Shaken captain declares 'no rift' at scandal-hit Swans
Despite the crisis that has mangled their celebrated Bloods Culture, Sydney captain Callum Mills says there is no rift at the Swans.
An emotional and shaken Mills fronted the media on Friday alongside coach Dean Cox, five days after the scandal erupted from a Melbourne hotel room.
Five AFL teammates - Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, James Jordon and Riley Bice - have been suspended for the rest of the season for breaching club standards. There are sexual assault allegations and a police investigation is ongoing.
Earlier this week, club chairman Andrew Pridham bluntly acknowledged the suspensions had "torpedoed" their AFL premiership hopes this season.
In the midst of the unfolding debacle, on Sunday the Swans will have an historic double-header at the SCG featuring their AFL and AFLW teams.
"There's pain, there's sadness, there's disappointment. We're going to bind together to be better for this," Mills told reporters.
"We just take every day in its stride. Everyone's going to be feeling every different emotion, but we'll work together and we'll stay together.
Mills added he had spoken with teammates and had addressed the Swans AFLW team this week.
"I acknowledge their pain and I deeply ... I apologise for the actions of a few within our group," Mills said.
"We believe that the five players have let us down and we believe we'll be doing everything we possibly can to repay the respect and the trust of the community."
Mills urged fans to support the Swans on Sunday, especially the women's team.
"It's an historic weekend for our football club ... while this has overshadowed it, I think it's an incredible, powerful moment that we come together and we celebrate that moment of the AFLW program, out on the SCG," he said.
Mills said the time could come when the five suspended players front their teammates.
Meanwhile, he said football is secondary. He strongly back the suspensions and stressed his respect for all women.
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