Nick D'Arcy is expected to quit swimming after claims the controversial butterflier was misled for more than a year that he could redeem himself and return to the national team.
D'Arcy was yesterday kicked off the Dolphins world championship team bound for Rome in July after the Swimming Australia board unanimously decided to terminate his contract for breaching a by-law.
In a decision which has shocked members of the swim team and devastated D'Arcy, the 21-year-old has been axed for being convicted of a criminal offence.
It is understood SA sought advice ensuring D'Arcy has no legal right to appeal his expulsion. It is likely to be the final straw for D'Arcy with those within swimming believing SA will not let him swim for Australia again.
SA refused to comment on the decision yesterday or explain why they had originally selected D'Arcy at the national titles and paraded him on a pool deck as a team member knowing he had already pleaded guilty to a charge of recklessly causing grievous bodily harm.
D'Arcy's coach Brian Stehr slammed the decision and believes his star swimmer will now quit.
''It goes above and beyond what most decent people think is reasonable punishment,'' Stehr said.
''I wouldn't be surprised if he wanted to give away the sport now. It's gone too far it is ridiculous.''
D'Arcy was handed a suspended sentence of 14 months and 12 days by a Sydney court for assaulting former swimmer Simon Cowley.
The Australian Olympic Committee expelled him from the 2008 Beijing team last year and in a third and final blow SA has scuppered D'Arcy's bid for redemption in Italy.
Stehr was angry SA had strung his charge along, letting him train then qualify for Rome without telling him that he could be dropped under its by-laws due to his conviction.
''Nick was always going to be convicted because he pleaded guilty,'' Stehr said.
''Why did they allow him to be selected on the team only to take it away from him again it just amazes me.''
The swim team is understood to be shocked at D'Arcy's sudden axing, with one member questioning SA's handling of the situation.
The swimmer agreed D'Arcy had been misled into believing that he could redeem himself if he turned his life around with a commitment to swimming.
''Maybe if he had have known and found this out a year ago he could have not kept on swimming all year and actually moved forward with his life,'' the swimmer said. AAP