Swans player remains stood down despite being cleared by police

Sydney Swans defender Riley Bice has been cleared as a suspect in the alleged sexual assault of three women at Melbourne’s Pullman Hotel last month, but will remain stood down by the club for the rest of the AFL season.

Victoria Police’s Sexual Crimes Squad this week formally interviewed the four other players who were stood down by the Swans following the alleged August 17 incident: Isaac Heeney, Nick Blakey, James Jordon and Chad Warner.

Bice is now instead being treated as a key witness to the case, but coach Dean Cox confirmed on Thursday morning that he would remain away from club duties.

“All five will remain stood down from the football club,” he said.

“That’s one thing we spoke about at the start, the police investigation and the behavioural nature of it were gonna be separated and that will still remain.”

Cox also said the Swans adhere to the AFL’s illicit drug policy after allegations of cocaine use inside the hotel room, but was “not privy to any of that information” or whether the players involved had been tested since the incident.

Police also confirmed there were 10 people in the room at the time of the alleged assault, including three alleged victims and three witnesses.

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The AFL club earlier this month separately stood all five players down for breaching the club’s standards after partying to the early hours following a win against Essendon in Melbourne.

Three women have filed statements to Victoria Police following the alleged incident in a Pullman East hotel room.

Nine.com.au is not suggesting any criminal wrongdoing by the five players.

The players all deny any criminal wrongdoing and no charges have been laid.

Victoria Police confirmed that detectives travelled to Sydney to speak to four people this week, including a 26-year-old man and a 25-year-old man from Randwick, a 30-year-old Maroubra man and a 25-year-old Paddington man.

Heeney, 30, is understood to be the Maroubra man interviewed.

Detectives have also either spoken to or plan to speak with three men believed to have been in the hotel room at the time of the incident, with police describing them as “solely witnesses”.

“Police now believe they have now identified all parties who were in the room at the time of the alleged incident and are not looking for anyone further,” Victoria Police said in a statement.

Detectives do not expect any major updates into the investigation for about two months.

The Swans responded on Wednesday afternoon after the update from police.

“The Sydney Swans acknowledge the statement made today by Victoria Police regarding an alleged incident at the Pullman Hotel on Monday 17 August,” the club said in a statement. 

“The wellbeing of those impacted remains of paramount importance. 

“We note that no charges have been laid and that police have indicated the process may take some time to run its course. 

“As it remains a police investigation, it is not appropriate to comment further. 

“The club again extends its sincere apologies to our members and fans, sponsors and the wider community, along with all of our staff and players across both the women’s and men’s programs, for the distress and disappointment this matter has caused.”

Cox was asked when the five stood down players could be integrated back into the Swans set-up and whether they would attend Saturday’s elimination final against the Brisbane Lions at the SCG, where a massive crowd is expected.

“That changes daily [integrating them back into club] ... we’re unsure about what the nature of it looks like,” Cox said.

“We’ll continue to have those conversations internally and get the best balance between what the footy club needs and also the support of those players.

“My first part of the conversation has only been about how they’re going. I haven’t touched on anything to do with the investigation and that’s the best way to go forward. What can we do, what can I do to help you through this period?

“There is an investigation still going and we need to get all the facts before anyone makes any assumptions on what it looks like. I stand really firmly to that.”

Detectives had already spoken to head coach Cox, football boss Leon Cameron, head of player wellbeing Brett Kirk, and communications chief Tom Chadwick.

There is no suggestion any of those men were inside the hotel room or are a focus of the investigation.

The five suspended Swans players reportedly started engaging individual legal advice as they prepared to be formally interviewed by detectives this week.

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It is understood at least three separate law firms have been engaged to help the players.

Following news of the incident being made public, the Swans stood down the five players in question for the remainder of the AFL season – a suspension of between three and five games, including Saturday’s qualifying final against the Lions and a possible grand final.

The club stressed the sanction was not related to the police investigation or the report of an alleged sexual assault, but for a breach of standards.

Sydney chairman Andrew Pridham said the decision to stand down the quintet had “torpedoed” the club’s season after a second-placed finish on the ladder.

Following the sanction, the players released a statement accepting the punishment and saying they were “deeply sorry to everyone involved”.

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“We know that our behaviour has fallen well short of the standards expected of us and the values of our club,” they said.

The AFL postponed naming its All Australian side by several days and barred the five players – three of whom, Heeney, Warner and Blakey, were considered either certain or likely selections – from the honour.

The players were also not invited to this month’s Brownlow Medal night, although they remain eligible to win the award.

Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).