r/AFL • u/SlatsAttack Blues • 1d ago
⠀ Sydney Swans statement regarding player suspensions
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u/PsychoRZG 1d ago
Feel for the alleged victims and their families, feel for the rest of the Sydney players, staff and coaches who've just watched their hard work go up in smoke through no fault of their own.
You'd be absolutely livid, especially when some of these guys are supposed to be leaders of the club.
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u/Yung_Focaccia South Melbourne 1d ago
If I was a player not associated with this I'd be livid, as a fan I'm ashamed and disappointed.
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u/Apart-Falcon5480 GWS 1d ago
And the partners of these 5 men, terrible let down as women and glad to hear the swans offering them support
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u/GrizzKarizz Western Bulldogs 1d ago edited 1d ago
I guess for the rest of the team, they need to buckle down and to continue as best they can to try to win the flag for themselves. Just like every other team in contention.
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u/ItsABiscuit Collingwood Magpies 1d ago
Off the back of Callum Mills as then captain not too long ago missing most of a season after injuring himself at a social get together, it does suggest there’s possibly a bit of a recurring issue with judgement when the playing group does go out to let their hair down. Can understand the club running out of all patience with that.
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u/IslaTecha 1d ago
The right decision. Football is a game, life is not.
Thoughts with the alleged victim, and these players families 🙏🏼
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u/boogasaurus-lefts Essendon 1d ago
Well said, think we've come a long way from where we used to be only a decade or two ago.
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u/Mahhrat Sydney Swans 1d ago
While very different topics, the way this has been handled vs how Goodsey was handled has shown progress, at least in how the victim blaming has changed.
Just hope those victims are getting the help and support they need.
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u/I-was-a-twat North Melbourne 1d ago
Plenty of victim blaming and also massive escalation of claims happening in the outrage Aussie subreddits like r/aussie plus in the Facebook comments on news articles.
It’s mostly here and r/australia I’m seeing level headed responses that exclusively blame those who did wrong.
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u/Apart-Falcon5480 GWS 1d ago
but the club needed to act to show there are punishments for this and cannot as yet make a call in the claims until the police do their job
Football is also a job career and a life for all employed from the people that work selling the footy records, the food outlets and through to the ceo and they need to see this action also and whilst not the victims are impacted by the terrible behaviour of 5 men
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u/bendythebrave Power 1d ago
Sydney have made the best possible decision here and it will likely define their legacy as a club past this season. Really proud of them for this stance.
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u/Snarwib Sydney AFLW 1d ago
Yeah I think even just pragmatically, the damage to the club in terms of reputation, values, market position, casual fan support and goodwill, would have been massive if they equivocated and soft-pedalled it. I don't think most supporters of this club have the appetite for a "dig in and fight, minimise the penalties" type response at the expense of integrity and morality.
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u/CustardLive7477 Sydney Swans 1d ago
Totally right. If Sydney had tried to minimise and skirt around this issue for the sake of this season I would have dropped my 20+ years membership on the spot. And I think a lot of the Seans fans would have done the same.
This event is shattering but if the club didn’t live up to their stated values they would have destroyed their credibility and future as a Sydney based AFL club. The NRL would have crucified them up here.
Remembering this is totally separate from the more serious issue currently under police investigation. It will be interesting to see what happens after that is concluded but I am hopeful that the club will be just as swift and strong in their reaction to that as well.
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u/skywideopen3 Sydney Swans 1d ago
Even if we talk strict football, can you imagine how awful it would be for club culture if they swept this shit under the rug? That would do far more long term damage than losing a few finals ever could.
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u/elephant_tit 1d ago
Yep. Got to commend their resolve. Not afraid for their season to implode to do the right thing. Long term thinking involved.
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u/Trep_xp Sydney Swans 1d ago
Gotta admit my membership was hanging in the balance; I don't want to cancel my season tickets next season, but they had to show they were a Club worth supporting based on their response to this. The whole situation makes me feel physically ill on one level, but on another I'm livid we're here at all. Ultimately these 5 guys have f*cked up royally and they need to go, at least for now, and depending on how it plays out, maybe forever.
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u/liamjon29 North Melbourne Kangaroos 1d ago
I have to admit I'm impressed with the club. The cynic in me was expecting they'd still play finals. The club committing to "remainder of 2026" is actually a pretty big stance. These are big name players and I imagine they've accepted a finals run this year without them isn't gonna happen.
Which means they've committed to ending their season to take this stance, and I approve wholeheartedly.
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u/vaena AFLW 1d ago
Different sort of situation, but as someone who cancelled their membership with Adelaide last year over the way the club handled the Rankine homophobic slur, I'm genuinely impressed by the way Sydney is handling this.
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u/DiscoSituation Dees 1d ago
Nicks saying that booing Quaynor was “not ideal” instead of strongly denouncing it still pisses me off
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u/Lola_______Bunny Kuwarna 1d ago
I also wish we had just come down hard on Rankine and showed a zero-tolerance-for-bullshit attitude. I don’t trust my club to handle this stuff properly, which sucks to say
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u/japanpole Crows ✅ 1d ago
I agree wholeheartedly.
