Lawyer wants full honesty, direct apology from Swans leadership

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Counsel says Sidney leadership should be fully transparent and issue a direct apology to the women.

MELBOURNE Legal representatives for the women in the centre of the growing Sydney Swans hotel room scandal have made a direct challenge to the club’s board, calling on them to admit responsibility for the incident and to provide full disclosure of all related items, and to issue a public apology. Attorney John Karantzis, who is representing two of the women, said the Swans had failed to address the matter adequately and provide an apology directly to the victims in their holdings. The remarks were made as the AFL club faced mounting public pressure that it had handled the incident badly, after five high profile players were hit with bans and fines.

According to the attorney, the degradation and fear that the women experienced in the early morning hotel room incident were among the most horrific actions he had seen in almost three decades of practice in the law. He went on to say that while his clients want structural change beyond their sport, their primary interest is demanding "real accountability and justice" for the abuse.

A club investigation found five senior players guilty and suspended them for the rest of the AFL season. But the club’s statement and the claims in court process staff on the field have been holding back admitting that there were possibly up to nine men in that room. This lack of candour raises serious questions about whether the club hid the names of other players and staff about whom there is no official report yet. In short, the club has not yet been honest enough about the whole Pullman incident.

The Victoria Police Sex Crimes Squad is carrying a parallel investigation, and that has meant that both the Sydney Swans and the AFL Integrity Unit will feel the heat to fully disclose everything when they intervene as well. There's no substitute for damaged institutional damage control and slick public apologies. The Swans need to be honest and give a direct apology. Legal pressure and police investigations means that any delay or refusal to be clear on the ground and all personnel presents a very serious problem.

✍️Ujjawal

Scholar from University of Delhi, INDIA