Five Sydney Swans players have been suspended for the remainder of the AFL season after police began a probe into a possible sexual assault at a Melbourne hotel.
The ban was announced after detectives investigated an alleged incident at the Pullman Hotel, where the Swans players were staying following a weekend match in Melbourne. The player group—Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, James Jordon and Riley Bice—had been seen drinking late into the night and inviting women to the hotel; the club said the actions breached its standards.
None of the five have been arrested or formally charged. Submissions to Victoria Police reported that no one has yet been formally interviewed or detained, but officers have spoken to several witnesses at the hotel.
Club chairman Andrew Pridham offered a public apology and said the sanctions were independent of the police inquiry, but he noted that the AFL backed the Swans' decisions. Chief executive Matthew Pavlich described the situation as deeply embarrassing and stressed the club’s concern for the welfare of any involved parties.
The AFL does not enforce a strict no‑fault stand‑down rule for serious offences such as sexual assault; instead, clubs decide on a case‑by‑case basis. With the Swans currently ranked second on the ladder, the suspensions could impact the team’s performance in the approaching finals series.
The club’s next pre‑final fixture is a match against North Melbourne at the Sydney Cricket Ground—a game that will be the last before the finals. Heeney and Warner, who are among the league’s most high‑profile talents, face significant uncertainty as the investigation continues.
