Isaac Heeney's engagement to Steffie Waters remains intact, friends and family of the couple insisted on Sunday, despite the Sydney Swans player's fiancée being photographed in tears and without her ring amid the club's hotel scandal.
A relative told the Daily Telegraph this weekend that the pair are still together, saying they "remain in contact" and "have not ended either their relationship or their engagement."
The relative explained that Waters has gone without her ring for the past ten days because it was taken in for repairs at a jeweller after the stone fell out. One source close to the couple admitted it has been an intensely difficult period for them.
"They got engaged, he's meant to be playing in a grand final, they are planning a wedding, this is meant to be the best time of their lives," the source said.
Waters Seen In Tears Without Her Ring
Waters fled to her sister's secluded mountain property on the outskirts of Noosa, the Queensland tourist town, last week, while Heeney remained at the centre of a gathering storm.
She was seen looking visibly distressed while making an emotional phone call on Friday afternoon, before later breaking down in tears and retreating to a remote beach in a string bikini. She was not wearing her diamond engagement ring, which raised questions about the couple's future as Heeney fights for both his career and his relationship.
Waters, the most prominent and glamorous of the Swans WAGs, has kept a low profile since the incident at the Pullman Hotel erupted in the early hours of Monday morning, retreating from the public eye as her fiancé faces intense scrutiny.
Swans Hotel Scandal
Heeney and four other Swans players, Chad Warner, Riley Bice, Nick Blakey and James Jordon, have been stood down for the remainder of the 2026 Australian Football League (AFL) season after the club found they had breached its standards by staying out late, drinking and bringing women back to the Pullman hotel in East Melbourne early on Monday morning.
The Sydney Swans compete in the AFL, Australia's top professional rules football competition, and were preparing for a possible grand final appearance when the scandal broke. The club's sanctions against the five players are separate from a Victoria Police investigation into an alleged sexual assault at the hotel. No charges have been laid.
Sexual Assault Allegations
The scandal is described as the biggest in the Swans' history, after two strippers alleged they were sexually assaulted during a wild private party at the hotel. The woman at the centre of the allegations made a formal complaint on Tuesday.
It is understood detectives are focusing on the alleged actions of Heeney, who spoke with police on Monday before returning to Sydney. None of the players has been formally interviewed by police.
The players were allegedly in a room with naked women, one of whom performed a lap dance, and Heeney, who was clothed, was the subject of the complaint.
The Swans issued an apology on behalf of the five suspended players on Wednesday evening.
