What was claimed
Sydney Swans player Isaac Heeney has been photographed in tears at a press conference.
Our verdict
False. The image is AI-generated.
AAP FACTCHECK - Fake Sydney Swans fan pages are continuing to spread false information about the club in an attempt to capitalise on recent controversies.
Police are investigating an alleged sexual assault at the Pullman East Melbourne Hotel on August 17, after the Swans’ win over Essendon.
Five players - Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, James Jordon and Riley Bice - were handed season-ending bans by the Swans hierarchy on August 19 for breaching club standards.
However, the bans are separate from the police investigation, and AAP is not suggesting any criminal wrongdoing by the players. There have been no arrests at the time of writing.
One Facebook post from an account called “Bloods Forever” claims former Swans player Adam Goodes has spoken out about Isaac Heeney and Chad Warner.
It features a screen grab of Goodes from a televised media conference in 2013, after he was famously racially abused at the MCG.
At the time of writing, there have been no public reports of Goodes commenting on Heeney or Warner, and he last posted on social media six days before the alleged incident in Melbourne.
Bloods Forever has also posted images supposedly showing Heeney and Swans coach Dean Cox in tears during supposed press conferences.
The images have also been shared by other Swans disinformation accounts, including “Red Wave Footy” and “Harborline Gazette”.
Invisible AI watermarks, called SynthID, left by Google AI and OpenAI were found in the images of Heeney and Cox respectively, confirming they were AI-generated.
The image of Cox also shows a microphone with the word “SWANX” on it in one frame, and “SWANS” on the other - a telltale AI hallucination.
Red Wave Footy’s post funnels users to a website claiming Cox has stepped down as coach, which is incorrect.
Only one public statement has been made on behalf of the suspended players since August 17, and at the time of writing, none of the players has spoken publicly.
That includes Blakey, who Bloods Forever claims “dropped a massive bombshell announcement” in another Facebook post.
It directs users to click on a website that doesn't detail any such announcement.
Another account, called “Harbour City Legends”, has posted a composite image of Warner in tears, claiming there is “an emotional message” about the star footballer.
Again, Google’s SynthID tool confirms the image is AI-generated.
The post directs users to an article written entirely in Danish. A translation shows it merely reprises details of the alleged Melbourne incident, without any mention of a fresh announcement.
Facebook's transparency data shows Bloods Forever, Harborline Gazette and Harbour City Legends are all managed by users in Vietnam, a hub for disinformation content farms.
AAP FactCheck has previously debunked similar disinformation about the Swans following the sexual assault allegations, and about other AFL clubs including the Melbourne Demons, Brisbane Lions, Richmond Tigers, Collingwood Magpies, Western Bulldogs, Hawthorn Hawks, Carlton Blues and Geelong Cats.
AAP FactCheck is an accredited member of the International Fact-Checking Network. To keep up with our latest fact checks, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, BlueSky, TikTok and YouTube.
