The Sydney Swans Australian Rules football club has gone to the Australian Football League integrity unit and handed over audio of a conversation shared by three women central to an alleged hotel incident in Melbourne.
Journalist Caroline Wilson told Melbourne radio station 3AW that the recording was captured after the three women left the Pullman East Melbourne hotel early on Monday morning. The fallout from the night has led to the suspension of Sydney Swans players Isaac Heeney, Nick Blakey, Chad Warner, Riley Bice and James Jordon, who will miss the remainder of the 2026 AFL season.
The club found that the five players had breached internal standards by staying out late, drinking alcohol and allegedly bringing women back to their hotel room. The Sydney Swans are a professional Australian rules football team based in Sydney, New South Wales, competing in the national AFL competition.
The club suspensions remain separate from an active Victoria Police investigation into an alleged sexual assault at the venue. No charges have been laid, and all five players have denied any wrongdoing. The Daily Mail does not suggest any of the players are under investigation or involved in any wrongdoing, but confirms they spoke to police about the alleged incident.
The ongoing police investigation may run for weeks or even months as detectives gather statements from witnesses. Those witnesses may include Sydney coach Dean Cox, 45, who was confronted by at least one of the women in the hotel lobby on Monday morning.
An investigator told the Herald Sun that the response from Cox could become a key element in the police investigation, with his evidence either helping or going against the players. "What was said to him could be crucial evidence. He could be called to give evidence against his own players," the investigator said.
Audio Recording Delivered to League Investigators
It is believed the audio of the conversation involving the three women was recorded by a third party. It is not known whether the women have any knowledge of the recording.
"Fresh information emerged yesterday morning," Wilson told 3AW. "It was conveyed to the Swans, it hasn't been confirmed, but the Sydney Swans have been contacted by a connection to one of the three women that are involved in these allegations."
Wilson explained that the connection claimed to possess audio of the women speaking together after returning home from the Pullman Hotel. "Just a conversation about where they might take this, what they might report to police and where this might end for them," she said.
The details of the connection have been passed on to the AFL integrity unit. Wilson said the integrity unit may pass that information on to police, who had detectives in Sydney. Melbourne detectives interviewed Sydney staff, but not the players involved in the incident.
"Sydney are aware of it. Sydney believe it could exist and they have passed the contact number of one of the connections involved onto the AFL's integrity unit," Wilson added. "Sydney make it quite clear that none of this exonerates the players from what they did. Their futures remain clouded."
Sequence of Events Following Victory at MCG
The scandal exploded after the Sydney Swans achieved a victory over Essendon Football Club at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The final siren blared too late in the evening for the team to catch a flight home to Sydney before the Sydney Airport curfew took effect.
Several players subsequently went out drinking in the inner city suburb of Fitzroy and the Melbourne central business district before returning to the Pullman East Melbourne hotel at around 2:30am on Monday morning. Fitzroy is a vibrant suburb of Melbourne known for its commercial strips and nightlife.
A gathering was held inside one of the hotel's larger suites, where two exotic dancers were booked just after 4:00am. Some reports suggest three women were present inside the suite during the early morning hours.
Different accounts of events inside the suite have been alleged. A Daily Telegraph source claimed trouble began when the men paid to slap the women's buttocks. The situation escalated, according to the source, when a dancer was allegedly slapped four times rather than an agreed three strikes.
Just hours later, a distressed woman was seen confronting coach Cox in the hotel lobby before police were called. Investigators consider what was said to Cox in the lobby to be potentially important as evidence of a first complaint.
Legal Representation and Official Police Update
The three women at the centre of the incident have engaged legal representation and are reportedly considering civil action. A potential civil claim would operate separately from any criminal proceedings undertaken by police authorities.
Carbone Lawyers partner John Karantzis said the two women he represented were suffering severe stress and anxiety and were in fear for their lives. Carbone Lawyers is an Australian legal firm handling personal injury and civil claims.
Victoria Police published an official statement on Saturday regarding the ongoing inquiry. "The exact circumstances of the matter are still being established and a number of people have been spoken to," police said. "As the investigation remains active and ongoing, we will not be commenting further including providing information on the specific circumstances of the matter, movements of detectives and any statements or interviews taken."
Club Response and Match Team Lineup Changes
The Sydney Swans released a new statement on Saturday morning, stating that the club supports the action taken by police in releasing a public statement regarding the investigation.
"The Sydney Swans categorically confirms that no member of staff is involved in the investigation," the club said in its official statement. "This includes being in the hotel room central to the police investigation. The club reiterates that no player has been interviewed by police at this stage."
The Swans also confirmed that while Melbourne detectives interviewed club staff in Sydney, no staff member was inside the hotel room central to the investigation or involved in any wrongdoing.
Off the field, player Isaac Heeney is engaged to Steffie Waters, who departed Sydney for the Queensland resort town of Noosa amid the ongoing fallout. Player Chad Warner is pictured with his long term girlfriend, Alice Hughes. Noosa is a coastal town located on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.
The Swans return to the field on Sunday afternoon at the Sydney Cricket Ground to play against North Melbourne for the first time since the scandal broke. James Rowbottom, Harry Cunningham, Angus Sheldrick, Caiden Cleary and Tom Hanily will enter the team to replace the banned Pullman Hotel Five.
Support is available for individuals affected by sexual assault. Confidential assistance is available nationwide through 1800 RESPECT at 1800 737 732, or the National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service at 1800 211 028.
