NATCHITOCHES, La.  — Long before he became the beloved head football coach at undefeated LSU, this is where Ed Orgeron made some of the dumbest mistakes of his life and nearly threw away his future, according to local legend.

It was late 1982. Orgeron had just finished his junior season as a football player at the local university, Northwestern State. But he was on thin ice. He already had quit LSU as a freshman because he was homesick and didn’t like it there. Then after he joined NSU about 180 miles up the road, he had earned a reputation as a hell-raising, curfew-busting barroom brawler.

A new coach had just been hired, Sam Goodwin, who considered kicking him off the team, along with his roommate, after they were accused of trashing a dorm room.

The school’s housing director “took me into this one room, and every piece of furniture in there was broke,” Goodwin recalled this week as Orgeron prepared LSU for the national championship game against Clemson Monday in New Orleans.

“Just a total disaster,” he said. “He told me two of my players did all that, and it wasn’t the first time they had done it. One of them was Bébé Orgeron, and the other Bryan Arceneaux, both of them from South Lafourche.”

Grant’s lawyer has described the case as “personal and private”, saying it could hurt his reputation and family.

The North Melbourne premiership player was arrested at his Highett home last week on 18 charges including assault, intentionally causing injury and criminal damage.

Grant, 40, allegedly committed assaults on three separate occasions in 2017.

It’s also alleged he stomped on a victim’s foot, caused injury by throwing a mobile phone, and damaged a laptop.

Grant, who won the 1999 Norm Smith medal with the Kangaroos, faced Moorabbin Magistrates Court on Wednesday for a brief hearing.

“Mr Grant is obviously concerned about the fact that matters of a personal and private nature relating to him are now a matter of public and media concern,” defence lawyer Nicole Spicer said outside court.

“He will where appropriate be defending the charges and will be addressing them in a full and appropriate manner.”

Ms Spicer said the proceedings were difficult for Grant but he was mostly worried about his family’s welfare.

“He is mainly concerned about his family and his capacity to protect his family,” she told reporters.

“He is obtaining support from friends and community members and he’s dealing with the matters seriously.”

Grant’s arrest came two days after his shock resignation from a coaching role with amateur club St Kevin’s Old Boys.

Prosecutors told the court they were still gathering witness statements in the case.

The matters were adjourned for a contest mention on March 23 as investigations continue.

Grant played 301 AFL games, including 243 for North Melbourne, and won the club’s best and fairest award in 2001.