AFL CEO Andrew Dillon’s Strong Condemnation of the Sydney Swans Scandal: His Firm Stand on Respecting Women Delivers the Strongest Blow Yet to the Five Players
AFL boss Andrew Dillon has confirmed the five suspended Sydney Swans players will not be invited to Brownlow Medal night.
But the quintet will remain eligible for the award, with Isaac Heeney in particular a chance to poll highly come next month’s gala in Melbourne.
Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, Riley Bice and James Jordon were last week banned for the rest of the season by Sydney for breaching club standards.
The AFL supported the decision and later confirmed the players would be ineligible for the All Australian squad and team.
Heeney was likely to make the team while Warner and Blakey would have been in the mix to join him.
The five players will continue to poll votes in the Brownlow count and remain eligible, with only on-field suspensions ruling players out of the running for the best and fairest award.
They will not, however, attend the event in Melbourne.
“The invitations to the Brownlow will be going out this week,” Dillon said on Monday.
“Those players won’t be invited.”
Heeney has attended multiple Brownlow nights in Melbourne and finished equal fourth on 28 votes in 2024 before collecting 17 last year.
Warner was on hand last year as he topped the Swans’ count in 2025 with 21 votes.
Dillon’s press conference at the AFL finals launch on Monday was his first public appearance since the scandal broke last Monday.
Declaring respect for women is not negotiable, the CEO started his speech with a strongly worded statement expanding on an AFL memo last Tuesday night.
“I have been asked a lot in recent days, what message football should be sending young people and what we should be saying to our kids,” Dillon said.
“For me, the answer is straightforward — it doesn’t matter who you are, it doesn’t matter what you do, whether you’re an AFL footballer — the way we treat women says a lot about who we are as people, as a community and as a game.
“Quite simply, respect for women is not negotiable.”
Dillon added everyone involved in the game had an extraordinary platform and a responsibility to set the right example.
Separate to the Swans’ bans for breaching club standards, a police investigation into sexual assault allegations, related to what allegedly took place in a room at East Melbourne’s Pullman Hotel in the early hours of Monday morning last week, is ongoing.
None of the players have been arrested or charged and 7NEWS is not suggesting any wrongdoing.
“The actions of five players have fallen well short of the standards our game expects and community deserves,” Dillon said of the club-imposed bans.
“While there are players involved, we cannot lose sight of the bigger picture. More importantly, there are women who have made a report to police and they should be shown care and respect.
“There are also families, staff, supporters, teammates and members of the wider community who have been affected.
“This includes women who play, work and lead across our AFL and AFLW competitions and throughout our game.”
Dillon again reiterated that the conversation should not be about what the bans mean for Sydney’s finals chances. The Swans finished the season second, beating North Melbourne at the SCG on Sunday in an emotion-charged match.
“Our focus is not on the impact of last week on a club’s finals prospects. It’s on whether our actions reflect the values and expectations of our community,” Dillon said.
“The actions taken last week by the Swans and the AFL demonstrate how seriously this matter has been treated.
“Upholding these standards matter, because football holds a unique place in Australian life.
“It brings communities and it has the power to influence how people think, act and treat one another, and to bring out the very best in each other.”
SOURCE: 7 NEWS
https://7news.com.au/sport/afl/afl-boss-confirms-banned-sydney-players-blocked-from-attending-brownlow-night-but-still-eligible-for-award-c-22768139
