RETIRED West Coast champion Dean Cox suspects at least 10 Eagles players experimented with drugs during the club's infamous fall from grace last decade.
Although much of the focus of West Coast's off-field shenanigans during 2006-07 focused on Ben Cousins' drug addiction, Cox said the issue stemmed far deeper than just one player.
Cox revealed the off-field dramas reached such a climax that it forced then-coach John Worsfold to call each player into his office to ask them directly whether they were either using or had previously experimented with drugs.
"I don't know the exact number of players who answered in the affirmative ... but I suspect it was in double figures," Cox wrote in his autobiography
Iron Eagle, which was released this week.
Cox admits the turmoil caused some fractures within the player group.
"That's why it took so long to get all the players back on board," Cox said at his book launch on Wednesday.
"The majority of the players were down one way, and there were a few down another path.
"We were there for team success, and you can't do it while doing a number of things the player group were going through.
"Throughout '06 and '07 there became a real issue where things were privately done.
"Everyone was so stuck to themselves. And then from there it really came to a head where things were really affecting the football club."
Cousins was sacked at the end of 2007 after his drug use spiralled out of control, while other players were put on notice that their careers were hanging by a thread.
Cox played a vital role in turning the culture around, and his influence on the field was just as crucial as West Coast went from wooden spooners in 2010 to preliminary finalists a year later.
The 33-year-old, who retired at the end of this season, will be remembered as one of West Coast's all-time greats after producing a career that spanned 290 games and included six All Australian guernseys.
Cox will now embark on a coaching career, but knows he's not ready for a senior position just yet, ruling out the prospect of applying for the vacant posts at Gold Coast or Adelaide.
The premiership ruckman said rival clubs had tried to talk him out of retirement to play for them next year, but he couldn't bring himself to take up their offer.
"I'm still a footy romantic and love the idea of finishing playing at one club," Cox said.
Cox is hopeful of finalising a deal with the Eagles soon to become a full-time assistant coach with them next year.
http://www.afl.com.au/news/2014-10-01/drugs-derailed-us-cox-
