Lawyer for Women in Sydney Swans Scandal Alleges "Demeaning, Abhorrent" Acts
A lawyer representing women at the centre of the Sydney Swans hotel scandal has described the acts alleged to have occurred in a Melbourne hotel room as "demeaning, abhorrent" and "not moral acts" News.com.au.
Lawyer John Karantzis is representing two women who complained to police on Monday morning after events at Melbourne's Pullman Hotel. The women were interviewed by police and are now suffering "severe stress and anxiety" and "severe trauma," according to Karantzis, who said they would be claiming damages for "pain and suffering" ABC News. ABC News also reported that Karantzis said three women at the centre of the scandal are suffering severe trauma and receiving support.
The scandal began in the hours after Sydney's win against Essendon on Sunday night. Several adult entertainers are understood to have joined players at the Pullman Hotel after being hired that evening.
Five Sydney Swans players — Isaac Heeney, Nick Blakey, Chad Warner, Riley Bice and James Jordon — were stood down by the club for breaching its standards on drinking and staying out late. Police are investigating a report of sexual assault, centring on a player allegedly touching one of the women without her consent. No arrests have been made and no charges laid.
Karantzis said the women were told the men were carpenters. He also alleges there were more people in the room than the five players identified by the Swans. The club issued a statement rejecting suggestions that other people involved with the club were in the room central to the police investigation.
Swans coach Dean Cox said he was "disappointed" over the allegations, speaking on August 18. Captain Callum Mills said he was "deeply shocked and disappointed" and had not witnessed behaviour like this before.
The investigation remains active. Police have not indicated a timeline for any potential charges.
For the Swans, the immediate football consequence is clear: five players sit outside the senior side while a police investigation runs its course. The broader reckoning — for the club's culture, for the players involved, and for the women at the centre of the complaint — will take longer to settle.
