Isaac Heeney’s commercial reputation has suffered a major blow, with a personal sponsorship suspended and his children’s books removed by several retailers.
Colgate has confirmed it has suspended its partnership with the Sydney Swans star pending the outcome of the ongoing Victoria Police investigation and following his season-ending club sanction.
Heeney’s recently released children’s series, Little Isaac Footy Fever, has also been removed from stores operated by Readings and Gleebooks.
The developments represent the first major commercial consequences for Heeney after he and teammates Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, James Jordon and Riley Bice were suspended for the remainder of Sydney’s 2026 season.
Colgate Suspends Heeney Partnership
Colgate confirmed on Thursday that its personal arrangement with Heeney had been suspended.
The company has not announced that the partnership has been permanently terminated, meaning it would be inaccurate at this stage to say Heeney has been formally dumped by the brand.
The decision is instead an interim measure while the police investigation continues.
Telstra has also paused ambassador activities involving Heeney and Warner, while maintaining its broader relationship with the AFL.
Sydney’s principal partner QBE has not withdrawn its support for the club but released a statement emphasising its position on respectful behaviour.
“QBE has zero tolerance for abusive or disrespectful behaviour towards women,” the company said.
“We support the Sydney Swans’ position and actions taken.”
The Swans’ corporate partners face a difficult balancing act. While the club has imposed significant penalties, no player has been charged and the police investigation remains unresolved.
Any decision to end a sponsorship permanently before that process has concluded could therefore carry its own reputational and contractual complications.
Children’s Books Removed From Stores
The fallout has extended into an unusual and potentially damaging area for Heeney’s personal brand.
His Little Isaac Footy Fever children’s series was released on August 4 and included the titles First Bounce and Game On.
The books were co-authored with Nicole Hayes and illustrated by Dan McGuiness, with the series following a young version of Heeney through football-related challenges.
Readings and Gleebooks have confirmed they are removing the books from their stores companywide.
Booktopia said it was working with publisher Allen & Unwin and continuing to assess the situation. At the time of reporting, the books remained available through some other major retailers.
Promotional material for the series has also disappeared from Allen & Unwin’s main Instagram grid, although a promotional video remained available through the publisher’s Reels section with comments disabled.
Allen & Unwin has not publicly confirmed that those changes were made because of the controversy. It also remains unclear whether future instalments reportedly planned for November will proceed.
The removals were initially detailed by Adelaide Now.
Club Sanction Must Remain Separate From Police Investigation
Heeney, Warner, Blakey, Jordon and Bice were suspended for the remainder of the season after Sydney found they had breached the club’s behavioural standards.
Chief executive Matthew Pavlich said those breaches involved staying out late, drinking, continuing their night and bringing women back to the team hotel.
The sanctions were imposed independently of the police investigation into a report of an alleged sexual assault at the Pullman Hotel in East Melbourne.
No player has been arrested or charged, and the individual roles of the five players in the incident being investigated have not been publicly established.
The commercial decisions involving Heeney should not be interpreted as findings of criminal conduct.
The five players accepted Sydney’s sanctions and issued a joint apology.
“We are deeply sorry to everyone involved,” the statement read.
“We know that our behaviour has fallen well short of the standards expected of us and the values of our club.”
Heeney’s Carefully Built Image Takes a Hit
The loss of football opportunities was already significant.
Heeney will miss Sydney’s final home-and-away game and its entire finals campaign despite the Swans securing second position and two home finals.
He has also been removed from consideration for the 2026 All-Australian squad.
However, the suspension of a personal sponsorship and removal of books aimed at children demonstrate that the consequences are no longer confined to football.
Heeney has developed one of the AFL’s most marketable public profiles, combining his performances for Sydney with ambassador roles, media appearances and the launch of his book series.
That image has now suffered substantial damage, regardless of what the separate police investigation ultimately establishes.
The decisions announced so far are not necessarily permanent. Colgate described its partnership as suspended, while some retailers continue to stock the books.
Nevertheless, Heeney now faces a lengthy process to restore the trust of sponsors, retailers and supporters after conduct his own club determined fell well below its standards.
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