Troubled AFL star Brendan Fevola denied he was a gambling addict when asked by his former club, Carlton.

Blues coach Brett Ratten said he had heard rumours about Fevola having a gambling problem before the star was traded to Brisbane at the end of last season.

“We heard rumours when Brendan was at the club and we asked the question and he denied that,” Ratten said in Adelaide on Friday.

Fevola admitted on Thursday night to Channel Nine’s AFL Footy Show he has had a gambling addiction for several years and is undergoing counselling.

“It is good that he has come out and admitted it,” Ratten said.

“So hopefully he gets over that really quickly and we wish him well.”

Ratten said it was a fine line between enjoying a punt and being a problem gambler.

“It’s a line that you don’t know all the time,” he said.

“It’s hard to know everyone’s personal business but we asked the question and he denied it so that is all you can do, try and be there for support and hopefully it goes well for him into the future.”

The Carlton coach said it was difficult for clubs “when players keep things personal”.

“I suppose (that is) when the relationship between the club, the (player’s) manager and the player is really important,” he said.

“And that is something the club is always working pretty hard at, to get that relationship close with the player managers so then hopefully the information is passed around.

“I think the manager and the football club have got a responsibility to the player to try and assist him through difficult times, whenever it is, that is something that is ongoing.

“I suppose the honesty of players and something that might have happened behind the scene that they don’t like or they are not happy about, if they could come forward it would be great.

“… Maybe the responsibility of everyone there associated is to make sure that the player doesn’t get this lump sum dropped into his lap and I suppose (that’s) the responsibility for all of the families, the clubs, and the managers.

“But it’s down to the individual isn’t it, he makes choices in life and hopefully they make the right ones.”

AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou admitted on Fairfax radio today he suspected last year that Fevola had a gambling problem.

Demetriou said that hearsay led him to believe Fevola could be in trouble.

“There were sort of some murmurings last year, and even I think it was mentioned in the media,” he said.

“So when those sorts of things start to generate a bit of momentum, you start to think there could be something in it.”