i) Fevola got what he deserved;
ii) Brisbane got what it deserved.
This is no simple debate. There are powerful arguments supporting each point of view.
Fevola’s list of priors began long before he made the switch from Carlton to Brisbane.
They are well known, and were well known by the Lions, and cover all the grounds that parents, much less footy clubs, hope never befall their children: matters to do with alcohol, gambling, undisciplined affairs of the heart, marriage breakdowns, and lately and most troubling a likely by-product of all that: depression.
The commentariat was quick to ask questions of Brisbane’s choice of Fevola throughout last year, beginning in March when a photo he had taken of Lara Bingle - when the pair were engaged in an affair - was published in Woman’s Day.
On and on it went: a confrontation in a carpark, admissions of gambling addictions, poor attitudes on display in matches.
The club offered support and counselling, and it seemed - at the beginning - that Fevola’s performances might do what they had always done at Carlton: overwhelm the off-field nonsense.
After four rounds, the Fevola-Jonathan Brown forward duo was dominant, and the Lions were four-nil and flying.
We can only wonder what might have happened had Fevola’s body remained as strong and powerful as it was in those opening four rounds. At that stage, Fevola had kicked 13 goals, and Brown 19. The Lions’ plan to recruit experience to win a flag was looking strong.
They then lost their next five, before beating Collingwood at the Gabba. The groin of Fevola and the abdomen of Brown were not performing to their best, and while each player fervently denied their performances were being restricted, their form dropped away, and trips to medical centres across the country were made in an attempt to remedy the problems.
Fevola made it to round 13, kicking 42 goals (he finished with 48 from 17 matches), before his life joined his groin and started to unravel.
It seems from afar that when a person like Fevola is unable to perform the only skill his mind and body possess (that is of a brilliant footballer), then the mind and body seek other outlets, then fall apart.
A reduced Fevola was aimless, admitted to massive gambling debts, and his never-really-in-control personality did what it always did - lost control.
Even a conciliatory trip to China with Brisbane showed that not much had changed. Even under such scrutiny, his behaviour was less than one would expect.
There are people - we’ve all met them, in all walks of life - who seem incapable of reform, of understanding their personal responsibilities.
Whether this inability is ingrained, whether it’s a consequence of being spoilt by fame and riches, or both, there comes a time when no more can be done by third parties: it comes down to the individual.
In Fevola’s case, it seems, he could not bring himself to face the truth. Perhaps he did, but all too late.
Not unreasonably, the club’s patience reached its limit, most likely on the morning after New Year’s Eve, when Fevola was put in custody and faced charges of causing public nuisance and obstructing police.
A new year was starting just the like many before them. As Brisbane noted: "Brendan had engaged in serious or wilful misconduct through persistent breaches of his obligations as a player to the club".
But the most important lines in Brisbane's statement of release relate to the club's need to "uphold the culture and reputation of the club".
This is a fundamental of business, but also a tacit acknowledgement that the club's initial decision to recruit Fevola may not been thought through clearly enough; remember the decision was made after Carlton had given him his marching orders following a bizarre and clearly intoxicated performance behind the Channel Nine microphone at the 2009 Brownlow.
Perhaps coach Michael Voss, supported by his very powerful captain Jonathan Brown, and the leadership culture of Luke Power (now AFLPA president), and Simon Black, believed that he - and they - could corral Fevola, not an unreasonable assumption given the strength, purpose and long relationship of this quartet.
Remember that Brown was Fevola’s captain in the Victorian State Of Origin match in 2008, in which Fevola won the Aylett Medal for best player in the match against the 'Dream Team'.
Brisbane's point about "culture and reputation" is the key principal by which any organisation - whether sporting or business - must operate.
The club believes it has done all it could reasonably do to support Fevola over the last 15 months, and few would dispute that. It has now decided that the greater good of the club cannot be held back by ongoing care for an individual who either will not or cannot change his behaviour.
The Lions also pointed out "while the club has no legal obligation to do so, it has advised Brendan that it will provide financial support to him, to enable him to continue to receive the necessary assistance with his financial situation and prepare him for his future life".
That "necessary assistance" may well assist Fevola to survive financially; whether it will provide the sustenance a player of his fragile mind requires is unclear.
But surely there comes a time when an individual must stand up for himself, and rebuild what is left of his life and his opportunity. For Fevola, and his management, that time is now.
For Brisbane, coming off a poor finish to 2010, and a similarly poor opening through the NAB Cup, the time is also right for a new start, unencumbered by distractions.
This will not be an easy season for the club, but it may well be the season the club needs - to confirm and clarify what it stands for, and to build again to the strength, community and brilliance it showed just ten years ago.
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL
