Victoria police confirmed an investigation into an alleged sexual assault sparked by an incident allegedly involving Sydney Swans players is continuing, but no arrests or formal interviews have taken place and no charges have been laid.
Swans players Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, James Jordon and Riley Bice were reportedly questioned by detectives in relation to an alleged incident at the Pullman Hotel early on Monday morning, however there is no confirmation they were directly involved.
Victoria police released a new statement on Tuesday morning.
“Detectives from the Sexual Crimes Squad are investigating a report of a sexual assault in East Melbourne on 17 August,” it read. “The incident occurred at a hotel on Wellington Parade in the early hours of the morning.”
The four players reportedly returned to the hotel in the early hours of Monday morning after drinking, following the victory over Essendon at the MCG that secured the Swans a home final.
“The exact circumstances are yet to be established and the investigation into the incident remains ongoing,” the police statement read. “Police spoke to a number of people at the hotel, however no one has been arrested or formally interviewed at this time.”
The statement follows comments from Swans coach Dean Cox outside the club’s training facility in Sydney.
“Yeah, obviously extremely disappointed with what’s happened and understand the questions and we’ll update as we get more information,” Cox said.
Asked if there would be sanctions against any players, he replied: “We’re working our way through everything with the AFL and the relevant parties, and, yeah, we’ll update where we get more information.”
He did not confirm if he had spoken to any of the players about the incident, saying “we’ll speak as the day unfolds”.
The matter was front page news in both Sydney and Melbourne on Tuesday, and prompted a question to Victorian premier, Ben Carroll.
“It is under police investigation but every young woman, young girl, every female deserves to be treated with respect and to be given the safety that they deserve,” Carroll said. “The state government, we have a lot of victim support services and they’ll be available for any victim.”
Swans chief executive Matthew Pavlich confirmed on Monday afternoon that several players had been linked to an alleged incident, but he took no questions from media.
“We’re still piecing together exactly what’s transpired here and have our own set of internal inquiries ongoing,” Pavlich said. “But safe to say that we’re extremely shocked and disappointed that this has taken place and that the players have found themselves in this situation.”
The AFL has the power to stand down players if they are accused of illegal behaviour.
The application of the controversial “no fault stand-down” rule is discretionary, but it was used to bar Geelong’s Tanner Bruhn from playing in 2025. Bruhn maintained his innocence and the charges against him were ultimately dropped. He has returned to play this year.
In 2020, the Swans used their own powers to stand down Elijah Taylor after he was charged with assault. Taylor pleaded guilty to unlawfully assaulting his ex-girlfriend and causing her bodily harm at a Perth hotel but was spared jail and issued a spent conviction.
The Swans play North Melbourne at the SCG on Sunday. Sydney are required to name its extended squad on Thursday evening then cut that back to 23 players plus three emergencies on Friday. The Swans then have a week off during the wildcard round before a home qualifying final.
• Australian Associated Press contributed to this report
• Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse is available from the following organisations. In Australia, support is available at Full Stop Australia (1800 385 578). In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html
