BEN Cousins' AFL career was finally over last night after the West Coast board voted unanimously to terminate the former captain's contract following his arrest for drug possession and refusing a police drugs assessment.

The sacking completes Cousins' fall from grace in a career which saw him win a Brownlow Medal, six All-Australian honours and a premiership medallion during 12 years with the club which drafted him under the father-son rule as a teenager.

Eagles chairman-elect Mark Barnaba announced Cousins had been sacked at 7pm last night.

He said Cousins clearly had an illness and needed help, and the club would support him, despite having sacked him for an accumulation of incidents.

Eagles chief executive Trevor Nisbett said it was the toughest decision the club had ever made but ruled out a Cousins return under any circumstances.

"It's tragic that it's got to this stage. But it was felt that it had to be made and we're sure we've made the right decision for Ben's health," he said. "It has to be addressed and has to be fixed.

"It's an accumulation of incidents. Yesterday's is probably the last instance. There's been a number of things over a number of years that we have been dealing with with Ben and I guess the biggest thing that we need to get back to is his health and we felt this is the right decision to assist Ben to concentrate solely and only on his health issues.

"I've reiterated our concerns for Ben over months and months and I'm still concerned about him … it is an illness which a lot of people don't recognise and he is terribly sick. He needs more rehabilitation and we felt that with the spotlight of AFL football off him he can get back to rehabilitation."

Nisbett said Cousins' father Bryan had been informed of the decision and was concerned for his son. He said he didn't know if Cousins would ever be capable of playing top-level football again.

"I don't know. Probably from where Mark (Barnaba) and I sit and where the board sits that's the least of our concerns," he said. "It's a tragedy. He's probably the best player that's played with our club."

The decision effectively finishes Cousins' career, with the AFL understood to be considering de-registering him so he could never be drafted by another club. But other clubs are unlikely to take the risk of drafting him even if he is not de-registered.

AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou last night gave his unconditional support to the Eagles for their decision.

"The AFL fully supports the decision of the West Coast Eagles Football Club," Demetriou said in a statement released by the league. "Ben is no longer … part of the AFL competition and needs to concentrate fully on regaining his health and getting his life in order.

"The AFL has supported the West Coast Eagles in trying to manage a player struggling with difficult issues. However, we also have a responsibility to manage the game in a way that protects our broader playing group, and allows our supporters, members and the football family to have pride in our game, and trust in our administration.

"I know that the club, in making this decision today, are not walking away from the broader issues impacting on the culture of the club.

"The AFL knows there is a drug problem in society in young people, and our sport is not immune."

Cousins, 29, will appear in Perth Magistrate's Court this morning, where police are expected to reveal that he was allegedly in possession of the Valium-style prescription drug diazepam when he was pulled over by officers from the gang crime squad on Tuesday. Two carloads of officers were involved in the incident where Cousins and his car were searched. His two female passengers were released without charge.

At the same time, Eagles teammate Daniel Chick was also pulled over by detectives and taken in for questioning along with his passenger Nathan Greaves.

Police later searched Chick's Quinns Rocks home and released the 31-year-old without charge. But they allegedly found cocaine, cannabis, methylamphetamine, and drug paraphernalia at Greaves' house. He has been charged and will appear in Perth Magistrate's Court next week.

Nisbett said Chick would be delisted in the coming weeks. Cousins' troubles date back to at least 2000 when former coach Ken Judge was warned that the rising star was associating with Northbridge identities.

A two-hour board meeting conducted over a conference call had settled Cousins' career. The Cousins family had not addressed the board meeting, at which all members were present, and coach John Worsfold had been informed of the decision.

"I can feel proud that the club has tried everything it can possibly do to help Ben. We have, in our view, given him the best opportunities at our disposal to help him overcome this," outgoing chairman Dalton Gooding said last night. "I feel proud of the fact that the club has done that. It appears that he may have transgressed. That is obviously very disappointing and we have extreme sympathy for his family because they have been through an enormous amount and we sincerely hope that Ben can get well. From a personal perspective we want him to be well and to lead a far better life than he has been leading at the moment."

He had not yet had an indication from the AFL over what action it would take.

Major Eagles sponsor SGIO is reviewing its 21-year association with the club. ANZ has already decided not to continue its deal and the club faces a backlash from other sponsors.

WEST AUSTRALIAN