The Albany Gazette - Fallout far-reaching for Australian Rules after latest scandal

Tracing its roots to 1858, the Australian Football League (AFL) is the nation's most-watched spectator sport and a cornerstone of cultural life for many Australians.

Players are held to high standards as role models, and their off-field behaviour is as highly scrutinised as their on-field antics.

While massively popular, the hyper-masculine sport has long been scarred by what the Melbourne Age newspaper called "a dark underbelly", with repeated scandals including homophobia and racism.

In the latest chapter, the Sydney Swans suspended five players this week for the rest of the season for late-night drinking and bringing women back to their Melbourne hotel after a game on Sunday.

Club executives say the sanction is independent of a police investigation into allegations of a sexual assault at the hotel in the early hours of Monday.

None of the players has been accused of involvement in the alleged assault. Police say nobody has been arrested or formally interviewed in the matter.

The Swans were praised for their swift action in suspending the players, although initial comments from chief executive Matthew Pavlich also drew criticism.

He said he was "shocked and disappointed", but also that the players "found themselves in this situation".

Former AFL Women's star Kate McCarthy was among those who challenged that framing, noting: "Players don't simply 'find themselves in situations'."

Given the sport's prominence in Australia, how administrators deal with high-profile situations is heavily scrutinised, with sporting codes carrying influential voices.

"Teams like the Swans have an incredibly important role in our community. They are the people who boys and young men look up to; they're their heroes, they're role models," Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said.

"And I am really pleased to hear some of the measures that the club's taken."

Australia governor-general Sam Mostyn, the British monarch's representative, is a former Sydney Swans board member and the first woman AFL commissioner.

- Lack of respect -

She told broadcaster ABC the sport had made strides in dealing with issues like sexism and racism in recent years, but added: "We all have a duty to call out bad behaviour whenever we see it."

Australian Rules, an 18-player-a-side full-contact game of passing and kicking an oval ball, has a long history of scandals, particularly racism, which it began proactively tackling in the 1990s.

It is now an offence for players or officials to insult someone because of their race, religion, ethnicity, colour, nationality or background.

But problems persist.

Earlier this year, Hawthorn forward Mabior Chol posted a screenshot of comments loaded with racist and foul abuse he received on Instagram following his side's loss to the Western Bulldogs.

"Racism has no place anywhere, anytime -- not in our game, not in the community and not online," AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon said at the time.

The sport has also taken an increasingly strong stance on homophobia, developing an action plan in a bid to ensure the sport is "safe and inclusive for everyone".

Nevertheless, the Australian Rules' players association recently called out the AFL for "not doing the work" needed after another player was banned for an anti-gay slur.

It was the ninth similar incident since the start of 2024.

Dillon said the "deeply concerning" Swans scandal had again thrust into focus "our responsibilities as a sport".

"Our first question should not be what this means for a football club. It should be whether our actions match the standards we stand for and the community expects of us," he said.

"Being clear about our standards also means being prepared to act when those standards are not met."

(B.Smith--TAG)