By Abbir Dib
“Did you see that message that a dildo was thrown across the room?” my friend chirps at the pub.
Pretty much immediately after a group of Sydney Swans players were linked to an investigation of a sexual assault at a Melbourne hotel, the line between harmless gossip and the more sinister spreading of unverified rumours vanished. In today's information ecosystem, group chats dedicated to everything from sport to celebrity blur the line more than ever, and the ramifications spread infinitely further.
Five players have been stood down over severe breaches of club behavioural standards, and Victoria Police are continuing to investigate allegations of sexual assault. Over the past few weeks there has been a steady drip-feeding of media coverage relating to exactly who was allegedly involved, what the alleged victims have claimed, and where the police investigation is up to. Often these reports have been contradictory – including when written by the same journalists.
But before the claimed details hit mainstream outlets, the boys at the pub already claimed to know everything. The details were passed along via Snapchat screenshots, a mate who knew a mate, and an unverified image of a bloodied woman who they insisted was involved.
Since then, the actual story has turned out quite different. Many details were debunked, including the early rumour that a specifically named player had thrown a dildo at a sex worker and knocked out her teeth. Police have now spoken to people across two states, some as witnesses and others formally, but no charges have been laid.
While the Swans allegations quickly became one of the biggest sports and cultural stories in recent memory, dominating front pages for days, this kind of dynamic wasn’t an isolated flare-up. An entire ecosystem of rumours and citizen gonzo journalism runs parallel to Australian sport, operating largely in male third spaces where unsourced allegations run rife: the group chat, the online forum, and the pub.
