'Easy': Elijah Taylor's girlfriend Lekahni Pearce reveals how she breached AFL bubble
The girlfriend of banned Sydney Swans player Elijah Taylor says that breaching the AFL's quarantine bubble in Perth was "easy".
Lekahni Pearce, 18, ran across a golf course and climbed two fences to join Taylor inside the AFL hub - though she said the final bit was simply a matter of strolling inside.
"I just walked through, went to his room. That's how easy it was," she told Seven. "No security. I didn't see a security guard."
Pearce added that she was "sorry for everything" and had made a "really big mistake".
Lekahni Pearce and Elijah Taylor. Getty/Instagram
She and Taylor escaped with a police infringement notice rather than being charged, which could have resulted in a $50,000 fine or even imprisonment.
Taylor, 19, has been banned for the rest of the season, while the Swans copped a $25,000 fine (with another $25,000 suspended).
Taylor, who is Indigenous and wear's Adam Goodes' old No.37 guernsey, revealed that he had been subjected to racist abuse from online trolls after the breach incident.
"Honestly I'm extremely sorry for being selfish with my actions I know what I've done not only affected me and the players but many others that all love the game," he wrote on Instagram.
"I understand that a lot of people are angry but racism really doesn't fix anything."
Swans coach John Longmire said that Taylor had been reflective since the breach. He was reported by senior players before a Swans coach caught Pearce in his room.
"It's obviously sinking in and he's very quiet as you'd imagine and no doubt reflective," Longmire said.
"It's a very bad decision that he's made. If you step back, it's an immature decision.
"We back ourselves in to be able to help Elijah and help educate him and help him mature quicker and try and get those decision-making processes right. It takes time.
"Unfortunately, this is a really bad one that he's made and we're just mindful the balance between obviously making him accountable and him understanding the gravity of the situation versus the support. We're trying to tread that line very carefully."
