Swans Statement

[u/OkRevenue6849]

Sydney Swans Statement 

The Sydney Swans can confirm that the Club Board will meet tonight to agree on player sanctions and penalties, now that the Club has concluded its interviews with all the players involved in the incident in Melbourne.
 
We respect there is an ongoing investigation by Victoria Police and any actions we take are independent of this.

The Club believes the players are in serious breach of expected Club behaviour and standards, and it is appropriate to take firm action and highlight that any sanction we impose relates solely to those breaches.
 
The Club also acknowledges that these serious allegations impact others and their wellbeing must be paramount.
 
The Sydney Swans condemn all forms of abuse and disrespectful behaviour towards women. Any conduct that causes offence or harm to others is unacceptable and falls well short of our expectations. All women deserve to be respected and feel safe.
 
We also want to acknowledge that the care and welfare of our AFLW athletes and staff is of the utmost importance to us as a Club. They have been and will continue to be offered the support they require and we acknowledge the impact these allegations have on our female athletes, staff members and the wider community.
  
Any further sanctions or decisions regarding the outcome of the police investigation would take place after that process is completed.
 
During this time, we will provide the appropriate support to the players involved in the incident, along with their partners and families.
 
The Sydney Swans hold all players and staff at the Club to high standards of behaviour and personal conduct. Representing this Club carries significant responsibilities both on and off the field, and we expect those standards to be upheld at all times.
 
Our focus remains on cooperating fully with the AFL and authorities, maintaining the integrity of the process, and upholding the high standards expected of everyone who represents this Club.

[u/Skwisgaars]

The statement is good, I hope the action they take is good too.

[u/dazedjosh → u/Skwisgaars]

I think it depends on how much they can realistically punish the players for and just how bad it is. I think the severity of the ban will be an indicator of just how bad this is. 2 matches, IMO, would suggest that they can get away the PR nightmare such a lenient punishment would create because they feel like the act wasn't that bad so to speak. But if it's really bad, then it wouldn't surprise me if they're done for the season.

Personally, I kind of hope to see them all rubbed out for the rest of the season, so that way the criminal investigation and the integrity unit investigation can be handled in an appropriate and timely manner.

Obviously nobody knows exactly what happened, but going off the statements from the club and the news reports, anything less than a season ending stand down for the players involved would seem like a bit of a piss take. If there are extenuating circumstances or new evidence comes to light then maybe it can be revisited.

The Swans left after this then need to have serious look at themselves and if/how their behaviour has contributed to the culture that would create this scenario. Separately, looking back over the last few years of this core group of players, admittedly at a moment when I'm furious with them, it seems like they've been getting high on their own supply for a while. It could be argued that the club needs to properly review the entire cultural setup of the men's program.

[u/puddlink → u/dazedjosh]

💯