The five Sydney Swans players who have been suspended for the rest of the AFL season amid a police investigation into an alleged sexual assault have issued a joint statement.

Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, James Jordon and Riley Bice have issued an apology after they were stood down by their club.

The club made the decision earlier on Wednesday, a decision the Swans say was made separate to the continuing Victoria Police investigation.

Police spoke to four of the group following the alleged assault in the early hours of Monday morning at the Pullman East Melbourne hotel, where Sydney were staying after their win over Essendon on Sunday evening. There have been no arrests, charges or formal interviews.

This masthead is not suggesting the players are guilty of any wrongdoing, just that they are assisting police with inquiries.

“We are deeply sorry to everyone involved. We know that our behaviour has fallen well short of the standards expected of us and the values of our club,” the players’ statement read.

“We know we have let down our partners and families, members, supporters, teammates, the AFLW team, corporate partners and everyone at the club and in the wider community.

“We accept the club sanction and apologise for the impact this has had on those involved.

“Our focus will now be on rebuilding trust with the club and the community.”

AFL Players’ Association chief executive James Gallagher also issued a statement and said the allegations raised this week were very serious.

“Women should be treated with respect in private and public spaces. The AFLPA is committed to continuing to play its role in making the game safe and inclusive for all women,” Gallagher said.

“Our thoughts are with the woman who brought this matter to the relevant authorities, and they should be afforded our respect, privacy, and support.

“The AFLPA acknowledges the impact this has had on our AFLW members, as well as recognise the effect on their families, industry staff, the football community and members of the public.

“We are committed to supporting all of our members who may be impacted by these events as well as those close to them.

Sydney has today handed down sanctions for a failure to meet club standards. The players have acknowledged their actions failed to meet those standards, accepted the sanction, and apologised for the impact it has had.

“The AFLPA acknowledges the accountability they’ve rightly taken and will continue to support them.”

It comes after Swans chair Andrew Pridham and chief executive Matthew Pavlich issued a public apology and admitted they were “deeply embarrassed and ashamed” earlier on Wednesday, with the club having revealed the sanctions earlier in the day.

Pridham said the players regretted their behaviour in the hours following the club’s win over Essendon on Sunday night into Monday morning and apologised to everyone involved.

“They’re extremely remorseful for their actions and having breached the club’s standards,” he said.

“I want to offer an apology, a sincere apology. Our thoughts go out to everybody who’s been impacted by these events, and we know it’s impacted many people, ranging from the partners of our staff, our players, our women’s program, our men’s program.

“There’s deep disappointment within the club at what has occurred. We know that many people are hurting.”

Pavlich said the club was “deeply embarrassed and ashamed at the poor choices of five of our players”.

When asked what factors the club had considered when determining the decision of suspensions, Pavlich said: “It was staying out late, it was drinking, it was continuing their night, it was bringing women back to the hotel.

“It was a long way short of what we expect of our players,” he said.

“We’re holding them to a really high standard, but they were well short of anywhere near that standard.”

• 1800 RESPECT: 1800 737 732
• National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service: 1800 211 028