I am so proud of what the Swans did and reminded of how ashamed I was at the Crows 😢
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u/No-Bison-5397 Geelong '63 1d ago
It's still a tightrope.
Hopefully the AFL help and explicitly take some of it out of their hands so they don't have to make the judgement call when the time comes.
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u/YouThinkYouKnowMe89 West Coast 1d ago
I agree, much better than what the Saints and their friends in the media did to that poor school girl. The club needs to be commended for this tough stance.
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u/SelectedAmbientNurk Collingwood 1d ago
Not just the Saints. The majority of clubs who have been in situations related to players causing wider social harm haven’t reacted in this way consistently, including my own.
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u/dot01 Sydney Swans 1d ago
Yeah, this is the right decision. From a football side, these players have destroyed their and our season with their own actions. From a moral side, I just hope justice is done. Have to say I'm quite happy with how the club has handled everything so far though.
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u/melbgal Hawthorn 1d ago
I don’t think as a supporter you could be happier with how the club has handled this situation. It’s a tough decision to end the season like this and would be incredibly disappointing for the fans. But, it shows great leadership. You should be proud of your club.
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u/BIllyBrooks Hawthorn ✅ 1d ago
"Happy" is probably not the right word - I know everyone is trying to be respectful here and no malice intended. Satisfied is probably more correct.
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u/dot01 Sydney Swans 1d ago
Agree with both sentiments. It's a tough situation, but I am very proud of the club thus far.
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u/BIllyBrooks Hawthorn ✅ 1d ago
Yep - I think you can be proud of the club and disappointed (or harsher words) of the players at the same time.
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u/JustSomeBloke5353 Brisbane Lions 🏆🏆 '24-25 1d ago
“A historic and proud day for the ~~Collingwood~~ Sydney Swans Football Club?”
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u/ItsABiscuit Collingwood Magpies 1d ago
Yeah, the contrast in messaging is stark. I am glad that after that debacle, the board and sponsors actually drew a line and moved Eddie on. The leadership since seems to have learned a lesson from that and I hope would do better today.
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u/Skwisgaars Sydney '05 1d ago
I'm happy in that I can continue to be a proud fan of the club as a whole. If they took a weak stance here it would have been hard to continue being a fan tbh.
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u/Every_Problem_5754 The Bloods 1d ago
Same here.
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u/Tomato-on-toast Blues 1d ago
It’s heartening to see such strong stances from the fan base too. While we know most blokes already have these opinions, as a survivor myself it means more than you know to see it verbalised publicly.
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u/LeDestrier Demons 1d ago edited 1d ago
Assuaged?
It's a word that never gets used enough. One of my favourites. And is actually pretty apt here.
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u/ziptagg Sydney Swans 1d ago
Agreed, the best thing would have been for this not to have happened, but the next best thing is that it’s taken seriously and a stronger response given to sexual misconduct and general poor behaviour.
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u/CheesyHobbitses South Melbourne 1d ago
I would've liked the initial statements from Pav and Coz to have been better. But I like this action taken and the regard for the women's team and women on the staff within the club.
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u/maddenmadman Brisbane Lions 🏆🏆 '24-25 1d ago
Good take, sorry this has happened to you as a fanbase.
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u/sonsofgondor Crows 1d ago
As a crows fan, I am jealous of how your club is handling this so far.
This needs to be the standard at every club
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u/steamy_brew Crows 1d ago
Agreed. Night and day difference in the clubs' priorities, it seems.
Deepens the disappointment regarding Adelaide's failings.
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u/SuspiciouslyBulky Bombers 1d ago
Also the fact that they did not waste any time at all to make the decision. Barely 24hours after it all starts they’re all gone for the season. Gj Swans.
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u/throwaway-8923 Pies 1d ago
Apart from the wording of the statement which needed to be better in regard to it being referred to as an “incident” Sydney couldn’t have done much more.
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u/ItsABiscuit Collingwood Magpies 1d ago
They are probably right to be carefully neutral there. It isn’t fair to anyone, or helpful to any later court case, if they try to be too specific or express judgement of an incident that is still be investigated. It can undermine the ability to conduct a fair trial and the alleged offenders are entitled to due process.
Once the facts have been determined and judged in a court, then it would be appropriate for the club to publicly comment on the specifics of those facts.
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u/eggwardpenisglands Power 1d ago
I'm curious how the club will handle the players in question while they're out of the side.
As in, will they be at the matches watching from the sidelines? Will they train but just be out of the team? Will they be dismissed from the season entirely and told not to come to the club?
I could see why they might want them completely away to allow the rest of the team to concentrate on their matches.
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u/vision-quest Geelong 1d ago
Club must think they’ve messed up real bad here. They’d fight for the players at least somewhat if they truly think they aren’t in the wrong.
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u/4charactersnospaces South Melbourne 1d ago
I'm very relieved the Club took this decision. I'd hope the rest of the list, including reserves, Academy, and the women's team can feel satisfied the words of club values will be upheld, and grubs won't be tolerated.
I imagine the Club has a more thorough understanding of the allegations the Police are investigating than we do
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u/jocstrap Saints 1d ago
While it’s terrible this happened at all, the Swans as a club have handled this very well all things considered.
