The Richmond Football Club says its players who were seen slapping each others buttocks during 'Mad Monday' celebrations have denied they were mocking sexual assault allegations made against the Sydney Swans.

The Richmond Tigers celebrated in the beer garden of the Garfield Hotel in Garfield, a country town 80km southeast of Melbourne, on Monday following the last game of their AFL season.

'Richmond is aware of a video circulating from a player end-of-season gathering. The Club has spoken to the players who have expressed their embarrassment over their behaviour,' the club said in a statement on Tuesday afternoon.

'The players are adamant they were in no way referencing or making light of recent matters.'

The video shows Josh Smillie pulling down his pants before a shirtless teammate slaps his buttocks and he appears to mock being shocked.

Tigers players were also seen drinking pints of Guinness with eggs in them, some wearing local netball jerseys, while other players were spotted whipping each other with belts, and one appeared to act out pole-dancing.

The hotel has also since released a statement, saying the players were 'extremely respectful' and that the celebrations had been 'blown out of proportion'.

'We hosted the Richmond Football Club at our venue today, and we could not speak more highly of the way they conducted themselves,' the statement reads.

'For such a young group, they were extremely respectful and a fun group of boys to deal with.

'They enjoyed a few quiet beers to unwind after a long season, and we see nothing wrong with that.

'They had booked out the venue for the afternoon, so they were the only patrons on site. They enjoyed their afternoon and moved on. In our view, this has been blown out of proportion.

'Two members of the media were waiting on their arrival this morning and remained on site filming in the hope of capturing a misstep, which we consider disappointing.'

Richmond finished its last game with a 57-point loss against the Geelong Cats on Saturday.

They won three matches in the 2026 season, twice against West Coast and once against Essendon.

Kane Cornes, a Seven commentator, described the belt-whipping as 'embarrassing'.

'Firstly, what are you celebrating? It's a team that's finished 17th for the second season in a row,' he said. 

'They won three games and you're out during the day celebrating while your fans are hurting.

'To be there with your tops off in view of the public is just nothing more than an embarrassment to me.

'It's not the first time Richmond have done it. They're not the only club that dresses up like morons when it comes to this stage of the year, particularly for teams that have nothing to celebrate.'

There is no suggestion any of the players broke behavioural rules. 

However, the sight raised eyebrows amid an investigation into another AFL team – the Sydney Swans.

Five players – Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, Riley Bice and James Jordon – were suspended last week for 'breaching club standards'.

The sanctions are separate to a police investigation into a sexual assault allegation at East Melbourne's Pullman Hotel on August 17.

The club found they had breached their standards by staying out late, drinking and bringing women back to the hotel.

No charges have been laid and all players have denied wrongdoing.

The Daily Mail does not suggest any of the players are involved in any wrongdoing, just that they spoke to police about the alleged incident. 

Also on Monday, AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon delivered a strongly worded statement at a press conference to kick off the finals series.

As the Swans crisis continues, Dillon said respect for women was 'not negotiable'.

There have been several incidents over the past few years at Mad Monday celebrations that have sparked controversy about player behaviour, yet the tradition remains a strong part of club culture.

The AFL Finals Series is set to kick off on Friday with the wildcard games.  

The Western Bulldogs will host Collingwood at the MCG for the first wildcard final on Friday, followed by Melbourne v Carlton at the MCG on Saturday.