Sydney Swans senior coach Dean Cox and captain Callum Mills faced the media this morning as the team prepares to finish out its AFL season in the wake of an alleged sexual assault that has plagued the club this week.
Isaac Heeney and teammates Chad Warner, Riley Bice, Nick Blakey and James Jordon have been stood down for the remainder of the 2026 AFL season after the club found the players had breached its standards by staying out late, drinking and bringing women back to the Pullman East Melbourne hotel early Monday morning.
The suspensions are separate from a Victoria Police investigation into an alleged sexual assault at the hotel. No charges have been laid, and all players have denied wrongdoing.
It comes as the exotic dancer at the centre of the scandal broke her silence to the Daily Mail, revealing the fallout after fans leaked her name and that the players allegedly pretended to be carpenters so they could get a discounted rate.
The lawyer representing two of the women involved has also spoken out, claiming there were more than five men in the Pullman East Melbourne hotel room and alleging the group included ‘leaders’ from the Sydney Swans.
Carbone Lawyers personal injury head John Karantzis made the claims on Friday.
‘With what has been alleged, these women were subject to the most disgusting actions and behaviour I have ever heard about in my 28 years as a lawyer,’ Mr Karantzis told 3AW’s Tom Elliott.
‘These women already have a difficult job and what they were subjected to is alleged, demeaning, abhorrent, and simply not moral or acceptable.’
Sydney Swans coach Dean Cox was questioned about explosive claims made by a lawyer representing two of the women involved in the alleged hotel incident
Isaac Heeney, who was stood down for bringing exotic dancers back to the hotel, is pictured with his fiancée, Steffie Waters
Asked how many men were allegedly in the room and who they were, Mr Karantzis said the full story was yet to emerge.
‘It’s more than five (men in the room), that’s for sure,’ he said.
‘More than five men and it’s alleged that there were even a few leaders in that room.’
When Elliott asked whether he meant coaches, Mr Karantzis said: ‘I can’t say in concern to that, that is for the Sydney Swans to say.’
Cox was later asked about the lawyer’s claims and his description of the alleged behaviour and confirmed he wasn’t in the room.
‘Dean, a lawyer for two of the women spoke this morning and described the behaviour as disgusting, abhorrent, the worst he has ever heard of a woman being subjected to in his 28 years of being a lawyer,’ a journalist said.
‘How do you respond to that?’
‘I respond to – the utmost, the highest level about respecting women. I have always been like that,’ Cox said.
‘I can’t comment on what a lawyer says about something other than, you know, we’ll work through our process and my stance on respect for women is of the highest order.’
The Swans have since issued a blunt statement denying club ‘leaders’ were in the hotel room with the five suspended players.
In a statement posted to their website an hour after the press conference, the Swans said the claims were false and they were considering their ‘legal position’ on the matter.
‘The Sydney Swans can confirm that all investigations carried out by the Club have consistently indicated that the only representatives of the Club in the room central to the police investigation were the five players who have been stood down,’ the statement said.
‘We have every reason to consider that reports to the contrary are simply false.
‘We are respecting the process with the relevant authorities and will refrain from commenting on Police matters.
‘We would also like to take this opportunity to condemn some of the misinformation being reported and are now considering our legal position on those matters.’
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Key Updates
Swans coach Dean Cox responds to lawyer’s explosive claim women were subjected to ‘most disgusting actions and behaviour’ he’d heard of in 28 years
Carbone Lawyers personal injury head John Karantzis claimed on Friday that there were more than five men in the Pullman East Melbourne hotel room and alleged the group included ‘leaders’ from the Sydney Swans.
Mr Karantzis is the lawyer for the two of the women involved in the alleged sexual assault scandal.
‘With what has been alleged, these women were subject to the most disgusting actions and behaviour I have ever heard about in my 28 years as a lawyer,’ Mr Karantzis told 3AW’s Tom Elliott.
‘These women already have a difficult job and what they were subjected to is alleged, demeaning, abhorrent, and simply not moral or acceptable.’
Asked how many men were allegedly in the room and who they were, Mr Karantzis said the full story was yet to emerge.
‘It’s more than five (men in the room), that’s for sure,’ he said.
‘More than five men and it’s alleged that there were even a few leaders in that room.’
When Elliott asked whether he meant coaches, Mr Karantzis said: ‘I can’t say in concern to that, that is for the Sydney Swans to say.’
