ON FRIDAY, West Coast assistant coach Peter Sumich told other clubs to back off and mind their own business. I rate Sumich highly, but his comments reflect the pressure the drugs debate has created.

I'm not going to tell West Coast how it should handle what is a very difficult and sensitive situation in relation to Ben Cousins, but I will say that if the same thing had happened while I was coach at St Kilda, the decision would have been immediate.

Of course, the final call rests with the board, but my recommendation would be clear — terminate the contract. I would not have waited for the AFL to ask for a please explain. I am all for education and support, but a situation like this requires a strong message to players, administrators and, most importantly, society.

This is not a West Coast problem. This is an AFL and society issue that has been marginalised for some time and has now taken centre stage. Sometimes it takes a defining situation to allow an issue to be dealt with and it looks like the sacrificial lamb is Cousins.

The Eagles are doing their level best to manage an extremely sensitive and delicate situation. They are damned if they do and damned if they don't. If they provide support and care they are denigrated for being too soft and irresponsible. If they come down like a ton of bricks they will be castigated for being insensitive and lacking empathy.

I had a situation within the playing group to deal with a few years ago that created similar interest and debate. I feel I understand what John Worsfold may be going through. I rate his performance to date as quite outstanding. He has been forthright, honest and shown strong leadership — the only criticism being how long the issue has been evident.

A couple of years ago there were allegations about some West Coast players' relationship with known criminals and drug dealers. I don't mean to be facetious, but, helloooo …

I would be interested to see the reaction if the allegations were levelled towards their children and not their players. Perhaps a more stringent or confrontational approach may have been adopted.

Without knowing all the facts it seems to me to be a situation that has deteriorated over time and perhaps could have been averted to a degree if it had been dealt with earlier.

In all of this we have a responsibility to send the right message to society. That is not a "holier than thou" statement — I have done things I am not overly proud of. I have been asked ad nauseam about the effects this situation will have on aspiring footballers, not to mention young people generally.

We tend to abdicate the responsibility of being a role model in football. It is something that has not been clearly defined. I would be interested to hear what the AFL Players Association thinks on the issue of role models.

It is also interesting to look at penalties for in-competition testing for performance-enhancing drugs. The World Anti-Doping Agency code, which the AFL has signed up to, stipulates a two-year ban for a first offence. Life-time bans are possible.

The AFL is proud of the fact it is the only organisation to test players out of competition for illicit drugs. This brings me to the discussion of whether or not we are dealing with the shock and horror of performance-enhancing drugs or … just social or illicit drugs. I tend to be less specific — they are just drugs!

I was speaking to an elite international sportsperson of yesteryear recently who has partaken in the use of illicit drugs. I was informed that the drugs used today are more performance-enhancing than performance-enhancing drugs — especially mentally! Your ability to bust your gut and do things that would normally be unachievable is greatly enhanced. Your fear tolerance also increases.

I don't know where Cousins' indiscretion sits on the punishable scale. Both James Hird and yours truly have felt the wrath of the AFL to the tune of $20,000 for providing advice to umpires, Michael Braun has been fined $5000 fine for swearing, Mark McVeigh $900 for showing the bird. Adam Selwood's character has been assassinated for sledging, players fined for gambling, suspended for alcohol over-use and fighting. The AFL has said it won't punish Cousins. I am interested in the message this sends a society that hangs on every word that comes from the AFL environment.