Sydney Swans chief executive Matthew Pavlich says he is “bitterly disappointed” after star forward Tom Papley failed a roadside drug test, but they would wait until receiving a secondary sample before making a decision on any potential penalty.
The embattled Swans faced more questions after the club announced Papley had been pulled over in New South Wales on Monday for driving with a suspended licence due to an outstanding parking fine.
During the stop, a random drug test returned a positive finding for methylamphetamine, with a second sample taken away for analysis, with the results still outstanding.
Papley informed the club himself of the incident, but in the wake of the ‘Pullman Five’ scandal that rocked the AFL, Pavlich admitted it was disappointing to once again be fronting the media for an off-field incident involving a Swans player.
“We’re really disappointed in Tom himself. We voiced that pretty directly to him yesterday,” Pavlich told reporters in Sydney.
“We apologise unreservedly to our members, fans and corporate partners, we’ve let them down again. We must do better. It’s a really disappointing time for the footy club.”
Pavlich confirmed Sydney would wait for a second sample to come through before making a decision on Papley.
“Given this is a police matter, we cannot make any further comment until such time as the secondary sample comes through and that test is solidified,” he said.
“We’ll work through that process over the next period, and we’ll update everyone after that.”
The Papley incident follows the club suspending Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, James Jordon and Riley Bice were suspended after an investigation into an alleged sexual assault at a hotel following a late-season victory over Essendon.
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