Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Riley Bice, Nick Blakey and James Jordon "will not be considered for selection for the remainder of the season", including the team's upcoming finals campaign, after management gathered the details of a night of drinking following the team's 36-point win over Essendon on Sunday night.
Sydney players were staying at their regular Melbourne hotel, the Pullman Hotel near the MCG, when a sexual assault is alleged to have taken place between the hours of 4am and 7am on Monday morning on the hotel premises.
The players had been out drinking following their victory, a ritual permitted by the club when the team is embarking on a seven-day break or longer.
Flashscore is not suggesting or implying the five suspended players are in any way involved with the alleged sexual assault, though it is understood that they volunteered to speak to police on Monday as part of the investigation.
No arrests had been made or any charges laid at the time of publication, with all men presumed innocent.
The quintet had to make their way back to Sydney in a rental car on Monday evening, with Blakey's agent asserting that afternoon that he had not been in contact with police.
It is believed that Blakey was not at the scene at the time of the alleged assault but the club have sanctioned him along with the other four for events leading up to the incident.
The five players met separately with club management away from the team headquarters on Tuesday as the details of the matter were gathered, such as why two females were invited to socialise with the players in the early hours of Monday morning.
CEO Matthew Pavlich had promised an immediate and thorough club investigation on Monday before the Sydney board met on Tuesday night to deliberate on what sanctions would be handed down.
During that meeting, the club released a strongly worded statement accusing the five men of a "serious breach of expected Club behaviour and standards" and have chosen not to wait for the police or the AFL to come down with any findings before taking action.
The club confirmed in a brief statement on Wednesday morning that Bice, Blakey, Heeney, Jordon and Warner have been stood down for the rest of the year.
They also stressed that "actions we have taken today are independent" of the ongoing Victoria Police investigation and that additional sanctions could be coming for one or more of the players after the conclusion of police action.
Sydney's investigation and subsequent sanctions are relating to the conduct of the players leading up to 4am, with the alleged assault in the hands of Victoria Police's sex crimes squad.
Club captain Callum Mills reportedly apologised to the Sydney Swans AFLW team at club headquarters on Tuesday with the club offering additional welfare support to any players adversely affected by the alleged incident.
Aaron Murphy has been with Flashscore since 2018 and, as the founding editor of the Australian newsdesk, has reported on-site at several major events in Melbourne including the Australian Open, State of Origin, A-League, NBL and international cricket. You can read his pieces here and contact him on X or LinkedIn.
