Swans players will not face charges over hotel party; lawyer says civil claims will proceed

Victoria Police confirmed it had concluded its investigation into the incident at the Pullman East Melbourne hotel in the early hours of August 17, after the Swans' round 23 win against Essendon. A police statement said: "Following a thorough investigation and based on legal advice, Victoria Police will not proceed with criminal charges due to insufficient evidence." The statement added that due to an "ongoing civil matter," no further comment would be made.

Heeney immediately issued a statement welcoming the outcome. "The past three months have been incredibly difficult for my family, Steffie and those close to me," he said. "Watching my family carry the weight of this has been heartbreaking." He thanked the Swans club, teammates, coaches, board, sponsors, members and fans for keeping faith in him, and said he was focused on repaying that faith.

Three exotic dancers were hired by the men to perform in a player's hotel room after the match. In separate statements to police, each of the women variously alleged they were sexually assaulted and touched inappropriately without consent. The ABC reported the investigation centred on a player allegedly touching one of the women without her consent, and that multiple police sources had said an arrangement was reached for players to pay extra to take drugs, believed to be cocaine, from the women's breasts and buttocks. It is unclear how many or which players allegedly participated. It is understood that a woman was seen leaving the hotel room in a distressed state, and that a Triple Zero call was made soon after.

Riley Bice, a Swans player who was also in the room, and former teammate Taylor Adams had already been told they were only being treated as witnesses.

The lawyer for two of the women, John Karantzis from Carbone Lawyers, said they were pressing ahead with their civil claims. "Criminal prosecution has a very high standard of burden of proof that is beyond a reasonable doubt," he said. "My clients’ claims are on a different standard. It is a civil claim for personal injury and as such the standard is on the balance of probabilities. Our clients will vigorously fight and proceed with their claims."

Carbone has sent letters to the players outlining the women's intention to pursue legal action, including a draft statement of claim and an offer to begin talks.

After the incident, the Sydney Swans banned all five players from the field for the remainder of the 2026 season for drinking, staying out late and inviting women back to the team hotel, a breach of the club's behaviour standards. Blakey was traded to North Melbourne on October 12 in an eight-year deal reportedly worth more than $11 million.