Subway Suspends Jared Fogle Over Child Porn Allegations
Subway suspended spokesman Jared Fogle on Tuesday after authorities raided his home for child pornography in connection to another investigation.
“Subway and Jared Fogle have mutually agreed to suspend their relationship due to the current investigation,” the sandwich chain said in a statement emailed to The Huffington Post.
Jared Fogle rose to fame in 1998 after he went on a Subway diet where he ate a Subway sandwich every day for lunch and dinner. The formerly 425-pound man, who once drank between 15 and 20 cans of soda per day, lost 245 pounds in a year.
As friends and local people marveled at his changed physique, Subway met with Fogle to film a commercial. Jared soon starred in over 300 Subway commercials and has worked with Subway ever since. Fogle quickly became the chain’s most visible advertising symbol, as Subway marketed themselves as a healthier alternative to other fast food places.
In 2004, Jared established the Jared Foundation, an organization devoted to fighting childhood obesity. But in April, the FBI arrested the Jared Foundation’s executive director Russell Taylor for child pornography. Federal authorities found multiple child pornography videos in Taylor’s home.
The Jared Foundation announced that it was “shocked to learn of the disturbing allegations against Mr. Taylor” and severed all times with him.
The FBI’s raid of Fogle’s home appears to be more about seizing any related evidence connected to Taylor as opposed to an investigation of Fogle. Authorities had noted that some of Taylor’s thumb drives containing child pornography had links to the Foundation.
While it was possible that this was just because Taylor did not keep his business and criminal files separate from each other, authorities decided to make sure. In the raid, they seized computers and other electronics.
Fogle has not been arrested or charged with any crime.
“Jared has been cooperating, and continues to cooperate, with law enforcement in their investigation of unspecified charges and looks forward to its conclusion,” Fogle’s attorney Ron Elberger said in an email to the Indianapolis Star. “He has not been detained, arrested or charged with any crime or offense.”
Nevertheless, Subway suspended Jared Fogle. In addition to suspending him, the Subway giant removed all mentions of Fogle from the company website. This includes removing links to Jared’s Journey, a section which talks about Fogle’s journey to weight loss as well as his interviews with celebrities like Oprah Winfrey.
[Photo By:Kevin Winter/Getty Images Entertainment]
