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Four Sydney Swans Australian Football League players who were investigated over an alleged sexual assault at a Melbourne hotel in August will not face criminal charges, Victoria Police announced on Friday, citing insufficient evidence after a thorough investigation conducted with legal advice.
The players — Isaac Heeney, James Jordon, Chad Warner and Nick Blakey, who has since moved to North Melbourne — had been suspended for the remainder of the AFL season following the incident at the Pullman Hotel. A fifth player, Riley Bice, who was also suspended by the club, had already been cleared by police before Friday’s announcement.
Australian media reported that three women, understood to be adult entertainers, alleged inappropriate touching during the incident and are pursuing civil action. The players had previously denied wrongdoing but apologised for breaching club standards by inviting women back to the hotel after a game and drinking.
“Due to the ongoing civil matter, Victoria Police is unable to make further comment,” the force said in its statement.
Lawyers for the women were swift to push back on any suggestion that the decision resolved the underlying allegations. Jackson Pannam of Slater and Gordon, acting for one of the women, said his client was “devastated” and stressed that the police decision “does not amount to a finding that the incident our client reported did not occur, nor does it diminish the seriousness of what she says happened or its profound impact on her.”
John Karantzis of Carbone Lawyers, representing the other two women, told the ABC that his clients were “very disappointed and distressed” but would “vigorously pursue” civil action. He noted that a civil claim operates under a different legal threshold. “My clients’ civil claim is based on a different burden of proof, it is based on the balance of probabilities,” he said.
Heeney welcomed the announcement, describing the past three months as “incredibly difficult” for his family and fiancée. “To my family and friends, your love and loyalty has meant more than words can do justice,” he said in a statement.
The Sydney Swans said it had been “clear from the outset” that its decision to suspend the players was separate from the police investigation and that it stood by that decision. The club said it had commenced a “comprehensive examination” of its AFL programme and was committed to implementing “meaningful change.”
Swans chief executive Matthew Pavlich told reporters it was “not a day for anyone to really celebrate” and that the club was “still looking very hard at the programme and understanding where we need to get better.” He said the club would work to restore the standards it had held “for a long period of time.”
The AFL acknowledged the police decision in a separate statement and said it reserved the right to investigate should any further relevant information come to light.