The Swans players were staying at the Pullman Hotel in East Melbourne, a regular spot for visiting AFL and NRL teams playing at the MCG or AAMI Park, when it was reportedly raided by police overnight.
Herald Sun football reporter Jay Clark revealed on Monday that several uniformed and plain clothed police officers made their way through multiple hotel rooms at the Pullman, where the Swans were staying following their 36-point win over Essendon at the MCG.
Clark heard an unverified allegation that police were responding to a "sexual or violent assault" in the hotel, with no details on whether a Swans player(s) had caused or fallen victim to the incident that prompted a significant and swift police response involving several cars.
Channel Seven and SEN reporter Tom Morris said there were three women in the hotel lobby at 7:30am speaking with Swans staff, including head coach Dean Cox.
Victoria Police confirmed shortly afterwards that they are "investigating a report of a sexual assault in East Melbourne".
"The incident occurred at a hotel in the early hours of the morning. The exact circumstances are yet to be established. The investigation remains ongoing."
Detectives were seen leaving the hotel with evidence bags early on Monday afternoon.
Sydney issued the following statement on Monday, with CEO Matthew Pavlich speaking to reporters on Monday afternoon and adding little more than the Swans undergoing their own investigations in addition to the police inquiries:
"The Sydney Swans can confirm several players were involved in an alleged incident in Melbourne last night.
“The Swans have notified the AFL and relevant authorities and cannot provide further comment at this stage.”
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.
