Shocking Developments in the Sydney Swans Scandal: A String of New Details Emerges as Bombshell Revelations from the Dancer at the Center of the Investigation Rock the AFL
Swans coach Dean Cox and captain Callum Mills have spoken to the press and have made an apology to the club’s AFL Women’s squad and female staff at the club.
It is the latest development after bombshell claims emerged on Thursday while the woman at the centre of an alleged sexual assault also spoke publicly for the first time.
Mills and Cox were forced to defend the club’s culture and made several telling answers to questions about the alleged hotel room sexual assault.
Cox said the playing group is “unanimously” supportive of the sanctions handed down which have wiped five players — Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, James Jordon and Riley Bice — out for the remainder of the season.
Cox said he had not even considered football matters ahead of their final game of the home-and-away season against North Melbourne on Sunday at the SCG as a result of his focus shifting to the alleged hotel incident that has brought the club to its knees.
Dean Cox and Callum Mills. Picture: News24
“I haven’t looked at football. North Melbourne, without disrespect and what they mean, this is about working through this process as quickly as we can with respect to all parties,” he said.
When asked about the five players, Cox responded: “We believe that the five players have let us down and that we will be doing everything we possibly can to rebuild trust and respect.
He went on to say: “I’ve spoken to the players. My role as coach is to support our players, but we are fully supportive of the sanctions the board made and this is unanimous.”
Mills, meanwhile, said he has not witnessed any similar incidents at the club.
He said he was not present in the hotel room where the alleged sexual assault took place and said he was “shocked” when he learned about the alleged incident on Monday morning.
Mills said he has had to have “extremely hard conversations” with the five players involved, saying there has been a range of emotions throughout the club, including “pain, sadness and disappointment”.
Sydney Swans senior coach Dean Cox and captain Callum Mills. Picture: NewsWire / Nadir Kinani
In contrast to swirling reports, Mills stressed there are no “rifts” within the dressing room.
The club is in crisis after the woman at the centre of the alleged sexual assault involving five players claimed there were nine men in the Melbourne hotel room, and that they performed for “less money” because they “told us they were carpenters”.
Cox and Mills did not respond when asked about those claims, saying the allegations are part of an ongoing police investigation.
However, Cox did categorically say he was not in the hotel room on Sunday night or Monday morning.
Woman at centre of sexual assault investigation speaks out
The Herald Sun has exclusively interviewed the dancer at the centre of the allegation, who is claiming there were “nine men” in the room, despite the Swans claiming there were no more than five.
She said: “I don’t want money. All I care about is justice.
“I’m going to stand up for what is right. And I’m never going to let this happen to anyone else. Justice will be served.
“I care about women’s rights and what’s right, because this happens too often to women and they get away with it.”
She has also alleged the players “told us they were carpenters” and therefore could not pay the full rate.
(L-R) Nick Blakey, James Jordon, Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner and Riley Bice have all been suspended by the Swans as the police investigation continues (Photo by Phil Hillyard)
Channel 7 shared an image of the Pullman East Melbourne hotel room (Picture: Channel 7)
It comes after Channel 7 reported they contacted the woman who took the Party Girls Melbourne booking from the Swans players on Monday morning.
The individual, who asked to remain anonymous, claims she and the exotic dancer have been identified online and are now “worried about retribution” from the public and “fear for their lives”.
She went on to add: “I’m so scared. This is so dangerous for our safety.”
The same report alleges that the sexual assault complaint was a “slap on the backside,” noting that detail remained unconfirmed.
Meanwhile, senior police sources have reportedly told ABC their understanding is an “arrangement was reached in a hotel room” for players to take drugs, believed to be cocaine, off the women’s breasts and buttocks.
Heeney, Warner, Blakey, Jordon and Bice have been stood down for the remainder of the AFL season as police continue to investigate an alleged sexual assault at a Melbourne hotel in the early hours of Monday morning.
Of the five involved in the alleged incident, Heeney is reportedly at the centre of the police investigation.
None of the five players have formally been interviewed by police, but they have reportedly spoken to investigators.
No arrests have been made nor any charges laid, with the exact circumstances of the incident still to be determined.
News.com.au does not suggest any of the players are under investigation or implicated in any wrongdoing, only that they have been spoken to by investigators.