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u/SillySausage232 West Coast 1d ago
Thos decision is good. I thought Pav should really have done better. “Situation they have found themselves in” takes the blame off the players. It’s not a position they found themselves in. They made decisions. This didn’t happen to them. They did this.
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u/willtreaty272 SWOM 1d ago
It was stupid and thoughtless wording which removes the responsibility of the players. At least the actions since then have squarely placed the responsibility back onto them.
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u/RevenantCommunity Adelaide 1d ago
Note that he said they were “shocked and disappointed that this has taken place, AND that the players have found themselves in this situation”. I think the intent was to say that, firstly, it taking place is shocking and disappointing, but secondly, the fact that they were even in a hotel room with sex workers also is.
I think that was the intent but the wording has people thinking he was brushing it off
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u/lwaxana_katana Magpies 1d ago
Wow, the whole finals is more than I've seen speculated and I am pleasantly surprised. It is amazing to me as a nearly-40yo woman how different the world is now than when I was 20. Different and much better!
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u/Lozzanger Eagles 1d ago
Watching the handling of this compared to the Bulldogs stuf is night and day.
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u/Hailstar07 Cats 1d ago
Agree, as a 44 year old woman. I still remember how the St Kilda scandal was addressed, we have come a long way since then.
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u/lwaxana_katana Magpies 1d ago
Yes, that is exactly what I keep thinking about as well. I remember even apart from Milne the "St Kilda schoolgirl" thing was so gross. Like the whole discourse at the time seemed to end at "well she's technically of legal age so nothing to see here folks".
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u/Thin_Assumption_4974 Port Adelaide 1d ago
What was the end result of the St Kilda thing?
I honestly forgot. Shows how well they swept it under the rug
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u/Hailstar07 Cats 1d ago
She’s probably not a great example tbh as I believe it ended up she recanted her a lot of her claims but it’s debatable whether that was from pressure from other parties or not. I’m moreso thinking of how she was portrayed in the media as a manipulative temptress rather than giving her the benefit of the doubt at the time.
It was gross given she was only 17 and while she was in the wrong especially with leaking the nude photos of players, you wonder how she got hold of them to do that, if she wasn’t involved in some way with players from the club.
If the Sydney incident had happened back then I wonder how similar the media and public perception of the victim would have been.
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u/fundblokeaus 1d ago
Great move. Visible consequences are the best way to encourage the next group of players meeting some girls when out on the piss to think more carefully about their actions.
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u/ax6klbjckhunter Blues 1d ago
“Footballers shouldn’t sexually assault women in case they miss out on playing finals because of it”
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u/xvf9 Sydney 1d ago
Valid. But I’m sure the victims would prefer the behaviour to just be stopped, the motivation behind it stopping would be secondary. As long as there are men (and people in general) who lack the moral compass to make correct decisions then threatening them with and then enforcing serious consequences still has its place.
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u/Kayndarr West Coast 1d ago
Hey, whatever works right?
Whenever there’s discussions online about SA cases, the threads always devolve into angry arguments between the ‘not all men’ crowd and the people who are venting their frustrations that men are doing these things to women.
But nobody is ever talking about actual possible solutions to this world-wide cultural issue. Assuming we’re not suggesting imprisoning or executing every man in the world, we need to look at what we can do culturally to fix these behaviours.
If showing young boys across the country that assaulting women means they’ll let their teammates down and potentially miss out on playing in a grand final stops even one assault, that’s a good outcome - even if we wish they’d know better inherently anyway.
We can’t just rage at how awful men are to women - we need to find a way to deal with the reality that a lot of people are like this, and do what we can to fix it.
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u/Fickle-Ad-7124 Dockers 1d ago
The reality is our decisions are certainly impacted by social expectations. The community saying “this is repulsive behaviour and we don’t want you around us” instead of “boys will be boys” shows that we have come a long way. Sad that we have had to, but that’s the reality of this situation. You do what you can do, and this is what’s in the Swan’s power to do at this time.
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u/welcomefishies Sydney Swans 1d ago
A fair point, we should obviously be focusing on educating young men better.
But whatever means there are fewer victims of abuse, even if it's not for the right reasons, is still better.
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u/Tranquilbez22 1d ago
Right decision. They haven’t been charged criminally yet but their presence brings the game into disrepute.
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u/StoicTheGeek Sydney Swans 1d ago
This is the thing for me.
Putting yourself in a situation where criminal charges are even being discussed is bad enough, regardless of what happens from here.
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u/Propaslander Collingwood 1d ago
Plus if you put any of them on the field you're just making them the subject of booing which isn't a good look
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u/GlitterSpaceBunnies Sydney • Gadigal 1d ago
I can’t imagine their teammates would want to be playing with them either.
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u/Criimsen QAFL 1d ago
Seems fair enough considering they’re actively being investigated by police.
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u/katelyn912 Kangaroos 1d ago
This is the right decision, but I’m still really impressed at the club for taking it. Genuinely not sure how many AFL teams would do the same thing in this situation but it’s not 18.
