Sydney Swans deny club representatives, apart from five banned players, were in Melbourne hotel room
Sydney have denied representatives of the club, apart from the five currently-listed players named, were in the room at a Melbourne hotel at the centre of a police investigation.
Sydney have denied representatives of the club, apart from the five currently-listed players named, were in the room at a Melbourne hotel at the centre of a police investigation.
The Swans released a statement on Friday morning, an hour after coach Dean Cox and captain Callum Mills fronted the media in a press conference at club headquarters.
“The Sydney Swans can confirm that all investigations carried out by the club have consistently indicated that the only representatives of the club in the room central to the police investigation were the five players who have been stood down,” the statement read.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“We have every reason to consider that reports to the contrary are simply false.
“We are respecting the process with the relevant authorities and will refrain from commenting on Police matters.
“We would also like to take this opportunity to condemn some of the misinformation being reported and are now considering our legal position on those matters.”
Vice-captain Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Riley Bice, James Jordon and Nick Blakey have been stood down by the club for breaching behavioural standards.
Independent of those sanctions, Victoria police are investigating reports of an alleged sexual assault incident at the Pullman East Melbourne hotel in the early hours of Monday morning.
This masthead is not suggesting the players are guilty of any wrongdoing, just that they are assisting police with inquiries.
On Thursday night, 7News reported that as many as nine men, including former players, were in the room where cocaine was allegedly snorted off women’s breasts and buttocks.
At the press conference, Cox was asked directly if any other Swans staff were present, aside from the five players. He refused to answer.
“That’s a police investigation,” he said.
When pressed on the matter, Cox said: “That’s a police investigation. So all that will be brought out in due course.”
When pressed a third time, he later added: “As part of the investigation, I’m unaware of that. And it is an investigation we have to let the police do their job and work through. So that’s what we need to do. And respectively, we have to do that.”
When asked directly if he was present in the room, Cox paused before declaring: “I wasn’t in the room”.