Cox was asked about the lawyer’s claims and his description of the alleged behaviour during the press conference, and confirmed he was not in the room.
‘Dean, a lawyer for two of the women spoke this morning and described the behaviour as disgusting, abhorrent, the worst he has ever heard of a woman being subjected to in his 28 years of being a lawyer,’ a journalist said.
‘How do you respond to that?’
‘I respond to – the utmost, the highest level about respecting women. I have always been like that,’ Cox said.
‘I can’t comment on what a lawyer says about something other than, you know, we’ll work through our process and my stance on respect for women is of the highest order.’
AFLW captain is ‘incredibly disappointed’
By Kylie Stevens
Swans AFLW captain Lucy McEvoy welcomed the sanctions handed down to men’s players Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Riley Bice, Nick Blakey and James Jordon, who were stood down for the remainder of the 2026 AFL season.
‘On behalf of the playing group, we also support the club in the sanctions that were handed down,’ she said.
‘To the players, we are incredibly disappointed, as a lot of people were.
‘We know that the actions of those five players are not a reflection of the broader club.’
‘But as I said, we’re extremely disappointed and we’re looking forward to hopefully showing our support for women in general on Sunday at our game at 12.30pm.’
McVoy admitted that it had been a tough week for her teammates.
‘We’ve had some really open conversations as a group this week and with the club more broadly,’ she said.
‘We feel the support both externally and internally. The girls are working through their emotions as they see fit for themselves personally.
‘We have allowed the space for players to express how they feel, and support one another where they can.’
McEvoy would not go into detail regarding the specifics of conversations that were had, but conceded that the club had taken a reputational hit this week.
‘We’ll do whatever we can as a club, in both programs, to make sure we build back the trust and respect of our members and fans and the community more broadly,’ she said.
‘It’s obviously an issue within the community that needs to be addressed.’
‘I applaud the club in the way they have handled it and respected us as a women’s program, and kept us informed and supported us really strongly and again, the broader community as well.’
‘I think it’s an important moment for all us to stand together and understand that women deserve respect.’
Sydney Swans AFLW coach and captain break silence on the saga
By Kylie Stevens
Swans AFLW coach Colin O’Riordan and captain Lucy McEvoy have issued a powerful message after an alleged sexual assault involving five men’s players overshadowed their first home game this Sunday.
The ladies team will take on Essendon in a historic double-header at the SCG on Sunday.
It’s the first time that the team has spoken about the scandal.
‘The actions of a small number of people have impacted a lot of people, especially the women in our football club and wider community,’ O’Riordan told reporters on Friday.
‘As a man brought up with strong morals and a strong sense of right and wrong, it is disappointing to be talking about this.
‘Growing up, I was taught you treat everyone with respect, and that is a fundamental pillar of how you live your life. That’s especially important in how you treat women.’
O’Riordan said that the women’s team ‘fully support’ the sanctions given to the suspended players.
‘I have the privilege of coaching a group of young powerful women who embody what is good about people and society at a whole,’ he said.
‘They deserve to feel safe, respected and supported, and that’s something I feel incredibly strong about.
‘The sanctions imposed by the club reflect the seriousness with which this matter is being treated, and as a program, we fully support these sanctions.’
O’Riordan urged Swans supporters to get behind the women this Sunday.
‘I’m looking forward to celebrating these incredible women on Sunday at the SCG, and I encourage everyone to turn up and support them, as this bunch of women deserve it,’ he added.
Swans issue blunt statement amid claim that club ‘leaders’ were in hotel room
Sydney Swans has issued a blunt statement denying club leaders were in the hotel room with the five suspended players.
Carbone Lawyers personal injury head John Karantzis told 3AW’s Tom Elliott that was ‘more than five (men in the room), that’s for sure’.
‘More than five men and it’s alleged that there were even a few leaders in that room,’ he said.
Mr Karantzis is the lawyer for two of the women involved in the alleged sexual assault scandal.
In response to his claims, the club published a statement just one hour after coach Dean Cox told reporters he couldn’t comment due to the ‘police investigation’.
The Swans said the claims were false and they were considering their ‘legal position’ on the matter.
‘The Sydney Swans can confirm that all investigations carried out by the club have consistently indicated that the only representatives of the club in the room central to the police investigation were the five players who have been stood down,’ it said.
