AFL boss calls Sydney Swans allegations deeply concerning as club weighs sanctions
The AFL has broken its silence over allegations involving Sydney Swans players, with league boss Andrew Dillon describing the reports as “deeply concerning” ...
The AFL has broken its silence over allegations involving Sydney Swans players, with league boss Andrew Dillon describing the reports as “deeply concerning” as the club weighs sanctions that could include bans from the finals.
The Swans are due to have their board meet on Tuesday night to decide penalties after a reported sexual assault at Melbourne’s Pullman Hotel in the early hours of Monday. Victoria Police on Tuesday confirmed its sexual crimes squad was investigating the complaint. No arrests have been made and no charges laid.
Club discipline comes first
In a statement released on Tuesday night, the Swans said they had interviewed the players involved and believed they were in “serious breach” of club behaviour standards. Any sanction, the club added, would relate only to those breaches, not to the police case itself.
The players were not named. The board’s decision is expected on Wednesday.
The club said its response would be separate from the criminal investigation, and that any further action tied to police findings would wait until the inquiry is finished. That leaves open the possibility of tougher penalties later, including finals bans, depending on how the matter develops.
Police inquiry continues
Victoria Police said detectives from the sexual crimes squad were handling the matter after the alleged incident at an East Melbourne hotel, hours after Sydney’s win over Essendon at the MCG on Sunday night. The force said it had not arrested or formally interviewed anyone.
Reports have linked several Swans players to the inquiry, including Isaac Heeney, Riley Bice, James Jordon and Chad Warner, while representatives for one other player denied he was involved. News reports said some players had spoken with police after the allegation was made, but there has been no suggestion of charges.
Swans coach Dean Cox spoke publicly on Tuesday for the first time and said the club was “extremely disappointed” by what had happened. He said the team would keep updating the public as more information came to hand.
“We are working our way through everything with the AFL,” Cox said outside club headquarters. The next step now sits with the Swans’ board, and with police, whose inquiry remains open.
