The fallout surrounding Sydney Swans star Isaac Heeney has widened, with Colgate suspending its partnership with the AFL player and major Australian booksellers pulling his children’s books from shelves.

The developments come after Heeney and teammates Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, James Jordon and Riley Bice were suspended by the Swans for the remainder of the AFL season for breaching club standards.

Victoria Police is separately investigating a report of sexual assault following an alleged incident at the Pullman Hotel in East Melbourne.

No player has been arrested or charged and the Swans have repeatedly stressed their sanctions are separate to the ongoing police investigation. This masthead is not suggesting Heeney or any other player is guilty of any criminal wrongdoing.

Colgate confirmed on Thursday it had suspended its partnership with Heeney pending the investigation and following the Swans’ decision to ban the five players.

“We are aware of the reports regarding an investigation by Victoria Police in East Melbourne. We take these matters very seriously and have suspended our partnership with Mr. Heeney pending completion of the investigation. As this remains an active police matter, we will have no further comment at this time”, a spokesperson for Colgate told The Nightly.

The commercial fallout has also extended to Heeney’s recently released children’s book series, Little Isaac Footy Fever.

Readings and Gleebooks have told the ABC they are removing Heeney’s books from stores companywide.

Booktopia said it was working closely with the publisher over its plans and would continue to assess the situation, acknowledging the sensitivity surrounding the matter.

Other major retailers stocking the series include Dymocks and BIG W. BIG W has now confirmed to The Nightly that it is pausing sales of the series in its stores and online.

“BIG W regularly reviews its range of products to ensure it aligns with our values and community expectations,” a spokesperson said.

“We have decided to pause all sales of Little Isaac Footy Fever books in our stores and online, pending the outcome of this matter.”

The latest developments follow changes to publisher Allen & Unwin’s social media promotion of the series.

Promotional posts for Little Isaac Footy Fever, which launched on August 4, appear to have disappeared from the publisher’s main Instagram grid.

A promotional video remains accessible through its Reels section, but comments have been disabled.

It is not known whether those changes are directly connected to the controversy. The Nightly has contacted Allen & Unwin for comment.

Heeney, 30, had heavily promoted the series ahead of its release, including appearing at Dymocks for a recent book signing.

Seven weeks ago, the Swans star shared a photo holding two books from the series and wrote: “LITTLE ISAAC 📚”.

“Super excited to share my new kids book series. First Bounce and Game On are out on 4 August and available to pre-order now via the link in my bio. You’ll also see a sneak peek at what’s coming in November,” he said.

It remains unclear what was planned for November or whether future releases and promotion will proceed.

The Swans announced the five players’ suspensions on Wednesday after conducting their own inquiries into their conduct.

Chief executive Matthew Pavlich said the club was “deeply embarrassed and ashamed at the poor choices” made by the players and outlined the behaviour that led to the sanctions.

“It was staying out late, it was drinking, it was continuing their night, it was bringing women back to the hotel.

“It was a long way short of what we expect of our players,” he said.

“We’re holding them to a really high standard, but they were well short of anywhere near that standard.”

Sydney chairman Andrew Pridham described the season-ending bans as a “very significant sanction” that had effectively “torpedoed our season”.

The five players are still permitted to attend the club while serving their suspensions.

Comments have also been disabled on recent Instagram posts belonging to Heeney and his fiancée, Steffanie Waters, as scrutiny surrounding the Swans continues.