Sydney Swans sanction players linked to sexual assault investigation

The Sydney-based AFL club has released a third statement in response to the ongoing police investigation into allegations of sexual assault.

In a statement this morning, 19 August, the AFL team said: “Sydney Swans players Riley Bice, Nick Blakey, Isaac Heeney, James Jordon and Chad Warner will not be considered for selection for the remainder of the 2026 AFL season.”

The players’ ban comes after they were linked to an ongoing investigation, being conducted by Victoria Police, into an alleged sexual assault at a Melbourne hotel last weekend, following the Swans’ win over Essendon.

It has not been suggested that any of the players are being accused of sexual assault.

The club has faced mounting pressure to take action and reconsider the language used in its past statements, which have been accused of mollifying the situation and the players’ alleged role in it.

The team first acknowledged the allegations in a 17 August statement that read: “The Sydney Swans can confirm several players were involved in an alleged incident in Melbourne last night.

“The Swans have notified the AFL and relevant authorities and cannot provide further comment at this stage.”

As reported by ABC, Swans CEO Matthew Pavlich’s suggestion on 17 August that the players “found themselves in this situation” was also criticised as a poor representation of the situation.

In an Instagram post on 18 August, lawyer and activist against men’s violence Tarang Chawla offered several rewritten sentences from this statement to identify the allegation, note the seriousness of it, and recognise the impact of the potential assault.

Chawla criticised the framing as putting the victimhood onto the players and absolving potential culpability, instead offering: “These are serious allegations. We are concerned for anyone who may have experienced harm, while recognising that the facts must now be established through the proper investigative process.”

Minister for Social Services Tanya Plibersek said in an 18 August Instagram post that responses to the allegation have “fallen alarmingly short”.

The Sydney Swans, she said, chose language that was “passive and exculpatory”, which led to concerns for the players’ career prospects and the club’s performance.

Plibersek said: “When people in positions of power gloss over allegations of sexual violence, when they’re more focused on their reputations than their responsibilities – it reinforces the culture of disrespect and entitlement that fuels this violence in the first place.”

On 18 August, and following general criticism of the so-called mild and vague wording, the club released a lengthier statement detailing possible sanctions.

The statement included: “The Club believes the players are in serious breach of expected Club behaviour and standards, and it is appropriate to take firm action and highlight that any sanction we impose relates solely to those breaches.

“The Club also acknowledges that these serious allegations impact others and their wellbeing must be paramount.

“The Sydney Swans condemn all forms of abuse and disrespectful behaviour towards women. Any conduct that causes offence or harm to others is unacceptable and falls well short of our expectations. All women deserve to be respected and feel safe.”

Advocates praised this second statement’s clearer undertaking of accountability and the mention of possible sanctions.

The move to ban the five players from the rest of the season is also likely to be supported.

More to come.

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