Sydney Swans great Gerard Healy has opened up about his "disbelief" and "anger" after learning of the sexual assault scandal engulfing his former football club, ahead of the team's win over North Melbourne at the SCG on Sunday.
"It's been one of the tougher weeks, both for the Swans and for footy," Healy, 65, said on Fox Footy.
"You run through a gamut of emotions. Initially, just total disbelief, and then concern for the alleged victims, and then, really, anger set in."
Healy played for the Swans between 1986 and 1990, making 81 appearances for the club. The former midfielder and on-baller won the club's best and fairest award in three consecutive seasons, 1986, 1987 and 1988, and remains one of the club's most respected former players and a leading AFL commentator.
Five players stood down
Swans players Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Riley Bice, Nick Blakey and James Jordon have been stood down for the remainder of the 2026 AFL season after the club found they breached its standards of conduct. The club said the players had stayed out late, drunk alcohol and brought women back to the Pullman East Melbourne hotel in the early hours of Monday morning.
The suspensions are separate from a Victoria Police investigation into an alleged sexual assault at the hotel. No charges have been laid, and all five players have denied any wrongdoing.
The woman at the centre of the allegations made a formal complaint on Tuesday. It is understood detectives are focusing on the alleged actions of Heeney, who spoke with police on Monday before returning to Sydney. None of the players have been formally interviewed.
What allegedly happened at the hotel
The players were allegedly in a room with naked women, one of whom performed a lap dance. Heeney, who was clothed, is the subject of the complaint.
Details emerged on Wednesday that the five players had taken exotic dancers to one of their hotel rooms at about 4am on Monday for what were described as "private lap dances."
Several hours later, at about 7am, two women were seen in a shared area of the hotel approaching staff and demanding access to guest rooms, according to witnesses. One of the women was overheard telling hotel staff she had felt overwhelmed while surrounded by several men in a room.
Sources claim she may have been locked out of the room, possibly naked, the Herald Sun reported. It is understood she approached a Swans official in the lobby and made a complaint, asking to retrieve her clothes from the room on a level that had been booked out by the club. Police were called after one of the women later ran into the hotel toilets crying.
Club apology
The Swans issued an apology on behalf of the five suspended players on Wednesday evening.
"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 statement continued: "We know we have let down our partners and families, members, supporters, teammates, the AFLW team, corporate partners and everyone at the club and 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."
