Backlash has erupted over Isaac Heeney being crowned the Sydney Swans' best and fairest player as the club continues to grapple with the fallout from sexual assault allegations involving women who attended a post-match gathering.
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who → erupt → gathering
Heeney was absent from the Swans' awards night at Sydney Town Hall on Thursday, despite winning his third consecutive Bob Skilton Medal, after requesting permission to skip the event.
Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, James Jordon and Riley Bice were also no-shows.
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Warner → win → event
The five players had served club-imposed suspensions during the finals following a night of partying with strippers at Melbourne's Pullman East hotel on August 17.
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players → serve → August
Three dancers later made police complaints alleging they had been sexually assaulted.
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they → make → complaints
No charges were laid and the women have since engaged civil lawyers.
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women → lay → lawyers
The Mail does not suggest Heeney or the other players named are personally under investigation.
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Heeney → suggest → investigation
Their suspensions related to breaches of the club's code of conduct, including drinking and bringing women back to hotel rooms, and were not connected to the police investigation.
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suspensions → relate → investigation
At the awards night, Heeney instead appeared in a two-minute pre-recorded video, telling the room it was the first time he had 'felt positive about the future for a long time'.
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he → appear → time
His message received a standing ovation from many of those present.
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message → receive → those
Anti-violence campaigner and Australian Femicide Watch founder Sherele Moody said the 'disconnect is real' between Heeney's win and the serious allegations facing some of the Swans players.
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disconnect → say → players
'Giving Heeney this award in a week where women are still reeling from the gang rape at Cornell University is really a self-own for the Swans,' Ms Moody said on Friday.
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Moody → give → Friday
Isaac Heeney won Sydney Swans' Bob Skilton Medal but did not attend Thursday's awards after he was suspended for breaching the club's standards
Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, James Jordon and Riley Bice were suspended by the club
It came after three women were hired as exotic dancers to entertain the group of players at Pullman East Melbourne hotel on August 16
'
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women → win → August
Apparently the club separates behaviour on-field from behaviour off-field and this is how Heeney managed to get the Bob Skilton Medal.
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Heeney → separate → Medal
The Swans changed the description of the Bob Skilton Medal from the traditional Best and Fairest to ‘Most Valuable Player’.
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Swans → change → Player
To be fair, they did rename the award to "Most Valuable Player" - probably because handing a "best and fairest" gong to Heeney might have been a little troublesome for the club.'
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handing → rename → club
Ms Moody's comments came after Swans chairman Andrew Pridham gave a lengthy explanation.
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Pridham → come → explanation
The medals awarded tonight acknowledge on-field performance across the season.
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medals → award → season
'Erasing a season of football after the fact would, in our opinion, be inappropriate and in excess of a sanction.'
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Erasing → erase → sanction
The club's decision to award Heeney the top gong has led to an 'awkward' announcement on the Swans' social media feeds, where they've seemingly kept the comments section off on that particular post, but remain open on others.
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they → award → others
'Turn the comments back on... so we can congratulate you for setting a great example for women and front teeth right around Australia,' one Swans fan commented.
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fan → turn → Australia
Another said: 'Disgraceful decision...
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Another → say → decision
if clubs want young men to understand that respect for women and responsible behaviour are part of what it means to be an elite athlete, those values need to have consequences in what the club celebrates - not merely in what it punishes.
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it → want → what
One Swans fan, who said she felt sick hearing reports of Heeney's win, is now unsure how she's going to keep supporting the club.
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she → say → club
Swans captain Callum Mills accepted the award for Heeney on Thursday night
Swans coach Dean Cox (left) and assistant Leon Cameron arrived early and appeared tense
'They easily could have disqualified him for this award and should have done so,' she said.
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she → accept → award
'It says a lot about the club and what their actual priority is relaunching his career that they allowed this to happen.'
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this → say → career
The Daily Mail has contacted the Sydney Swans for comment.
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Mail → contact → comment
Sydney Swans star Isaac Heeney dumped by fiancée Steffie Waters
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Heeney → dump → Waters
The Aporia