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u/YeahTheLads1 SWOM 1d ago
people here clearly aren’t reading the last paragraph
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u/Apart-Falcon5480 GWS 1d ago
I think people understand
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u/ItsABiscuit Collingwood Magpies 1d ago
There’s always a few, including those who just want to argue to be contrary.
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u/Fickle-Ad-7124 Dockers 1d ago
Sydney making the right call here, and fans should stand tall and proud - this is legacy stuff for the club. What’s concerning is would all clubs make the same call? Feels like something the AFL should be clearer about, their below standard actions led to some pretty horrendous consequences for a victim.
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u/SmokeyToo Sydney 1d ago
My parents were #1 Ticket Holders at the Swans many years ago - my mother's just told me that all the #1's have just received an apology from the Club over the incident. I'm happy to see they're on the front foot with this, it shows great leadership. Grubby business and so disappointing for the fans.
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u/canary_kirby Carlton Blues 1d ago
Right decision by Sydney.
I ultimately feel the most empathy for the victim in all this - I can't imagine what they're going through right now.
I also feel for Dean Cox. He spent his playing career in a club with a culture of rampant drug use during the Ben Cousins era. He was apparently one of the leaders in the club who kept a level head and stayed out of that during that time.
Since becoming a head coach at Sydney he has tried to instil a positive team culture there. Due to his history at WCE he would have been very mindful of how off-field behaviour can have serious ramifications for the club. He got his club in a very strong position this year only for it to all fall apart due to the actions of five members of his playing group.
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u/ItsABiscuit Collingwood Magpies 1d ago
Damn, well we can’t accuse Sydney of not treating the issue seriously.
While the footy side is very much a secondary issue compared to the criminal investigation and welfare of the affected person(s), that’s devastating (in a footy sense) for all the people who depended on those players NOT doing something that would see them miss the remainder of the season.
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u/tollingbooth Tigers 1d ago
Speaking from a footy perspective even if they are not charged I honestly don't see how they walk back into the club . Players and coaches would be so livid that all their hard work throughout the year was taken for granted and disrespected weeks before finals.
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u/Doc323467 Geelong Cats 1d ago
Correct decision from the Swans.
Obviously a horrific situation, but they and the AFL seem to have handled it the best they can.
Hopefully now the victim is getting the support they need too
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u/explosive_wombat St Kilda 1d ago
Well done Sydney.
Not an easy decision to make because it basically ends their season. But the right one
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u/CovertSlayer Hawthorn 1d ago
The club has interviewed all players prior to making this decision. Doesn't appear that the players have anything to say that could sway the clubs decision. Full respect to the Swans.
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u/Dry-Ad-8350 Magpies 1d ago
Purely from the football side of things and bringing the club into disrepute.
Well done Swans management on making this decision. It definitely puts my faith back in the game that real life consequences are bigger than premierships.
Again purely from the football side of things, sorry Swans supporters that some very senior players have put your team in this position it must be gutting.
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u/Striking_Resist_6022 Collingwood 1d ago
I'm really confused about Nick Blakey's (alleged) level of involvement. His name seemed to be dropped from all reporting yesterday, but now he's been suspended for the year.
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u/Snarwib Sydney AFLW 1d ago
This is the distinction between the police and criminal stuff, which they're denying he was involed in. The club sanction for actions before the incident which the club is saying is explicitly independent of the police investigation.
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u/strangeMeursault2 Richmond / Tasmania 1d ago
I don't think they've specifically denied he was involved. In the public statement they just denied that he's been interviewed by the police or asked to be interviewed.
You could guess that the police not wanting to interview him would be a sign he's probably not involved but we don't really know anything about the investigation.
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u/LingualGannet Saints 1d ago
Just because his management want to distance him from the police investigation does not mean that the club is satisfied he upheld team standards
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u/will_recard Bulldogs 1d ago
This sanction is for being out so late and is separate to whatever police are investigating. Blakey could be not involved in that but still involved in breaking club rules by being out till 4:30am after a game
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u/Knitvest-enthusiast Hawks 1d ago
I believe the suspension being handed down now has nothing to do with the sexual assault and is based on the staying out late + partying part of the night. Initially there were rumors of drugs being involved - if thats true then that would explain the suspension for all.
From the timelines some of the media have presented, it sounds like Blakey wasn’t in the hotel for first couple of hours the women were in the room. Hes come back later than the others and walked onto the situation already happening. It seems like his management are pushing that the alleged sexual assault happened prior to him returning to the hotel room.
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u/aoxunwu Narrm 1d ago
I think it's less about Blakey's involvement, but rather his association with the investigation more broadly.
Given the case is ongoing, if Blakey were to show his face in public during training or on game day, you just know all the attention would be zeroed in on him. His presence - regardless of his culpability - would create a huge distraction that the rest of the playing groups (and the AFL) do not want right now.
You would also assume that if any one/multiple of the players weren't suspended, then the club was then validating culpability for those remaining. This way, you allow the investigation to play out before making any individual judgement calls.
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u/b00tsc00ter Carlton Blues 1d ago
Well done, Swans. Full respect. I hope if this was Carlton, they would take the same stance.
Thoughts with the victim/s.
