BRENDAN Fevola was in a dangerous mood when he arrived at Monday night's Brownlow Medal count. Some people when they drink become affectionate and funny. That was Simon Black and Adam Goodes.

Some become quick-witted and funny. That was Chris Judd in 2004. Some become laconic and funny, which was Adam Cooney last year, and some are smart enough to disappear which - by all reports - is what Jason Akermanis did three nights ago.

Not Fevola. ''I'm f---ing sick of this,'' he commented loudly to anyone within blue-carpet earshot as his pregnant wife Alex was conducting an interview, ''I can't wait to have a beer.''

Slapped again by a $10,000 fine from Carlton, reportedly edited out of tonight's grand final edition of The Footy Show and publicly chastised by Andrew Demetriou; the Coleman medallist's holiday period has already been punctuated by binges of impressive proportions since Carlton bowed out of season 2009.

Much was made of the Mad Monday dildo that Fevola proudly raised for a photograph immediately passed on to the tabloids.

The Blues, who have struggled for years to deal with Fevola, closed ranks around him then as they generally do but the truth is that the 28-year-old's behaviour that day at Naughton's Hotel was nothing short of disgraceful.

It is also true that footballers deserve some time in private. The problem with Fevola is that when he drinks he seems to seek out the spotlight.

Carlton clearly had an agreement with the Royal Parade establishment generally frequented by Melbourne University students and was, on that particular night, playing host to inmates of the nearby college residents celebrating their own football break-ups.

The two minders watching over Fevola and others could only shake their heads at the filth that came out of his mouth, the simulated sex with teammates and the systematic manner in which he racially taunted one student of Chinese background.

They were clearly relieved when he staggered out of the joint too drunk to know what he was doing. Sometimes Fev gets violent, too, but not that night.

All that came out of Carlton in the following days was that Fevola had been set up. This was a case of too many heads in the sand.

To even suggest yesterday, as the Blues did by way of executing his sanction, that the All-Australian full-forward was on holidays when he attended the Brownlow was astonishing.