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Sydney Swans suspend five players amid police investigationThe club has stood the players down through the end of the 2026 AFL season after an alleged incident at the Pullman Hotel.
Key FactsAug 19, 2026 · Reading time: ~45 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: abc.net.au
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: abc.net.au
- The Sydney Swans have suspended Riley Bice, Nick Blakey, Isaac Heeney, James Jordon and Chad Warner for the remainder of the 2026 AFL season.
- Victoria Police is continuing to investigate an alleged sexual assault at the hotel; the report does not suggest that any of the five players is accused, and the club says none has been formally interviewed or charged.
- The club said the sanctions concerned continuing to drink late and bringing women back to the hotel, breaches of club standards, and that the football outcome was not considered in the decision.
- The suspension covers Sunday’s home-and-away finale against North Melbourne and any subsequent finals the Swans play, while the players may return to the club this season.
The only way we can deal with it is to put our foot down incredibly hard, which we've done. To effectively torpedo our season by making a decision such as this tells you how seriously we're taking this.— Andrew Pridham, Sydney Swans chairman, on imposing sanctions and signaling seriousness.
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