THE Office of Police Integrity has been urged to investigate what role senior police played in Collingwood's rejection of disgraced AFL champion Ben Cousins.

The Police Association has demanded Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon publicly provide answers or face an inquiry.

The Herald Sun yesterday revealed Ms Nixon secretly discussed the recruitment of the troubled Cousins with the Magpies.

The club later decided not to draft him, and St Kilda now appears the most likely club to pick him up.

Cousins has a well-publicised battle with drug addiction.

He has also had several run-ins with police in recent years.

Police Association secretary Greg Davies said if a senior constable had spoken to a football club about a potential recruit, questions would rightly be asked.

"They'd be all over it. The OPI would be making noises," he said.

Sen-Sgt Davies said the OPI had the power to initiate its own investigation, and should do so in this case.

"We shouldn't have to ask them. They should just do it.

"There's either an acceptable explanation or a thorough investigation is needed by the OPI.

"I don't understand why she'd have anything to do with (the Cousins issue).

"In the end, nothing good can come from any police officer getting involved -- unofficially -- with anything to do with Ben Cousins," Sen-Sgt Davies said.

The OPI declined to comment last night, while Collingwood and Victoria Police also maintained their silence.

Cousins' manager, Ricky Nixon, said he wanted to know what was said when the Chief Commissioner and the Magpies spoke in the period before the club decided not to recruit his client.

Mr Nixon said he did not plan to make his grievances official but made his anger clear earlier in the day.

"I'm concerned that the Police Commissioner won't come out and say what she said," he said.

"It leaves it open to innuendo and rumour and speculation. Every radio station has been rife with all that sort of talk and garbage."

Mr Nixon criticised the Magpies for using a private investigator this year to examine Cousins' personal life.

He understood any club doing "due diligence", but considered Collingwood's tactics had been over the top.

The manager said: "I tell you what, if they want 110 per cent of what Ben has been through and where he's at, they only have to come to my office.

"We're not going to skirt the issue, we're going to make it very plain Jane and black and white, and be honest about what's going on, not sending private investigators over to Perth to talk to every Tom, Dick and Harry in a cafe about where they've seen Ben Cousins or what he's doing."

A St Kilda spokesman said nothing had changed in its approach to Cousins.

"We're interested but there is a lot of water to go under the bridge before that goes anywhere," he said.

Cousins, the 2005 Brownlow medallist, was deregistered in 2008 for bringing the game into disrepute.

He can return to the sport only if cleared by the AFL Commission next month.

Source: Herald Sun