Day 213
A good friend has just told me ex Eagles star, and Channel 7 reporter, Chris Mainwaring died last night...
Our "Mainey"..gone. I can't believe it. We're both stunned at the news.
It is so tragic...i feel devestated at this shocking news...our Gero boy...such a hard year...with all the Eagles troubles...Ben Cousins and Judd leaving, not getting into the premiership..and just everything..
And the night after the grandfinal. Geepers.
Oh dear..gosh, his poor wife and kids...oh dear...gee, his father Hub will be devestated (still lives in Gero.
What happened?
Wanting news in New Jersey!
jen & Greg xx
UPDATE: News below..
News sent from Elise from this website -> http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/
AN autopsy will determine whether drugs were involved in the sudden death of former West Coast Eagles star Chris Mainwaring amid reports he had cannabis and ecstasy before his collapse.
The TV sports presenter collapsed and died in Perth early yesterday, shortly after refusing help from police and ambulance officers.
The two-time premiership player had reportedly been on a weekend binge, involving cannabis and ecstasy, after his marriage breakdown.
West Australian police spokesman Ian Hasleby would not comment today on reports drugs were behind Mainwaring's death.
But he said major crime detectives would look at "all aspects" in their investigation.
Toxicology tests were being done and a post-mortem examination would be done today or tomorrow, he said.
Police and ambulance officers went to Mainwaring's home in the beach suburb of Cottesloe about 11.30pm (WST) after a complaint he was yelling in the street.
He appeared calm and refused help from the ambulance officers who left him in the care of a neighbour.
But ambulance officers found him collapsed when called back to his home about an hour later.
Former Eagles AFL coaches have refused to speculate on whether drugs and alcohol were involved.
Former Eagles coach Ron Alexander would not be drawn on whether Mainwaring's death was symptomatic of a wider cultural problem at West Coast.
"It's not up to me to reject or accept any of these sorts of things. I'm not close enough to be making any informed comments. I'm just talking about a young man who unfortunately is not with us anymore," he said on ABC radio.
Alexander said Mainwaring was in good spirits when he last saw him about a month ago.
Alexander's successor, John Todd, urged Mainwaring's teammates to learn from his death.
"Certainly they'll learn from that, there's no doubt about that, and hopefully a lot of good will come out of it," Todd said on ABC radio.
"Chris was a little larrikin. He was one of those jovial types of lads.
"He ended up becoming a very good individual - as a person, as a player - and hopefully there's a message there for others that they can learn from what's tragically happened to Chris."
NEWS from: http://wwos.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=301417
Mainwaring's family pays loving tributes
By Nicolas Perpitch 20:33 AEST Wed Oct 3 2007
The wife and children of former West Coast Eagle Chris Mainwaring have remembered their husband and father in touching, personal tributes.
Theirs were among dozens of condolence notices posted in newspapers in memory of Mainwaring, who died suddenly at his beachside home in the Perth suburb of Cottesloe early on Monday morning.
An autopsy was being carried out on Wednesday and toxicology tests could determine within days whether drugs played a role in the 41-year-old's death.
Mainwaring's wife Rani said she would always miss her "beautiful, loving and amazing husband".
"My life without you in it will be so difficult and empty, but as you have always been my rock in life, I will go on and I promise to keep the children as happy and safe as you always did," she said.
"I love you with all my heart and will miss you every second of every day.
"I will cherish and keep our beautiful memories so close to my heart."
Mainwaring's daughter Maddy, eight, said she would always remember him.
"Thank you for being my Dad. I will miss you very much. Lots of love, Maddy."
And six-year-old Zac thanked his dad for teaching him to play football: "You've been my best Daddy and I will miss you lots."
Police and ambulance were called to Mainwaring's home late on Sunday night following complaints he was screaming for help and acting strangely.
The TV presenter reportedly told paramedics he had taken ecstasy and smoked cannabis, but was alright.
An hour later, paramedics returned and found Mainwaring unconscious. He was rushed to hospital and pronounced dead a short time later.
Eagles star Ben Cousins, who Mainwaring had mentored since his debut with the club in 1996, visited his friend's home twice in the hours before his death.
Detectives say they will interview Cousins as part of their investigations for a coroner's report.
Mainwaring played a key role in Cousins' decision to check himself into drug rehabilitation for a month in April.
But Mainwaring had his own problems and was very depressed, the former AFL star's father, Hub Mainwaring, said.
Hub Mainwaring said his son's troubles began when he leaked confidential information about Cousins to a colleague at the Seven Network, where he worked.
This caused a major rift with his former club.
"That was the start of it, that incident with the Eagles, it really knocked the hell out of him," Hub Mainwaring told AAP.
Mainwaring was shattered that many of his old teammates and friends no longer trusted him, his father said.
"And then he had his personal problems, you know, and we didn't realise that he was just so bad.
"He just wouldn't answer ... my wife tried to go down there, but he said, 'Please leave me alone, mum'.
"I don't think he did it deliberately but he was very depressed, very depressed.
"I wish we had our time again, we should have gone down there and taken over."
The West Coast Eagles said any differences with Mainwaring over the Cousins affair had been patched over.
Former Eagles star Glen Jakovich also said Mainwaring told him in late August his relations with the club were back to normal.
"The idea of a rod between him and the club and stretched friendships with ex-premiership players is totally incorrect," Jakovich said.
"He actually said to me, 'It's all back to normal, unfortunately it was a tough time given the circumstances Ben was going through', and he was just trying to be a friend, a mentor, an adult."
Jakovich said Cousins was "numb" at his mate's death.
Detectives from the Major Crime Squad later interviewed Cousins at his home for two hours, Seven Network reported.
Police also talked to Mainwaring's friend and former Eagle Adrian Barich about conversations and text messages he exchanged with his former team-mate in the days before his death.
"Anybody who had anything to do with Mainy in the last three or four days before he passed away, they'll be interviewing, I guess, to determine his demeanour and maybe draw what they can from what the people give to them," Barich told Seven.
©AAP 2007