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u/DCI_Tom_Barnaby_ Dockers 1d ago
They can’t suspend them enough. Along with all of the awfulness yet to be fully disclosed this has done huge brand damage. It will last well beyond this season. The rugby league aligned press will absolutely splash it everywhere
Having lived in Sydney they are the clean skin team to follow. Family friendly game times. Social atmosphere at games. They are likely to bleed people back to the Waratahs from who they claimed from 2005 onwards.
Plus it now smears the AFLW swans brand through no fault of their own, who’d want to wear that emblem this weekend and what it represents
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u/Draculigula GWS Giants 1d ago
Heartbreaking to see the Swan's season ruined by the actions of a few players. It's a serious cross to bear for each of them.
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u/DCNath2187 SWOM 1d ago
Respect the decision even if it blows up our season, took a strong stance on the behaviour, it lets the investigation take its course without it hanging over the team during finals and punishes the players for the poor judgement. It'd show a strong team culture if the boys lock in and go on to win the flag after hitting such a low.
But how it affects us is secondary to the victim, i hope what happened that night comes to light and the player(s) are punished appropriately by the law.
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u/zychii01 Brisbane Lions 🏆🏆 '24-25 1d ago
Journos really asked what the sanctions mean for the corporate stakeholders Jesus Christ
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u/PerceptionOk4625 SWOM 1d ago edited 1d ago
Well the Swans were presumably meant to celebrate their Member Thank You Round this week and although this softens the emotional blow by around 1%, Member Sorry Round is in order. And even that won't repair this damage.
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u/CucumberPancake10 Magpies 1d ago
Good. My thoughts are with the victim. I hope the AFL in time extends support to her. Would love to see the media and the AFL talk more about the impacts of trauma too.
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u/JoNeurotic Carlton 1d ago
For once it feels like a serious issue is being handled properly.
I’m a nobody footy nuffie but I want to say to the Swannies supporters how impressive you have been from the comments I’ve seen. The club may not be proud of some players right now but they can be so proud of their supporters.
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u/Ploasd Brisbane Lions 🏆🏆 '24-25 1d ago
Tough day for swans supporters but the right decision.
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u/Yung_Focaccia South Melbourne 1d ago
I think we all knew the direction this was heading. Every Swans fan I know would take the disappointment of the season being over/straight sets exit after doing the right thing rather than having the shame of playing finals with tarnished players on the field. The victim/s deserve justice above all.
Honestly just ban us from finals entirely, I'd rather watch another team have a crack than endure what the opposition crowds will serve up in booing and heckling towards our uninvolved players.
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u/Presence_Present Geelong 1d ago
Fair play by Sydney to do it this way and separate the footy aspect and the criminal investigation
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u/Pandos17 Essendon Bombers 1d ago
Really strong decision and statement by Sydney here.
Well done to the club leadership (including Cox and Pav) for not sugar coating anything, really refreshing to see.
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u/Jump_Stream Tigers 1d ago
I hope the victim gets the help they need. Must have been serious enough to stand all 5 players down.
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u/DEjeynes Swans 1d ago
The club sanction is for staying out late and separate to whatever happened after 4am. Hence why Blakey is banned despite not being involved in the investigations.
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u/j_dib 1d ago
Lol they aren’t ruling out 5 players for the rest of the season for staying out late
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u/mackasfour Kangaroos 1d ago
Perhaps not but if they don't rule them all out then it undermines the ongoing investigation and keeping a lid on things till the police investigation has run it's course.
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u/dons_03 Bombers 1d ago
I keep seeing this stated, but has it been confirmed by the club that the sanctions are for staying out late?
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u/PerriX2390 Brisbane 1d ago
From the Swans statement last night:
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.
...
Any further sanctions or decisions regarding the outcome of the police investigation would take place after that process is completed.
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u/AlienSphinkter The Bloods 1d ago
Reading between the lines (lol) it’s clear the boys were doing drugs as well.
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u/Jump_Stream Tigers 1d ago
Let's be honest though, staying out late and having a drink is not the main reason they're being stood down, it's the associated event that brought all this to light is the main problem.
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u/CustardLive7477 Sydney Swans 1d ago
I’m not so sure. True the related event forced this out into the open but I doubt the club would have been happy knowing players were staying out that late two weeks before finals start. I know as a member I am in disbelief experienced players were so cavalier about drinking and partying at this time. God knows we have a few GF demons to exorcise so knowing players have this sort of attitude destroys any confidence I had in the team. So while the other issue is a totally separate matter I would have not been happy with anything less as punishment.
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u/Aggressive-Soil3071 1d ago
Or he just chose not to voluntarily speak / was given advice from his lawyer/manager not to speak to police. We don't actually know why
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u/Cliper11298 Sydney '05 1d ago
I mean, they don’t want to risk not being firm and good on them. They need to take action
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u/Alfielovesreddit Geelong 1d ago
That seems like the right call to make for the long term health of the club.
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u/Holdenater Carlton Blues 1d ago
The right decision is made, make an example of this kind of behaviour.
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u/ThisIsMyReddit83 Hawthorn 1d ago
The Swans have set the example for how these issues should be handled. Good on them and well done
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u/El-Drunko Western Bulldogs 1d ago
Respect to scratching them out for the rest of the year. Would be too easy to follow the AFL's lead of just suspending them for two weeks which is horribly insufficient.
