The Sydney Swans have parted ways with Elijah Taylor, who was stood down by the club in September after being charged and arrested by police in Perth.
Key points:
- The Swans said Taylor’s actions “could not be reconciled”
- Taylor is due to face court next month for sentencing
- He was suspended for the remainder of the AFL season in mid-August after breaching the return to play protocols
Taylor was charged with unlawfully assaulting his former partner Lekhani Pearce and causing her bodily harm in circumstances of aggravation at a Perth hotel on September 13.
The 19-year-old pleaded guilty to the charge when he appeared in Perth Magistrates Court on September 30.
He is due to reappear in court again next month for sentencing.
The Swans decided to part ways with Taylor following talks with his management, the AFL and the AFL Players’ Association.
“The situation Elijah and the club has found itself in is deeply regrettable,” Swans executive general manager of football Charlie Gardiner said in a club statement.
“Elijah has made some very poor decisions which have led us to this point, and he acknowledges that.
“This is certainly not a position we have arrived at lightly, however, Elijah’s actions could not be reconciled.
“It is obviously a sensitive situation and a legal process is still to play out, but in working with Elijah and his management, our collective view was that the right call for both Elijah and the club is to part ways.”
Taylor made his AFL debut for the Swans in round seven of the 2020 season against Gold Coast.
He played four senior matches but was suspended by the AFL for the remainder of the season in mid-August after breaching the league’s return to play protocols and the Western Australian Government’s COVID-19 quarantine directions.
