AFL to bar five suspended Sydney Swans from Brownlow and defer its probe until police investigation finishes
AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon told reporters on Monday at the launch of this year’s AFL finals that the league will not invite five Sydney Swans players suspended by their club to the Brownlow medal ceremony and that the AFL will wait for a Victoria police investigation into an alleged sexual assault to finish before opening its own inquiry.
The players stood down by the Swans for the remainder of the season are Isaac Heeney, Nick Blakey, Chad Warner, Riley Bice and James Jordon, the club said, citing breaches of its standards including drinking and bringing women back to their hotel. Victoria police are investigating an alleged sexual assault early on Monday morning at the Pullman Hotel, where the Swans were staying after beating Essendon at the MCG last Sunday; no one has been arrested or charged and the five players have reportedly denied any criminal wrongdoing. The Swans have shared information with the AFL and, Dillon said, “they’ve made the calls, but they’ve also been really clear that what they spoke to the players about was separate from the police investigation.”
Dillon, speaking publicly for the first time since the squad were stood down, said the league would not interfere with the police process. “There’s a police investigation going on now,” Dillon said at the launch. “Once that’s complete, we’ll conduct our own inquiries. But the AFL won’t get involved while there’s a police investigation under way.”
The Brownlow medal ceremony is scheduled for the Monday before the grand final; because the five players are under club suspension until the end of the season they will not be permitted to attend, though they remain eligible to win the award. Dillon reiterated the AFL’s decision to withhold invitations while the Swans’ internal sanctions remain in place.
Dillon opened his remarks by expanding on an email the AFL circulated last Tuesday and framed the issue around treatment of women. “I have been asked a lot in recent days, what message football should be sending young people and what we should be saying to our kids,” Dillon said. “For me, the answer is straightforward – it doesn’t matter who you are, it doesn’t matter what you do, whether you’re an AFL footballer – the way we treat women says a lot about who we are as people, as a community and as a game. Quite simply, respect for women is not negotiable.”
Asked whether the AFL had delayed public comment, Dillon said: “The Swans have handled the matter publicly and this was an appropriate time for us to speak.” His appearance followed Sunday’s AFL-AFWL double-header at the SCG, where a number of fans walked out before the men’s game began, and he referred to the finals series — which includes a wildcard round for the first time — as an opportunity to bring people back together around the game.
“What we saw yesterday is how football is the place where people can come together,” Dillon said. “And I think we’ll see that during the final series. Really serious matter being investigated by the police. But I think the finals and footy is a way that people can come together. The actions of a few don’t take away from the thousands of people involved in football at all different levels who do great things all the time. But what we do know is that we can do things better. And we’ll continue to do that and we’ll continue to learn and be better.”
Victoria police continue their investigation and, Dillon said, once that process is complete the AFL will carry out its own inquiries; meanwhile the five Swans remain suspended for the season and are not to attend the Brownlow ceremony.