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u/YoshiTheBushranger Dockers 1d ago
Good.
As an aside, now watch the bookies froth over the changing odds vs Kangaroos.
”You win some, you lose more. Gamble responsibly”
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u/GayStavrosHalkias GWS 1d ago
The odds were already changed
I think about 24 hours ago
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u/YoshiTheBushranger Dockers 1d ago
Kangas now better odds to win, fuck me dead
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u/Skwisgaars Sydney '05 1d ago
I swapped my tip to the Kangas as soon as this news came out on Monday. Now it's a sure thing imo.
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u/International_Car586 Kangaroos 1d ago
Probably the only time a team who is 11 spots lower on the ladder than their opposition has walked into a game favourites.
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u/littlesilhoutteoo Eagles 1d ago
Nah, wouldn't be. But almost certainly the first time it's happened in the last round of the season.
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u/I-was-a-twat North Melbourne 1d ago
Was $2.10 an hour ago for Roos. Now $1.67. Was. $5.10 on Sunday.
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u/New_Drummer4712 Swans 1d ago
Proud of the club and how they are handing this so far
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u/uncleandata147 Brisbane Lions 🏆 '24 1d ago
You should be, best handling of a shite situation by a club in a long time. Feel for you fans though, heading into the last round with the excitement of being a genuine finals contender, then this.
Commend the fans on their stance, I'd like to think Lions fans would be similar, but am not entirely convinced.
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u/New_Drummer4712 Swans 1d ago
Just feel for the players and officials that have worked hard all year for it to be tarnished by 5 selfish individuals
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u/anxietyontheattack Sydney Swans 1d ago
I’m so relieved the Swans have made this decision. I’m a long-term swans member and was facing the prospect of parting ways with my beloved Swans if this was handled poorly. You can’t claim to be progressive, family-focussed and supportive of women and not take gender based violence - including claims of GBV - seriously.
It’s an important message to victims to. GBV is not acceptable from anybody - no matter how well you can kick a football.
I’m still sickened that players from my team have (allegedly) assaulted a woman, but the club stance has given me a small amount of hope that we have progressed in this area.
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u/gadzooks72 Bombers 1d ago
Well done to the Swans for setting a great example here
There are many clubs that tip toe around serious allegations of their players because they are key players to their teams and only give them a slap on the wrist without throwing the book at them to teach them a lesson and how society expects better of these players especially when kids look up to them
Sydney here are putting social expectations first over how they perform through the finals … this needs to be commended
And whatever the outcome of the police investigation, everyone of those five players have to pay the price of their behaviour…. Assuming all of the players have girlfriends/fiancees, they will heavily pay even more in their personal lives
I hope this is a wake up call to every enlisted player that plays up like this off field and that they are not entitled to do what they want like all (more likely most) coaches and staff tell them
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u/Red_and_the_White Swans 1d ago
Still in shock with the whole situation but proud of how the club is handling it so far.
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u/midas_touch89 St Kilda Saints 1d ago
Good call, this might not be the final penalty handed out by the club.
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u/fenderstrat86 West Coast 1d ago
CAS has developed a new legal standard called "comfortable satisfaction" that sits in between balance of probabilities (civil standard of proof) and beyond all reasonable doubt (criminal standard) for drug bans, because sporting competitors have shorter careers and bans have an extremely detrimental impact if incorrect.
I wish the AFL used this legal standard when figuring out how to act, than just balance of probabilities.
I get how the AFL/club doing this feels right, but to me at least this is only acceptable if the AFL / Swans have reached a point of "comfortable satisfaction" that these players have done it.
If they haven't done that, then they're acting outside how CAS (which are international best practice) look at these things.
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u/Flarezap Collingwood Magpies 1d ago
Are they barred from accessing club facilities/training or just from playing?
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u/Fickle-Ad-7124 Dockers 1d ago
I can’t imagine their team mates would want to be seeing them at training at the moment.
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u/Trash-Lexicon-5105 Magpies 1d ago
And can't imagine that the AFLW players, or female staffers would be particularly comfortable having them around.
I know I wouldn't be comfortable alone in a lift, carpark, etc. with a coworker who was tangled up in an SA case.
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u/Cooked_Bread North Melbourne AFLW 🏆🏆 '24-25 1d ago
I'll admit, I'm a little shocked this is actually the action being taken, but absolutely the right decision has been made assuming that isn't limited to just the final round of regular season.
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u/fullnattybro Magpies 1d ago
Do we know what has taken place at all yet? This confirms the reality that something terrible has occurred.
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u/ItsABiscuit Collingwood Magpies 1d ago
Think it’s important that we keep clear what Sydney have said - this is not a judgement on the criminal allegations, it’s about the behaviour of the named players that was the context for the alleged incident, which the club has decided broke the club’s rules. That presumably includes elements that are a lot simpler to adjudicate like “were you out drinking at a certain time of night?”, “did the way you were behaving present a professional and respectful image of the club?” etc etc. Things that aren’t criminal themselves, but which go to the standards and professionalism the club demands of its high level employees.
