He Was the Only One Who Showed Up: 5 Players Went to the Hotel, But Only 1 Went to the Police Station — Who Was It?
Sydney Swans vice-captain Isaac Heeney is now at the centre of the police investigation into an alleged sex assault at the team’s East Melbourne hotel.
With the AFL now poised to punish the players involved, 7NEWS chief AFL reporter Mitch Cleary has confirmed that the 30-year-old Swans poster boy is the only player who attended a police station to speak with detectives.
Heeney voluntarily attended the police station on Monday.
No charges have been laid and 7NEWS is not suggesting Heeney is under investigation by police or has been implicated in any wrongdoing, just that he is assisting with inquiries.
The 30-year-old three-time All-Australian is the pin-up boy for Sydney’s Academy and, indeed, for the AFL in the Harbour City.
He has almost 250 AFL games to his name, is a multiple best-and-fairest winner, is aligned with big-name sponsors, and recently released a children’s book.
He also regulary posts photos of himself with his fiancee Steffie Waters.
Cleary said he’s the only one of the Swans players called to speak to officers from the sexual crimes squad at West Melbourne police station.
“Multiple stakeholders I’ve spoken to today are expecting a Swans statement in the next 24 hours,” Cleary told 7NEWS.
“That will see at least the four players identified not to be eligible for selection for at least this weekend’s game against North Melbourne, with Nick Blakey’s spot also in question.
“Now, those players were spoken to by Swans officials offsite away from the club today to ascertain their timeline of events from Sunday night into Monday morning. That is a separate investigation to the one currently being undertaken by Victoria Police that remains ongoing.”
The other players expected to ruled out of selection are Chad Warner, James Jordon and Riley Bice.
Officially, Victoria Police have not formally interviewed anyone and the sexual crime squad has taken charge of the investigation.
It is understood Heeney did not fly back to Sydney, but returned home via a car.
Police attended the Pullman Hotel in East Melbourne on Monday and said they were investigating a report of sexual assault in the early hours of the morning.
The Swans stayed at the hotel on Sunday night (after their 36-point win over Essendon at the MCG) because they could not return to Sydney due to Sydney Airport’s 11pm curfew.
In a statement sent on Tuesday night, the AFL stressed that the sexual assault allegations currently under police investigation were “serious”.
“While the matter remains under police investigation, it raises broader issues for our game and our responsibilities as a sport,” AFL chief Andrew Dillon said.
“The woman who made the report to police is entitled to privacy and care, and that should be respected.
“It is important that the police process is allowed to run its course and that we do not pre-judge its outcome.
“Sexual assault allegations are serious, regardless of who is involved, what time of year it is, or what they may mean for a season.
“Our first question should not be what this means for a football club or its season. It should be whether our actions match the standards we stand for and the community expects of us.
“As a sport, and as an industry, we are clear about the standards we expect and the values we stand for and the need to uphold them.
“Being clear about our standards also means being prepared to act when those standards are not met.”
Sydney chief executive Matthew Pavlich on Monday afternoon confirmed several players had been involved in an “alleged incident”.
On Tuesday morning, coach Dean Cox briefly spoke to media outside of Sydney’s headquarters for the first time since the news broke.
“Obviously extremely disappointed with what’s happened, and understand the questions and we’ll update as we gather more information,” Cox said.
Sydney issued a statement later on Tuesday night, confirming the players involved would be punished.
“The Sydney Swans can confirm that the club board will meet tonight to agree on player sanctions and penalties, now that the club has concluded its interviews with all the players involved in the incident in Melbourne,” the statement said.
“We respect there is an ongoing investigation by Victoria Police and any actions we take are independent of this.
“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.
“We also want to acknowledge that the care and welfare of our AFLW athletes and staff is of the utmost importance to us as a club.
“They have been and will continue to be offered the support they require and we acknowledge the impact these allegations have on our female athletes, staff members and the wider community.
“Any further sanctions or decisions regarding the outcome of the police investigation would take place after that process is completed.
“During this time, we will provide the appropriate support to the players involved in the incident, along with their partners and families.
“The Sydney Swans hold all players and staff at the club to high standards of behaviour and personal conduct. Representing this club carries significant responsibilities both on and off the field, and we expect those standards to be upheld at all times.
“Our focus remains on cooperating fully with the AFL and authorities, maintaining the integrity of the process, and upholding the high standards expected of everyone who represents this club.”
Luke Hodge, one of the greatest AFL captains of the modern era, has questioned Sydney’s famed ‘Bloods’ culture following the Swans’ sexual assault investigation.
“The big question that comes as a leader is, you have to be hard on these guys because you are trying to set a culture and as a captain or as a coach, you have got all these younger guys that are coming through that have to follow the culture from the older guys,” Hodge said.
“This is where you sit back with a massive question mark — have we given too much trust to these players, if they think this is OK to do on a Sunday night in Melbourne?
“They’ve got the ‘Bloods’ culture … that’s fractured at the moment, that Bloods culture, ‘we’ll do anything for one another.’”
The Swans have already locked in a home qualifying final ahead of their final regular-season match against North Melbourne at the SCG on Sunday.
SOURCE: 7 NEWS
https://7news.com.au/sport/afl/sydney-swans-poster-boy-isaac-heeney-the-focus-of-police-probe-into-alleged-sexual-assault-c-22741839
