Sydney Swans player Isaac Heeney is reportedly the focus of a Victoria Police investigation into an alleged sexual assault involving five of the club's players. The players, including Chad Warner, Riley Bice, Nick Blakey, and James Jordon, have been stood down for the remainder of the 2026 AFL season after the club determined they breached its standards.
The breach involved staying out late, consuming alcohol, and bringing women back to the Pullman East Melbourne hotel in the early hours of Monday morning. The club's disciplinary action is separate from the ongoing police investigation.
Victoria Police's sex crimes squad is expected to interview the players after the complainant, who is central to the allegations, formally lodged a complaint on Tuesday. Detectives are reportedly focusing on Heeney's alleged actions. Heeney has spoken with police, but none of the players have been formally interviewed.
Sources suggest that players were in a room with women, one of whom allegedly performed lap dances. The complainant, who was reportedly clothed, is the subject of the complaint. Allegations of cocaine and ketamine use in the players' room have also surfaced.
Sydney Swans chair Andrew Pridham and chief executive Matthew Pavlich declined to comment on the illicit drug allegations or whether the players had been drug tested, stating it was potentially part of the police matter.
Details emerged Wednesday that the five players had invited exotic dancers to their hotel room around 4 a.m. Monday for private performances. Witnesses reported that several hours later, two women approached hotel staff seeking access to guest rooms. One woman was overheard telling staff she had been "touched" and felt "overwhelmed" in the room with several men.
Sources claim the woman may have been locked out of the room, possibly naked, and protested that she had been violated. She reportedly approached a Swans official in the lobby to retrieve her clothes from a club-booked floor. Police were called after one of the women was seen crying in a hotel restroom.
The five suspended players issued a joint apology on Wednesday evening, stating, "We are deeply sorry to everyone involved. We know that our behavior has fallen well short of the standards expected of us and the values of our club. We know we have let down our partners and families, members, supporters, teammates, the AFLW team, corporate partners and everyone at the club and the wider community. We accept the club sanction and apologize for the impact this has had on those involved. Our focus will now be on rebuilding trust with the club and the community."
Former Swans coach John Longmire, now the club performance executive director, expressed disappointment, noting the saga has impacted the club's culture. "To say that it's been a challenging few days would be a huge understatement," Longmire stated. "The culture of the footy club, it's taken a big hit. It'll take time for everyone to rebuild the trust in the football club, and that's what the intention of everyone is to do, to get to work and rebuild the trust in the football club."
No charges have been laid, and all players have denied any wrongdoing.