‘We have every reason to consider that reports to the contrary are simply false.
‘We are respecting the process with the relevant authorities and will refrain from commenting on police matters.
‘We would also like to take this opportunity to condemn some of the misinformation being reported and are now considering our legal position on those matters.’
Swans skipper downcast as he leaves press conference
Swans captain Callum Mills appeared downcast as he was led out of Friday’s press conference by player Tom McCartin.
Mills said the playing group took ‘full responsibility’ and apologised to the club’s AFLW players and female staff, and women in the wider community over the scandal.
Furious mum shares photo of her five-year-old daughter with Isaac Heeney taken as police drama unfolded
By Kylie Stevens
A photo has emerged of the moment Isaac Heeney posed with a young fan while his coach was confronted by several women over the alleged sexual assault this week.
A lifelong Swans supporter detailed her young family’s encounter with the Swans in the hotel foyer on Monday moring, several hours after the alleged sexual assault.
After proudly showing her badge of him, her five-year-old daughter donned a Swans scarf as she posed for a photo with a smiling Heeney.
Swans coach Dean Cox can be seen in the background, just metres away, being confronted by the alleged victim involved.
Why were the five players driven back to Sydney?
After the five suspended Swans players were questioned by police earlier this week, they returned to Sydney.
It is understood the club organised two rental cars to drive them back from Melbourne on Monday, reportedly to avoid reporters.
The rest of the team travelled by plane.
When asked why the five players were driven, Dean Cox shrugged and said he ‘was back in Sydney’.
‘Decisions were made (as to) how we best support our players within the circumstances that happened,’ he said.
Swans coach refuses to say if other club staff were in hotel room with five players: ‘That’s a police investigation’
Dean Cox has refused to confirm if any other Sydney Swans staff were with the five players on Monday morning where the alleged sexual assault took place.
When asked by a reporter if any other Swans staff members were in the Pullman Hotel room, Cox said: ‘That’s a police investigation.’
The reporter said: ‘Isn’t that something the Swans would know? You can answer that.’
‘That’s a police investigation so all (of) that will be brought out in due course,’ Cox said.
Swans captain Callum Mills breaks his silence on scandal
Sydney Swans captain Callum Mills has spoken out for the first time since the sexual assault allegations emerged.
He apologised for the club’s AFLW players and female staff and then towards women in the wider community.
‘We take these allegations extremely seriously, and we hope the women involved are getting all the support they deserve,’ Mills said.
‘We really are disappointed at the actions of these five players, and as a playing group we fully support the club’s decisions on the sanctions handed down.
‘We take full responsibility, and we are deeply sorry.’
Swans coach apologises to women at centre of allegations
Sydney Swans senior coach Dean Cox has apologised to the women at the centre of the alleged sexual assault allegations involving players.
‘I apologise to them, along with the women in the community, for the actions of the players,’ Cox said during a press conference on Friday morning.
‘We are extremely disappointed at the actions of the players, and the sanctions imposed by the board show how seriously we take these matters.
‘To those women involved, I hope everyone is getting the support they need.’
Cox also admitted the Swans’ culture was not ‘perfect’ and said he hoped the club could regain the trust of the community.
‘One thing that we do know is our culture has taken a hit. The thing you need to understand about a culture is how you respond and the actions you take following,’ he said.
‘We’re going to work as hard as we possibly can to get the trust back from the community, to get the culture where we desire it to be, where it once had been.’
Swans players break their silence
Swans stars Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, Riley Bice and James Jordon released a joint statement of apology on Wednesday evening.
‘We are deeply sorry to everyone involved,’ they said in the statement released by the Swans.
‘We know that our behaviour has fallen well short of the standards expected of us and the values of our club.
‘We know we have let down our partners and families, members, supporters, teammates, the AFLW team, corporate partners and everyone at the club and the wider community.
‘We accept the club sanction and apologise for the impact this has had on those involved. Our focus will now be on rebuilding trust with the club and the community.’
Sydney Swans players ‘filmed BY strippers’ during hotel scandal as fresh WhatsApp claims emerge
Lucy Manly is now aware of claims swirling via WhatsApps that a camera was set up and footage of the gathering exists.
Whether the alleged camera set-up was done by the boys to preserve the striptease for posterity or was for the entertainers’ own protection is unclear.