‘Locked out of room’ allegation
New details have emerged surrounding one of the women involved in the Swans investigation.
Following reports topless waitresses were ordered to the Melbourne hotel, the Herald Sun claim one may have been locked out of the room while naked.
It is claimed she found a Swans official and made a complaint asking to retrieve her clothes, which is when the team realised what had unfolded.
Heeney’s fiancee ‘leaves Sydney home’
Isaac Heeney’s fiancee Steffanie Waters has reportedly left their Sydney home amid the fallout from the star’s suspension by the Swans.
Heeney has already lost sponsors and had his children’s book pulled from shelves in the wake of the scandal.
Isaac Heeney‘s long-time partner Steffanie Waters, who is not in any way involved in the alleged incident in Melbourne, has reportedly left their Sydney home and headed to Noosa (Picture: Instagram)
And the latest claim from the Adelaide Advertiser alleges his fiancee Waters, who is described as “distraught” in light of the scandal, has “travelled away” from their Sydney home and headed to Noosa.
In the report, a friend of Heeney’s also said: “He is in a real bad head space.”
Heeney and Waters, who have been dating for several years and got engaged in French Polynesia last October, have restricted comments on most of their Instagram pages.
However trolls have targeted Waters with abusive comments on some of her posts.
Four of the five Swans stars involved in the police investigation — Heeney, Blakey, Jordon and Warner — have publicised their relationships on social media.
Warner is with girlfriend Alice Hughes, while Blakey is in a relationship with Olympic sprinter Ella Connolly.
Jordan is dating charity worker Emily Twycross.
Chad Warner is in a relationship with Alice Hughes (Picture: Instagram)
James Jordon is with charity worker Emily Twycross (Picture: Instagram)
Nick Blakey is dating Australian Olympic sprinter Ella Connolly (Picture: Instagram)
‘Completely unacceptable’: PM speaks on scandal
Aussie Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has condemned the Swans scandal as “completely unacceptable,” and urged the AFL to “do better”.
He told ABC: “Our thoughts are with the women involved, every woman and every girl has a right to feel safe in any environment.
“Its extraordinary that this has occurred… The idea that this is occurring is completely untenable and the initial response as well was I think completely unacceptable.
“The first thoughts should have been, always, about women and their safety, and I don’t think that occurred at this time and I hope that the AFL certainly needs to do better.”
Anthony Albanese spoke about the scandal on ABC (Picture: ABC)
Squad disharmony
The Swans squad are reportedly anything but united on the back of the investigation into an alleged sexual assault following the team’s win over Essendon at the MCG on Sunday.
The squad know they have to move forward and focus on footy, which is easier said than done.
As they returned to training on Wednesday, notably the five players stood down were not in attendance.
The Swans players gathered in a circle before training on Wednesday (Photo by Phil Hillyard)
Before the session got underway, Swans captain Callum Mills addressed the playing group and staff, who stood shoulder to shoulder in a circle.
Many players could be seen with their heads down listening to the speech from their skipper and coach Dean Cox.
The usual jovial mood around training was anything but as the team prepares for the tall task of a finals footy campaign without several of their stars.
And while the Swans are presenting a united front, they are anything but, according to a report from Channel 7’s Mitch Cleary.
On Wednesday, Swans chief executive Matthew Pavlich stressed his club was “not abandoning our players”, adding the five that’d been stood down would be allowed back at the football club “at the right time”.
However, Cleary stated that despite the club’s public stance, there was “a strong level of resentment” from teammates.
“Although you’ll hear over the coming days key personnel from the Swans say they’re supporting their teammates and a wrapping of arms around these players, (but) I understand there’s a strong level of resentment from the teammates,” Cleary told Channel 7 on Wednesday night.
“This is a footy club that saw this year as one of redemption after two Grand Final defeats in the last four years. The players are severely upset and disappointed with their teammates as to the situation the entire club now finds themselves in.”
End of the Bloods culture?
The scandal has legends questioning if the famed Bloods culture will ever be the same again.
The club with the unofficial ‘no dickheads’ policy now faces a big task of rebuilding culture and deciding what happens beyond this season.
Former skipper Kieran Jack expressed his “devastation” as he criticised the culture at the club.
“Like so many people who love the Swans I am devastated, disappointed and very troubled by the actions that took place over the weekend,” he wrote on social media.
