According to reports, the AFL is expected to hand out bans and hefty fines to several Greater Western Sydney Giants players for their alleged inappropriate behavior following the club’s season-ending function.
The league reportedly informed several of them of their likely suspensions, but they will have the chance to respond in a later negotiation.
Some of the players were reportedly informed that they would be receiving fines. According to Cleary, the bans are related to the incident involving the Giants’ postseason function, which was held in 2024.
The incident reportedly revolved around the players’ distasteful costumes.
News Corp reported that the function, which took place in September, had a theme that involved dressing up as celebrity couples.
Although the coaches and other staff members were present during the early portions of the event, they were not involved in the offensive skits.
Although the Giants were cleared of any wrongdoing during the investigation, the league reportedly decided to punish the players based on the undisclosed incidents that occurred during the event. According to Tom Morris of Nine, up to 10 Giants players could be penalized due to the Wacky Wednesday incident.
It is believed that the fines and bans were imposed due to the highly inappropriate acts that were allegedly performed inside a private room of a hotel. On Wednesday, Morris revealed that a bartender at the establishment took offense to what happened on the night.
According to Morris, the players believed that the story was made public due to the complaint filed by the pub’s bartender. He also noted that several of them would be facing suspensions. One of the players who made the ill-informed joke about former football player P-Diddy is expected to receive the harshest penalty.
Several weeks ago, the Giants learned about the incident. Some of their key players were informed about the situation during the final weekend of the season. The players were reportedly surprised by the severity of the penalties. They believed that the incident was not illegal.
Given the time that the incident has been given, the Integrity Unit and the AFL have been able to thoroughly examine it. It’s widely believed that around six players will be suspended, and up to $20,000 in fines will be issued to some of them. Some of the players reportedly performed a skit from a movie, and one of them, who is set to receive a significant fine, was reportedly dressed as Rachael Gunn, an Australian Olympic athlete.
Cleary noted that although he wasn’t directly involved in the offensive skits, he was expected to receive a significant financial penalty due to his lack of leadership. It’s also believed that Greene received a $20,000 fine from the AFL. Around six other players are expected to receive match penalties.