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A private WhatsApp message from Isaac Heeney about the Sydney Swans hotel scandal has surfaced online days before the AFL Grand Final after a former neighbour sent him a supportive text - then published his reply on X.
His brief, foul-mouthed response marks the first time Heeney has commented on the furore that saw him and four teammates suspended for the rest of the footy season.
Heeney and fellow Swans Chad Warner, Riley Bice, Nick Blakey and James Jordon were stood down last month after the club found the players had breached its standards by staying out late, drinking and bringing women back to the Pullman East Melbourne hotel in the early hours of Monday, August 17.
Three strippers were paid to attend the hotel party, with Victoria Police investigating allegations of sexual assault in one of the rooms.
No charges were ever laid and the women have engaged civil lawyers. The players - who are due to return to the club's Moore Park headquarters on Wednesday for routine end-of-season exit meetings - have all denied any wrongdoing and the Daily Mail does not suggest they are personally under investigation.
All five men have kept a low profile since the scandal erupted, particularly Heeney, who has not been photographed in the aftermath. But the newly leaked WhatsApp exchange may offer a glimpse into his state of mind after that turbulent period.
A private WhatsApp message from Isaac Heeney (left, with fiancé Steffie Waters) about the Swans hotel scandal has surfaced online days before the AFL Grand Final
Nicola Kegel, a friend of Heeney's, sent him this supportive text - then published his reply on X
The Mail has independently established that Kegel is indeed a former neighbour of Heeney's in Maroubra and was registered as living in the same unit complex where he currently resides
Heeney's friend Nicola Kegel sent him a lengthy and arguably conspiratorial message urging him and his 'mates' to fight the allegations.
Kegel bizarrely suggested that the women's complaints were 'vilifying normal Western masculinity', arguing the players' alleged actions paled in comparison to grooming gangs in Britain.
Referencing leaked claims about the nature of the complaints, she wrote to Heeney: 'They are currently trying to convince us that 12-year-old girls consented to be gang-raped by migrant gangs that drugged them, but strippers were violated at a victory party when the young footballers slapped their bums four instead of three times.'
'Isaac, the Swans are being used for something sinister. They are destroying and vilifying normal Western masculinity, while declaring the most heinous crimes against innocent girls as cultural differences and lifestyle choices,' she added.
'This is a deliberate attack on Australian culture. You and your mates need to fight this. You cannot allow this to happen.'
Heeney reacted to Ms Kegel's message with a love heart emoji before offering a reply.
'I'm not going to say much but this is completely f***ed up! Sorry for the language. Appreciate the message.'
The Daily Mail has independently established that Kegel is indeed a former neighbour of Heeney's in Maroubra, in Sydney's eastern suburbs, and was registered as living in the same apartment complex where he currently resides.
The Swans have not disputed the authenticity of the WhatsApp messages attributed to Heeney (pictured at the MCG the day before the hotel scandal). A club spokesman suggested that Heeney saying 'this is completely f****d up' may have been in reference to several points raised in Kegel's message and was not necessarily him responding to the stripper's allegations
Heeney and fellow Swans Chad Warner, Riley Bice, Nick Blakey and James Jordon were stood down last month after the club found the players had breached its standards by staying out late, drinking and bringing women back to their hotel in the early hours of Monday, August 17. (Pictured: A generic photo of a hotel room at the Pullman East Melbourne)
Despite being stood down, the players are due to return to the club's Moore Park headquarters on Wednesday for routine end-of-season exit meetings. (Pictured: A generic photo of a corridor at the Pullman East Melbourne hotel)
We contacted the Sydney Swans, who did not dispute the authenticity of the WhatsApp messages that Kegel posted on X.
The club's media spokesman Tom Chadwick, when presented with the screenshot, said: 'I'm unsure what you'd want comment on? It's a text message conversation and Isaac said he wouldn't "say much on this".'
When we pointed to the specific phrase 'this is completely f***ed up' and noted that Kegel's previous message alluded to the hotel incident, Chadwick replied: 'It's in reply to a long messages [sic] on several topics.'
Chadwick declined to comment further.
On Monday, Ms Kegel, who describes herself as a 'deep AI expert', shared the private exchange on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
Her public defence of Heeney came after another user complained that the Swans players' careers were on the line with charges yet to be laid.
'Isaac Heeney is my former neighbour. He's the nicest guy on the planet,' Kegel wrote alongside the screenshot of their WhatsApp exchange.
'He ran towards the gate with his seriously injured foot when I had little children and opened it for me.
'He was always smiling and had a kind word for me when I was struggling with all the problems a mother of two young children with no help could face.
'When I wanted to start a business he came over and helped me, although I was a nobody and he was a big-time celebrity.
'He brought a little light into my life when I was at my worst.
Kegel continued her post praising Heeney, emphasising his good character, devotion to his partner Steffie Waters and dedication to football.
'When you defend Lindsay Clancy, I can only say: she likely would have been better off with a neighbour like Isaac,' she wrote, referencing the notorious American 'killer mom' who has been a social media obsession in recent weeks.
'He radiates positivity and light. He doesn't deserve this. He is not any woman's enemy.
'He also never partied. He never did anything except care for his dogs, his mother and his girlfriend, and he worked incredibly hard for his career. You have the wrong guy.'
The Swans ended their season on Friday with a loss against Fremantle, who are heading into the Grand Final against the Brisbane Lions.
