conv.

All stories
SportsActive · 32h

Heeney and banned Swans teammates return to club, apologise for Pullman scandal

The five suspended Sydney players faced teammates and staff for the first time since their August ban, ahead of end-of-season exit meetings.

newest coverage 21h agosummary written 20h ago5 pieces NewswiresMastodon

What to know

  • The suspensions stem from an August 17 incident at Melbourne's Pullman Hotel; a Victoria Police investigation into alleged sexual assault continues with no charges laid, and Bice is no longer a person of interest.
  • All five players apologised individually to the entire Swans men's and women's playing groups and staff in an emotional meeting the club sees as a first step toward reintegration.
  • The suspensions cost Sydney the five players for its final home game, a qualifying final win over Brisbane and a preliminary final loss to Fremantle that ended the season.
  • No decision has been made on the players' futures beyond 2026; contracts range from 2027 (Warner, Jordon) to 2031 (Blakey), and they won't return to the club until pre-season training in November.

“It's a natural thing [that] the players will come in”

Matthew Pavlich, Sydney Swans chief executive · Sydney Morning Herald ↗ · Sep 22

Isaac HeeneyIsaac Heeney Sydney Swans vice-captain, suspended playerChad WarnerChad Warner Suspended Swans playerNick BlakeyNick Blakey Suspended Swans playerJames JordonJames Jordon Suspended Swans playerRiley BiceRiley Bice Suspended Swans playerMatthew PavlichMatthew Pavlich Sydney Swans chief executiveLeon Cameron Swans executive general manager of football

Heeney and banned Swans teammates return to club, apologise for Pullman scandal
Sydney Morning Herald

How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage articlesposts

Peak 2 pieces in one half hour at Yesterday, 3 AM; 5 pieces over 33 hours (4 articles · 1 post) Sep 22, 5:08 PM — quietSep 22, 5:38 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 22, 6:08 PM — quietSep 22, 6:38 PM — quietSep 22, 7:08 PM — quietSep 22, 7:38 PM — quietSep 22, 8:08 PM — quietSep 22, 8:38 PM — quietSep 22, 9:08 PM — quietSep 22, 9:38 PM — quietSep 22, 10:08 PM — quietSep 22, 10:38 PM — quietSep 22, 11:08 PM — quietSep 22, 11:38 PM — quietYesterday, 12:08 AM — quietYesterday, 12:38 AM — quietYesterday, 1:08 AM — quietYesterday, 1:38 AM — quietYesterday, 2:08 AM — quietYesterday, 2:38 AM — quietYesterday, 3:08 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Yesterday, 3:38 AM — 2 pieces · 1 article · 1 post — Mastodon 1, Newswires 1Yesterday, 4:08 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Yesterday, 4:38 AM — quietYesterday, 5:08 AM — quietYesterday, 5:38 AM — quietYesterday, 6:08 AM — quietYesterday, 6:38 AM — quietYesterday, 7:08 AM — quietYesterday, 7:38 AM — quietYesterday, 8:08 AM — quietYesterday, 8:38 AM — quietYesterday, 9:08 AM — quietYesterday, 9:38 AM — quietYesterday, 10:08 AM — quietYesterday, 10:38 AM — quietYesterday, 11:08 AM — quietYesterday, 11:38 AM — quietYesterday, 12:08 PM — quietYesterday, 12:38 PM — quietYesterday, 1:08 PM — quietYesterday, 1:38 PM — quietYesterday, 2:08 PM — quietYesterday, 2:38 PM — quietYesterday, 3:08 PM — quietYesterday, 3:38 PM — quietYesterday, 4:08 PM — quietYesterday, 4:38 PM — quietYesterday, 5:08 PM — quietYesterday, 5:38 PM — quietYesterday, 6:08 PM — quietYesterday, 6:38 PM — quietYesterday, 7:08 PM — quietYesterday, 7:38 PM — quietYesterday, 8:08 PM — quietYesterday, 8:38 PM — quietYesterday, 9:08 PM — quietYesterday, 9:38 PM — quietYesterday, 10:08 PM — quietYesterday, 10:38 PM — quietYesterday, 11:08 PM — quietYesterday, 11:38 PM — quietToday, 12:08 AM — quietToday, 12:38 AM — quietToday, 1:08 AM — quietToday, 1:38 AM — quiet 1
yesterday8 AM4 PMnow · 2:08 AM ET
  1. 1

    Suspended players return to Swans HQ, apologise to club

    The five players arrived at the club's Moore Park base for their end-of-season exit meetings, addressing the entire men's and women's squads and staff and individually apologising for the position their actions had created.

    “It was really nice to address the whole club, and I was really thankful they could give us their time and understanding, so yeah, it was really good.”
    — Isaac Heeney

    1. 2 outlets first by Sydney Morning Herald, 1d ago · also Guardian Sport · read ↗

  2. background

    Heeney polls team-high Brownlow votes despite ban — Heeney polled a team-high 26 votes at Monday's Brownlow Medal count, well short of winner Nick Daicos's record 47 votes.

  3. background

    Undermanned Swans beat Brisbane, then fall to Fremantle — Playing without the five suspended players, Sydney upset reigning premiers Brisbane in a qualifying final before losing to Fremantle in the preliminary final on Friday night, ending the season.

  4. background

    Swans suspend Heeney, Warner, Blakey, Jordon and Bice — The club suspended the five players for the remainder of the AFL season for breaching club standards, ruling them out of the final home-and-away game and the finals series.

  5. background

    Incident at Melbourne's Pullman Hotel triggers scandal — A late-night incident involving the five Swans players occurred at the Pullman Hotel in Melbourne, leading to a Victoria Police investigation into allegations of sexual assault alongside the club's own inquiry.