A photo has emerged of Sydney Swans star Isaac Heeney posing with a young fan while his coach was confronted by several women over an alleged sexual assault.
Teammates Chad Warner, Riley Bice, Nick Blakey and James Jordon, along with Heeney, 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 club suspensions are separate from the police investigation into an alleged sexual assault at the hotel. No charges have been laid, and all players have denied wrongdoing.
A lifelong Swans supporter has detailed her young family’s encounter with the Swans in the hotel foyer on Monday morning, 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.
The family had no idea at the time what was unfolding until they saw police when they later returned from breakfast.
The family were staying at the same hotel following Sydney’s win against Essendon at the nearby MCG the night before.
Heeney poses with a 5-year-old fan while Dean Cox can be seen talking to a woman in the background
Heeney and Nick Blakey are among five players suspended for the rest of the season
The mother who took the photo has since written a scathing letter to the Swans detailing the impact the events of recent days have had on her children and the confronting questions she’s been forced to answer.
Taking to a private Facebook group on Friday, the mother said she deeply felt for the alleged victim as she slammed the club.
‘My family have supported the Swans for generations, we have been Swans fans through and through,’ her letter began.
‘I am so incredibly angry and disappointed.
‘Knowing what has since been alleged, I cannot stop thinking he (Cox) have said no. he should have said, ”Now isn’t a good time’.
‘Instead, my little girl got a photo with someone she considered an idol. Now she keeps asking me what her ‘idol’ did wrong.
‘My seven-year-old son has asked what sexual assault means. Why should I be having to explain any of this to them.’
The mother recalled how the family had saved hard for the holiday, which is now memorable for the wrong reasons.
‘We had no idea that they’d be at the hotel but when we realised, it was such a special part of our holiday
‘They (her kids) were excited to see the players they look up to. Instead, that memory and that photograph are now tied to something I desperately wish my children knew nothing about.
She acknowledged that the allegations are yet to go through a legal process, which must be respected.
‘As as a parent and lifelong supporter, I am furious my children were put anywhere this situation,’ she fumed.
‘This club has meant something to my family for generations. I expected better.
‘I am angry. I am disappointed. And most of all, I’m devastated that something that was meant to be such a special memory for my children has been tainted
She ended the letter by detailing how her five-year-old had asked whether Heeney had been naughty and if she could still like him.
‘It’s everywhere – TV, schools, at our sporting clubs,’ she added.
‘He has left me answering these freaking questions.’
Meanwhile, Swans captain Callum Mills has spoken publicly for the first time about the scandal.
He apologised to the club’s AFLW players and female staff, and then to 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.’
