NSW Premier Chris Minns has weighed in on the police investigation into an alleged sexual assault involving a group of Sydney Swans players in the early hours of Monday morning.
“An investigation must come before football. I mean, ultimately, this is seemingly a serious situation … Organisations can’t be seen as getting on as if it’s business as usual when the gravity of the charges are so serious,” he told ABC Sydney radio this morning.
NSW Premier Chris Minns.Sitthixay Ditthavong
“Now, that’s not just for reputation reasons. It’s not just so that you can keep your reputation as a family-friendly club or the high esteem in which you’re held in the community. It’s so that if there are potential victims, they feel like they’re being listened to and the consequences of the alleged actions are being taken seriously.”
Asked whether the AFL should implement a no-fault stand-down clause – whereby a sports organisation can suspend a player when they are charged with a serious criminal offence, but before a court outcome is delivered – Minns said:
“It seems to work for the NRL, and it’s important again not for the reputation of the game, but to send the message that these things are being taken seriously, not just in the courts and the police, but within the organisation.”