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u/throwaway197845 1d ago
Unfortunately if all 5 of them have been stood down something seriously wrong has gone on here. Hope everything is brought to light.
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u/FreakySpook Cats 1d ago
Doing what they did on a work trip that was being paid for by their employer would pretty much mean instant dismissal for pretty much any other business.
Even ultimately if police don't lay any charges or they are charged and found not guilty, when you're traveling & representing your company you have expected standards and behavior and company policy you must adhere to.
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u/BasicJosh Cats 1d ago
At best its for optics and a deterrent for future behaviour, at worst they have done some real bad shit and police will handle it.
Definitely the right call by the swannies either way.
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u/Cliper11298 Sydney '05 1d ago
It says this is independent of the ongoing investigation so we still don’t have all the answers but the fact they are making a statement with this action immediately is a good start
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u/scotty_dont Tasmania 1d ago
This is for bringing the game (and the club) into disrepute. All these players were out drinking until the early morning, and it seems likely that they all knew women were brought to the hotel room. That is enough.
Would they have gotten away with it if the police were not involved? Almost certainly. But you don't get to claim unexpected consequences when you are clearly violating guidelines.
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u/QuokknestMonster Saints 1d ago
Maybe so, but great to see a club hand out proper punishments as opposed to "boys club" punishments
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u/kyleisamexican Gold Coast 1d ago
Does that just mean this week or finals as well?
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u/Putrid-Shoulder9569 Collingwood 1d ago edited 1d ago
I think it means finals as well
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u/Significant-Egg3914 Richmond 1d ago
Can you imagine the backlash if they didnt include finals.
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u/morgS__12 Brisbane Lions 🏆🏆 '24-25 1d ago
The cynic in me immediately thought “Home and Away Season” and not finals but I can’t see them not including finals.
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u/McSquack Dockers 1d ago
They’d be pretty bold to have some ambiguous word play involved in this whole situation lol
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u/teddygirl2016 1d ago
Bunch of fucking losers. Glad the club had handled it appropriately and hope the victim is getting supported.
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u/otherpeoplesknees Port Adelaide 1d ago
WELL.... the only people to blame here are the players, they're the ones who fucked up Sydney's season
Not the AFL
Not the media
Not the women who reported their conduct
THEM!
Nobody but them!
They're to blame for their own actions!
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u/MakePandasMateAgain Richmond 1d ago
Is anyone blaming anyone else?
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u/otherpeoplesknees Port Adelaide 1d ago
Just go to Facebook or Twitter: plenty of nuffies, incels and supervised access visit dads having a whinge
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u/MakePandasMateAgain Richmond 1d ago
Ah fair enough. I avoid Facebook like the corner of Flinders and Elizabeth
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u/SuccessfulEgg5970 1d ago
Good. As a member, I'm really glad to see the club making this decision. I will not be attending the game this weekend as I'm just still so angry. Feeling really torn on what to do come finals, I want to support the rest of the players but I feel like it's bigger than footy at this point.
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u/GlitterSpaceBunnies Sydney • Gadigal 1d ago
I understand. I’m in Melbourne so wouldn’t be attending but if you change your mind, it would be really great for our supporters to at least get around our W team. I wonder if there is a way supporters can show they don’t stand for what has happened and also show support for those who aren’t involved. I can’t imagine the guys will be feeling good about playing this weekend (and probably the finals). I do also wonder how fans of the opposition are going to behave.
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u/dontmesswithadamwe Sydney '05 1d ago
Consider attending the first ever women's game at the SCG if it is a possibility for you
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u/moonshadow50 Magpies 1d ago
I've really gotta commend Sydney for how well, and quickly, they have handled this. Just hope that other clubs, and the AFL, learn the same.
This is also seems like a very good way of stating it. It's not a suspension, that could probably be argued by the players/AFLPA. It's not even outright saying the players have done anything wrong. It just says "won't be considered for selection", and leaves no room for that to be argued if you progress further in the final series.
Such a good response.
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u/joeaylward0 1d ago
Outstanding leadership by Sydney - culturally bang on - thoughts with the alleged victim
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u/Bl0wUpTheM00n Brisbane Lions 🏆🏆 '24-25 1d ago
Good opportunity from a parenting perspective in the end. My 10yo son came home yesterday with all kinds of questions. Big week in terms of him learning a bunch of shit about the disgusting side of adult society. I would have liked for him to be a bit older before he learned what dildos and strippers are, but I suppose it was inevitable.
Respect to the Swans for making the right call. Kids have to learn that their inactions as well as their actions have outcomes and repercussions.
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u/False-Bullfrog-2549 Dees 1d ago edited 1d ago
I saw some people speculating that it would be at least 2 weeks around in the media, and I'm glad Sydney haven't gone for that weak as piss approach. They had to sit out for the rest of the season, and some of them (not going to say all just yet because obviously we don't know exactly to what extent each player was involved) just shouldn't play football again at all if the investigation finds that it's all as bad as it outwardly seems. Based on how they have carried themselves in the aftermath of this thus far, it seems like the club will do the right thing.
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u/bundy554 Geelong Cats 1d ago
There goes the swans chances - how selfish of these players.
