Sydney Swans WAGs appear to be battening down the hatches after the alleged hotel incident engulfing the team just days out from the AFL finals.
Isaac Heeney’s fiancée Steffanie Waters and Chad Warner’s long-term girlfriend Alice Hughes have both made telling changes to their social media accounts following the explosive allegations.
Heeney appears to have switched off comments on his Instagram account, while his bride-to-be has disabled comments on most posts.
Ms Waters’ profile remains public, however, which is perhaps unsurprising given her career as an influencer.
Warner’s girlfriend Ms Hughes, a Perth-raised nurse who moved to Sydney after the midfielder was drafted by the Swans, has made her Instagram account private.
The social media lockdown comes as the club finds itself at the centre of a police investigation just days before the AFL finals.
Isaac Heeney’s fiancée Steffanie Waters disabled comments for most posts on her Instagram
It is possible that Waters’ account only remains public due to her work as an influencer
Chad Warner voluntarily spoke with police about the allegations but was not arrested. He is pictured here with his long-term girlfriend Alice Hughes
The Swans were celebrating a crucial 36-point victory over Essendon at the MCG on Sunday, a result which cemented second spot on the ladder and booked them a home qualifying final at the SCG.
But by Monday morning, the mood had dramatically changed.
Victoria Police attended the Pullman East Melbourne hotel, where the Swans had been staying, following a report of an alleged sexual assault in the early hours of the morning.
And amid the police investigation, a series of questionable WhatsApp messages purporting to reveal what unfolded inside the Melbourne hotel have been doing the rounds online.
The messages, which the Mail has not been able to independently authenticate, make a string of extraordinary claims about the events that allegedly took place after the Swans’ victory on Sunday.
However, key inconsistencies raise serious doubts about the authenticity and veracity of the texts.
According to the messages, Warner, Heeney, Riley Bice, James Jordon and a fifth unnamed player were ‘all in custody’.
However, this cannot be true because the players were not arrested, voluntarily offered their assistance to the police investigation, and returned to Sydney via rental car.
Victoria Police attended the Pullman East Melbourne hotel (pictured), where the Swans had been staying, following a report of an alleged sexual assault in the early hours of the morning
The unverified messages make a string of extraordinary claims about the events that allegedly took place after the Swans’ victory on Sunday. The players were not arrested and were able to leave the state and return to Sydney via rental car
An unauthenticated text purports to show an image from inside the Pullman hotel
A photo circulating online has already been debunked as a fake
One bizarre message alleges how a woman was injured in the room, with a photo offered as evidence. However, that image has already been debunked as a fake taken months ago.
Screenshots of the texts also make wild and entirely unverified claims of a woman taunting a player with insects, only for an argument to erupt, causing damage to the hotel, while another player allegedly took bets on the ensuing chaos.
There is no evidence to suggest this account of the incident is true.
And, as if the tale needed another twist, a separate message seen by the Mail claims that three women were seen leaving the Pullman lobby, with one allegedly telling those around her she had filmed events inside the room.
Club staff were reportedly overheard telling the women they were not aware of any alleged incident, before a third woman arrived at the hotel to help her friends.
Witnesses claimed two women had approached hotel staff at about 7am on Monday asking to be allowed into a guest room.
One of the women was reportedly ‘hysterical’.
The women allegedly became agitated when staff told them they could not return to the room and confronted team officials, including coach Dean Cox, in the foyer.
Witnesses said Cox appeared stunned by the confrontation.
The upset woman was then reportedly seen running to a hotel bathroom in tears shortly before police were called.
Riley Bice was recruited to the Sydney Swans in 2024
James Jordon of the Swans is seen warming up before a game on July 9
But amid the increasingly lurid claims, there is one important caveat: none of the claims contained in the messages have been confirmed by police, the club or those allegedly involved.
The Mail does not suggest the messages provide an accurate account of events.
Victoria Police detectives from the Sexual Crimes Squad are investigating a report of an alleged sexual assault in East Melbourne on August 17.
Police said the incident occurred at a hotel on 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 Victoria Police spokesperson said.
‘Police spoke to a number of people at the hotel, however no one has been arrested or formally interviewed at this time.’
Detectives have since requested CCTV from the hotel as they work to establish exactly what occurred.
The AFL Integrity Unit has also launched an investigation into the alleged incident.
The Swans have confirmed multiple players were involved in an alleged incident and said they were working with the AFL and relevant authorities.
Swans CEO Matthew Pavlich said the club understood there would be intense interest in the matter but urged people to wait for the facts.
‘We understand the level of interest in the matter and there is going to be lots of speculation,’ he said.
‘But given it is a police matter right now, that is all that we can say.’
Coach Dean Cox broke his silence on Tuesday morning, expressing his bitter disappointment as the club was plunged into crisis just days before the finals.
Cox was grilled by television reporters as he arrived at Swans headquarters in Moore Park shortly after 7am for crisis talks.
‘Yeah, obviously extremely disappointed with what’s happened and I understand the questions,’ he said.
‘We’ll update as we gather more information.’
Club officials are now considering whether players allegedly involved should be stood down from Sunday’s final-round clash against North Melbourne, with any sanctions potentially extending into the finals.
The prospect of losing several of their biggest stars could have enormous ramifications for the Swans’ premiership campaign.
Cox said the club was working through the situation with the AFL and other relevant parties.
Asked whether he had spoken to his players, Cox replied: ‘We’ll speak as the day unfolds.’
The coach had earlier admitted the club was still trying to piece together exactly what had happened.
‘We’re still piecing together exactly what has transpired here and have our own set of internal enquiries ongoing,’ he said on Monday.
‘But it’s safe to say we’re extremely shocked and disappointed.’
Police spoke to Heeney, Warner, Bice, Jordon and a fifth unnamed player on Monday before they returned to Sydney. No charges have been laid.
The Mail does not suggest any of those players are under investigation or involved in any wrongdoing, but merely that they spoke to police in connection with the alleged incident.
The club has also launched an internal investigation into claims that players were out late in Melbourne drinking alcohol until after midnight.
That could potentially result in additional sanctions, separate to the police investigation.