“My thoughts are with the women involved and I truly hope they are being supported.
“Wearing red and white was one the proudest achievements of my life. It was a privilege to represent.
“’Bloods culture’ is spoken about. This was built and maintained through a core pillar of respect.
“Respect for each other, respect for the club, your family, the opponent, supporters and importantly, community.
“Right now this feels broken.
“A lack of respect for women cannot be tolerated.
“Being a bystander is not an option. If you love the Swans, if you love footy, it is time to stand up.”
AFL legend Matthew Lloyd believes the Swans will look to cut ties with some, if not all, of the five players.
“I think it’s a fair punishment too. To be thinking that after a game of footy, with finals only a few weeks away, that you go out to all hours and behave in that manner, I think they couldn’t play another game of football this year and the club did what they had to do,” Lloyd told the Today show on Thursday.
“In terms of moving on players, yeah. I just think they’ve lost so much respect.
“I’ll be staggered if some of those players, if not all of them, are (not) moved on at the end of the season.”
Meanwhile, Sydney premiership-winning coach John Longmire admitted the Swans’ culture has “taken a big hit”.
“A lot of people, not just me but a lot of people, that have been involved in this club … for a long period of time have been really proud of that (culture),” he said on Fox Footy on Wednesday night.
“The culture of the footy club, it’s taken a big hit. It’s taken a big hit.
“It’ll take time for everyone to rebuild the trust in the football club, and that’s what everyone intends to do, to get to work and rebuild the trust in the football club.”
Former AFL player Mitch Brown also spoke out on the current Sydney Swans scandal, calling out what he describes as a deeply entrenched “toxic” culture across the game.
“You’re only measured on your performance. And that’s a sustained culture, it’s always been like that. So what happens is you can win a premiership and still have this toxic off-field culture,” Brown said on 2DayFM Breakfast on Thursday.
“What that does is embedded in (players) that you don’t have to prioritise respect for women to win a premiership. You don’t have to prioritise any of that stuff to win.
“We’ve got it all wrong. And then things like this happen and they keep happening. It’s just an example but it’s happening everywhere, all around Australia and not just in professional settings.”
Potential walkout from Swans fans
The club is also dealing with threats from fans that they could walk out of the ground following the AFLW game on Sunday.
The Swans men’s team will face North Melbourne after the women’s team take on Essendon in a double header and Sydney CEO Matthew Pavlich has urged members to continue to support both the men’s and women’s teams.
“Keep supporting us,” Pavlich told Today.
“We’re sorry that we’re putting you all through this”
Essendon legend urges men to ‘do better’
Former Essendon captain Dyson Turner-Heppell has shared a social media video urging men to “be better” and labelled the Swans scandal an “important moment” for all men to have a “good look“ at themselves.
“I feel I have to talk to the current situation for a quick minute now. Been around footy and sporting teams and that type of environment for a big part of my life,” Heppell said via his Instagram account.
“I get it, I get the banter, I get the pressure, I get the expectations and I get the type of environment that can exist inside sporting teams. But there is one thing that should never, that should never be complicated and it’s that women deserve to feel safe, that they deserve respect.
“Whatever the outcome of this current situation, I think it’s an important moment for every man involved in sport or not to have a good look at himself. Being a footballer, being in a team, being with your mates, being drunk, carrying on after a win, none of these things change the responsibility we have to respect women.
“Being a good bloke isn’t just about how you treat your teammates, it’s about how you treat women and especially when nobody is watching.
“It’s about recognising when someone is feeling uncomfortable, stepping in when your mate crosses the line. It’s about having the courage to call out the behaviour that isn’t right. Especially, when it is your mate.
“We talk a lot about building cultures in footy and this is what culture looks like, it’s not protecting your mates at all costs, it’s not laughing something off or looking the other way, it’s respect, it’s accountability. It’s doing the right thing when it matters.
“To the women and the girls who are out there in the football and general community, you deserve nothing less. Men have a responsibility to be better. We can’t just say we respect women, we have to show it.”
SOURCE: NEWS.COM.AU
https://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/woman-at-centre-of-swans-scandal-fears-for-her-life-after-being-identified-online-as-investigation-continues/news-story/03f8e9ecac04ff1b90561af59a17ff9c