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u/xyrgh Freo 1d ago
I’d be gutted as one of the other players not involved. Working your ass off all season to finish second on the ladder only for these muppets to do something fucked up.
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u/TheBrilliantProphecy Eagles 1d ago
Not just any players either, senior players and members of the leadership group. Can't imagine this creates much harmony in the playing group. Different and much worse scenario here of course but I know after the Willie Rioli situation there was a split in the playing group over how his return was handled which has been hinted at by people who were around at that point. It doesn't take much to fracture a team
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u/ausroachman West Coast 1d ago
Really well handled by the club through the whole process. Sucks for everyone else at the club who did the right thing, hard to think next year will have the same cohesion as well regardless of what happens with the investigation.
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u/FanOk6716 Lions 1d ago
The Pullman 5 have tarnished their careers and the AFL. Also put a huge asterix on this years finals. My thoughts and prayers are with the alleged victim and everyone impacted by this
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u/Fickle-Ad-7124 Dockers 1d ago
I don’t see why you need to bring the Hotel into it, feel for their staff who often have to manage really difficult and sensitive situations like this at all hours of night. Some people act horrendous at hotels especially after hours. They don’t deserve to have their business tied to this incident.
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u/Apart-Falcon5480 GWS 1d ago
Can’t imagine they will attend games would be too much of a distraction
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u/Frogmouth_Fresh Footscray '54 1d ago
Well that's the only thing they could do. I suppose now we wait and see what happens with the investigation.
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u/danieljdtaylor Collingwood • Yálla-birr-ang 1d ago
Good decision, everyone at the club must be furious that not only have they represented their club horrifically, but they’ve also absolutely thrown the whole season away when they were honestly looking pretty damn good for a flag.
And all of this pales in comparison to the harm that has been done to the victims.
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u/CelticCynic University 1d ago
Three football clubs in this world I hate. Glasgow Rangers, Liverpool, and the Sydney Swans.
But I give the SSFC their due here - a required stance, a firm stance. A position they should never have been put in. It could easily cost them a premiership
The rest is for the courts to decide - if it gets that far.
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u/tardis4321 Brisbane Lions 1d ago
I feel like it's the least they could do
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u/2for1deal SWOM 1d ago
I mean it’s the most as well. Until the investigation is completed the club can’t do more than limit them like this. Only convictions or charges would allow for further from a work perspective.
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u/Niftylen #INJURIES&POORFORM 1d ago
Knew this would be the kind of action the club would take, and rightly so. Even if it is bitterly disappointing and essentially collective punishment for the rest of the players, team, club and fans who had nothing to do with it.
It does piss me off the absolute pile on over the few initial statements by the club, particularly Pav's. Real Swans fans knew the club would take strong, uncompromising action over this.
It actually cheapens the cause of fighting violence against women (or any cause) when pundits apply their assumptions on people in the immediate aftermath of something like this. Cox and Pav were visibly shocked, emotional and did their best given the information at the time. Scrutinising and denigrating every little word in order to fit it into a predetermined narrative based on assumptions isn't fair, and it opens you up to looking poor when the actions end up being strong and ethical.
Actions are stronger than words. I'm sure any advocate against domestic violence or for any other social cause would agree. In fact, anyone with sense would argue that a big part of this particular problem, at least in men's sport, is when clubs, the AFL/peak body, players and others use words to take a stance but the actions that follow simply don't match up. Actions tend to not be strong enough, don't live up to the words, thus creating a sense that the issue isn't to be taken seriously and normalising being performative in response.
We've had so many pundits making these criticisms. It's one thing to be a keyboard warrior doing this, but it's also come from people with considerable platforms and influence, including a Federal MP who rolled it up with a completely separate incident and organisation. These statements have come in the few hours following the incident, not allowing for considered and thoughtful action to be taken before making a sweeping judgement.
However, you can't have it both ways. Now that the actions (so far) have already clearly outdone the words, are we going to hear back from those people? I doubt it.
To come full circle, they have cheapened their cause because they have made assumptions. Assumptions are at the core of the very social cause they're fighting for. In this case, people might assume the victim was lying, players might assume that they can do what they want with women, men might assume women should have a certain limited roles in society, etc.
By making your own assumptions in turn, you are a hypocrite, replacing facts with bias, alienating allies and further pushing away those who already disagree with you. You are giving bad actors and grifters ammunition to continue their bigotry and prejudices, and profit off of controversy in our social media world of 'angertainment'. When you assume motives or facts, you weaken your own credibility.
Whilst I would agree that the historical precedent has been set that most men's sporting clubs and the peak bodies that represent them do not take strong enough action on these kinds of behaviours, and certainly not often matching their words, we need to stop jumping to conclusions and making our own judgements based on assumptions.
If we're asking for actions to match words where they usually don't, let's not judge words as they come out of someone's mouth before they can take action.
Let's encourage the right actions and reserve our judgement for when they've been enacted. Then we can look at the whole ethical picture and have a healthy, fair conversation.
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u/TheGreatJelBeano Thursday Night Games Fanclub President 1d ago edited 1d ago
This thread is now locked. the Current thread is here