MP Accuses Richmond Players Of ‘Mocking’ Syd Swans Allegations

The AFL’s Richmond Tigers have been embroiled in controversy after a federal politician accused several players of “mocking” the ongoing sexual assault investigation involving the Sydney Swans.

Earlier this week, footage of the Richmond Tigers partaking in Mad Monday celebrations aired on Channel Seven.

According to footage, several Richmond players appeared to be shirtless while smacking each other on the bottom.

With the current investigation into the Sydney Swans following an alleged sexual assault that took place after their victory against Essendon on August 17, some fans are accusing Richmond players of mimicking the allegations.

Hunter MP Dan Repacholi slams Richmond Tiger Players For Mad Monday celebrations

Speaking to Today on Tuesday morning, Hunter MP Dan Repacholi called the Club out, describing their Mad Monday behaviour as “bloody ridiculous”.

“This was poorly, poorly managed by the Richmond footy club,” he said.

“Mad Monday is meant to be a day where they can all let their hair down a bit, but this is bloody ridiculous with what’s going on at the Swans right now.”

“Sexual assault allegations are terrible, and these guys out there doing this sort of thing and mocking and taking the piss generally is just not the right look for the AFL, or for anyone.

“What we need is good blokes out there having conversations around this and calling it out for what it is, because this is unacceptable, and we need to make sure we do better.”

PEDESTRIAN.TV has reached out to Richmond for comment.

The Garfield Hotel responds to Richmond Mad Monday speculation

Shortly after speculation began to circulate, the Garfield Hotel — where Richmond’s Mad Monday celebration took place — released a statement, saying they believe that the story has been “blown out if proportion”.

“We hosted the Richmond Football Club at our venue today, and we could not speak more highly of the way they conducted themselves. For such a young group, they were extremely respectful and a fun group of boys to deal with,” the statement began.

“They enjoyed a few beers to unwind after a long season, and we see nothing wrong with that. They had booked out the venue for the afternoon, so they were the only patron on site. They enjoyed their afternoon and moved on.

“In our view, this has been blown out of proportion. Two members of the media were waiting on their arrival this morning and remained on site in the hope of capturing a misstep, which we consider disappointing.”

At the time of writing, Richmond have not released a statement regarding the speculation surrounding the player’s Mad Monday behaviour.

The scrutiny surrounding the Richmond Tigers comes after Andrew Dillon, AFL CEO, confirmed that the five Swans players who’ve been stood down for the rest of the season — Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, Riley Bice and James Jordon — would be barred from attending the Brownlows. However, they still will be eligible to win the award.

“The invitations to the Brownlow will be going out this week. Those players won’t be invited,” Dillon told reporters on Monday, per The Age.

“They are still eligible for the Brownlow, but they’re under a club suspension, which goes until the end of the season.”

Last week, the Sydney Swans confirmed it placed sanctions on the players who reportedly spoke with Victoria Police over an alleged sexual assault that took place in the early hours of August 17.

In the statement, the Swans confirmed that the decision to suspend the players was “independent” of the investigation and that the AFL “is supportive of the Club’s sanctions”.

Investigations into the alleged incident are ongoing.

PEDESTRIAN.TV has reached out to representatives of Heeney, Warner, Jordon, Blakey and Bice for comment.