feel sorry for the guy? Hell no! He has had too many chances and made his own bed so he can lie in it and if he becomes a down and out bum in a few years, he deserves just that.

I do blame Carlton Football Club, and the Australian Football League as well, they did not do enough to nip this in the butt many years ago, and the AFL still doesn’t do enough now with all the current scandals muddying the great game of Australian rules.

But back to what I started, The Casey Scorpions a Victorian Football League side has recruited Fevola for this year. Their AFL affiliate Melbourne, are not happy campers to say the least.

And who can blame them. Would you want your teenage son being around Fevola?

How many chances should this guy get? How many times should the excuses of alcohol or depression be the reason for the latest scandal?

I truly believe he should not set foot on a sporting field again at any elite level in Australia. This is harsh but he had the world at his feet and pissed it up against a wall, again and again.

I hate to be pessimistic but I am sure that Fevola will fuc# up again in the near future as he will have the media and photographers hounding him everywhere he goes, and so they should too. He makes one mistake and it will be plastered across papers.

Look I am no angel. I have made many mistakes in life so far, been forgiven and gotten on with life. But I was never in the spotlight where young kids idolise, mimic and want to be their hero.

Maybe Fevola didn’t want this, many don’t but sadly it is part and parcel of being in the public eye, you become public property to a degree. Each and everything you do will be seen, reported and criticised and if you cannot handle this then get out, go back to being a nobody and the media won’t care as you will just be Joe Blow.

Anyway that is my thoughts on all of this.

Sorry to regular readers.

Brunty