AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon has declared the league will launch its own inquiry into the Sydney Swans scandal once the police investigation has concluded.
Dillon also revealed the suspended players remain eligible for the Brownlow Medal but will not be invited to attend the ceremony.
Five Swans players, Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Riley Bice, Nick Blakey and James Jordon, have been stood down for the remainder of the AFL season after the club found they had breached its standards by staying out late, drinking and bringing women back to the team hotel.
The players have denied wrongdoing, and no charges have been laid.
Dillon said the AFL would not conduct its own investigation while the police probe remained active.
‘Those matters at the moment are under police investigation. The AFL will not be conducting any inquiries until the police investigation is finished,’ he said.
‘It is a really important and really serious matter, and the AFL cannot get in the way of a police investigation.’
He was also asked about allegations that drugs were present in the hotel room and whether the players needed to be drug-tested.
‘No, the police investigation is under way. In any event, a hair sample taken goes back three or four months,’ he said.
Dillon also delivered a message to women and AFL supporters concerned by the scandal.
‘I think I have made it really clear that the AFL stands for respect for women and it is not negotiable,’ he said.
‘It is right for people to be asking questions at the moment, and I think football is a place where everyone should feel safe and included.’
‘I think the actions of a few do not define the actions of the entire industry,’ Dillon said.
Despite being suspended by the Swans, the players remain eligible to win the Brownlow Medal.
However, Dillon confirmed they will not be invited to attend the AFL’s showpiece awards night.
‘I think the actions of a few do not define the actions of the entire industry,’ Dillon said.
