Sydney Swans Players Stood Down Amidst Sexual Assault Investigation
CONTENT WARNING: This article discusses alleged sexual assault.
The Sydney Swans have confirmed that Riley Bice, Nick Blakey, Isaac Heeney, James Jordon and Chad Warner will be stood down for the remainder of the AFL season.
In a statement shared on Wednesday morning, the Sydney Swans announced it has placed sanctions on the players who reportedly spoke to police after an alleged sexual assault in Melbourne after the team’s win over Essendon on Sunday night.
“Sydney Swans players Riley Bice, Nick Blakey, Isaac Heeney, James Jordon and Chad Warner will not be considered for selection for the remainder of the 2026 AFL Season,” the club shared.
“The AFL is supportive of the Club’s sanctions.”
The club also said it “respects” that there’s an ongoing investigation by Victoria Police and that the decisions “taken today are independent of this”.
The sanctions come shortly after Victoria Police said they were investigating an alleged report of sexual assault at a hotel in Wellington Parade in the early hours of Monday morning.
“The exact circumstances are yet to be established and the investigation into the incident remains ongoing,” a police statement, released on Tuesday, read.
“Police spoke to a number of people at the hotel. However, no one has been arrested or formally interviewed at this time.”
PEDESTRIAN.TV has reached out to representatives of Heeney, Warner, Jordon, Blakey and Bice for comment.
PEDESTRIAN.TV does not suggest the players were under investigation, and no players have been arrested or charged.
At the time of writing, none of the players has commented or released a statement regarding the sanctions or the alleged incident.
On Tuesday, Sydney Swans coach Dean Cox commented on the matter, stating that it’s “extremely disappointing”.
