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I’m a firm believer in second chances. Some may say that Brendan Fevola has had his fair share of chances, and they’d be correct.
With the numerous off-field incidents ranging from the Lara Bingle photo incident and the large amounts of gambling debt to the 2009 Brownlow Medal “pressure point” incident that ruined his playing days at Carlton and Brisbane, it’s fair to say Brendan hasn’t exactly made things easy for himself.
In his 12 years at the pinnacle of sport in this country, Fevola has been sacked from two professional clubs, has made a fool of himself on national television, made international headlines for pub brawling over in Ireland in 2006 and has let down his fans, the people who have stuck with him through thick and thin, but most importantly his family.
Let me be very clear on this; I do not condone Fevola’s actions.
However, I do feel bad for him. I remember watching the Seven Network’s ‘Sunday Night’ show several months ago as Fevola and his loved ones told of their experiences in relation to Brendan’s sacking from the Brisbane Lions, and the proverbial downhill spiral of his personal and professional life that followed soon after.
Fevola told of his intention to commit suicide, his deep depression and how he misses his wife and children – all very sad stuff.
Meanwhile, his wife Alex blamed the AFL culture, believing that in lieu of his extraordinary ability on the field, AFL and club officials often turned a blind eye to his many deficiencies.
I must agree with Alex. While I think the onus is on the player to channel and recognise the wealth and responsibilities that come along with being a professional athlete in this country, some of the blame must be put on the AFL’s handling of these situations, particularly in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Look at it this way: a 17-year-old kid gets drafted and after a couple of years, he makes a name for himself in the national competition. Following that he and his manager negotiate a sizable contract worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, perhaps even in the millions of dollars.
When young people aren’t taught how to channel such advantages, they then have the very realistic possibility of losing control of their finances and of their lives.
If you think I’m wrong, how many people do you know personally, that have lost over one million dollars in gambling related issues?
Better yet, look at the messed up celebrities like Lindsay Lohan. People like that weren’t properly taught how to manage their wealth and significance, and for the lack of a better phrase; being taught how to stay level headed when fame and fortune comes their way.
Furthermore, these movie stars and athletes don’t earn the amount of money they’re given. They exercise and train hard which is all well and good, with the additional burden of facing the media on occasion and having their personal lives impacted heavily. There’s no doubt they earn their money to an extent.
But with the AFL’s average salary of $244,000 per year akin to a lawyer or doctors salary, I ask you: would a doctor or a lawyer piss it all away on the horses after all of their hard work?
I’m no Labor supporting left-wing hippy who believes that being on the dole is the right way to go and that the world is against me.
I have nothing against people who make a lot of money without a four-year law degree and an 80-hour work week. I’m merely stating that when you don’t work as hard to receive the amount of money put into your bank account, you don’t appreciate those things as much.
These comments are further proof that when a teenage boy comes into the massive organisation which is the AFL, it’s paramount that these young people be given guidance from the beginning to the end of their football careers.
Fevola is one very notable example of the mismanagement of young players construed by the AFL.
But as far as his football is concerned, Fevola had a very promising year with the Casey Scorpions in the VFL after 48 goals from 17 games with Brisbane in 2010.
Over the past year, Fevola’s thrown around numerous phrases that are now borderline clichés – “playing for minimum chips”, “clause in the contract” and “I know I can play footy, it’s the off-field stuff that’s the problem” all spring to mind.
And he’s right. He is still a very capable footballer, plus he wouldn’t cost a lot of money and if he so much as checks out the back-side of a waitress at a Toorak eatery, he’d be out on his arse quicker than he could say, “I’d like to touch her pressure point.”
So we’ve established he would be a valuable acquisition to any top eight sides looking to challenge for the Premiership next year.
Where would he go?
I believe he’d fit in nicely as the full-forward at Hawthorn, as Jarryd Roughead looks to be sitting out a significant portion of the Hawks 2012 campaign and Buddy Franklin does his best work sitting about 40 metres from goal as an inside centre-half forward.
Wouldn’t it be good if he finished his career with a premiership medallion with Hawthorn?
After all, we all love a fairytale ending.
Barry Hall’s wonderful exit with the Bulldogs after his very many on-field indiscretions and Ben Cousins solid final two years with Richmond after his drug addiction were both heart-warming and excellent outcomes for the players, their families and the entire footy world.
So after we’ve seen people like Barry Hall and Ben Cousins change their ways, who’s to say that Fevola can’t follow in the footsteps of his potential “baddie-turned- goodie” predecessors?
I think Fevola deserves another chance.
From what I’ve seen this year in various interviews and news articles, he seems he’s a changed man.
And I think it’s in the best interests of Fevola, his family and his loyal supporters that he be given the benefit of the doubt.
If he does in fact get that chance to redeem himself, I hope like hell he repays the prospective club with good performances on and off the field.
Good luck, Fevola.
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