Swans' Riley Bice Cleared as Suspect in Police Inquiry
Victoria Police are now treating the 25-year-old defender as a witness in the investigation into an alleged sexual assault at a Melbourne hotel.
Bice Reclassified as a Witness
Sydney Swans defender Riley Bice has been cleared of any criminal conduct in the Victoria Police investigation into the alleged sexual assault of women at the Pullman Hotel in East Melbourne last month.
The Age reported that a source with knowledge of the inquiry, who was not authorised to speak publicly, said Bice, 25, is now being treated as a potential witness. Nine.com.au described him as a key witness to the case.
The four other Sydney Swans players stood down by the club, Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey and James Jordon, all remain part of the investigation. The Swans compete in the Australian Football League, the country's top men's competition.
The Police Account
Victoria Police confirmed in a statement on Wednesday that three women had made a report about the night, and that detectives had travelled to Sydney this week to speak to four people.
Nine.com.au reported that the Sexual Crimes Squad formally interviewed the four other players there, and that those spoken to included a 26-year-old man and a 25-year-old man from Randwick, a 30-year-old man from Maroubra and a 25-year-old man from Paddington. Nine.com.au said Heeney, 30, is understood to be the Maroubra man. The Age reported only that detectives had finished a round of voluntary interviews, and that its source said some of the group had declined to give voluntary accounts. Police can seek to interview them again at any time.
Police said investigators had also spoken to, or would speak to, three men believed to have been in the hotel room, who are "being treated solely as witnesses at this time". Nine.com.au reported police confirmed there were ten people in the room, including three alleged victims and three witnesses.
Club Response and What Comes Next
The alleged incident took place after the players partied into the early hours following a win over Essendon in Melbourne. Nine.com.au dated it to 17 August. All five players deny any criminal wrongdoing and no charges have been laid.
A Swans spokesman said the club noted that no charges had been laid and that police had indicated the process may take some time. "The wellbeing of those impacted remains of paramount importance," the statement said, adding it was not appropriate to comment further while the police investigation continues. The club repeated its apology to members, fans, sponsors, staff and players.
Bice, a mature age recruit who joined the Swans via the 2024 draft, remains under a club suspension that is separate from the police investigation. Police said there was unlikely to be another update for about eight weeks. The sources do not say what the outcome of the investigation will be, and that is not yet known.
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