In the wake of a child pornography scandal, Jared Fogle's life is spiraling out of control, but the recent controversy raises many questions about how this man's demise will affect the company that helped him rise to fame in the first place.
Even before Fogle took a plea deal last week for possessing and distributing child pornography and for travelling across state lines to have sex with minors, Subway made it very clear that it had cut ties with their former pitchman, according to USA Today.
Experts originally believed that the company wouldn't be negatively affected by the scandal, making it apparent that they, in no way, knew about his actions, according to USA Today. Ken Wheaton, editor of Ad Age, believed the scandal would "blow over."
However, recent reports have come to light that say that the company was warned about Fogle's sexual habits, according to Business Insider. Cindy Mills, a former Subway franchisee, has come out saying that Fogle would call her daily, making horrifying and disgusting comments about his sexual interests. On one occasion, Mills said that Fogle told her he "liked them young."
Since the scandal first broke out, social media exploded in response to the unraveling of events. Many took to Twitter to share their disgust, horror and disbelief. And as reports continue to surface, the responses are appearing more and more negative.
It's becoming increasingly evident that even if the company wasn't directly involved or aware, Subway will, inevitably, be seen as guilty by association.
"For a while, when you see a Subway ad, you're going to think about that child pornography charge," said Allen Adamson from the brand consulting firm Landor Associates, according to CBS News.
The company had been using Fogle and his story for 15 years to promote its products, and it's hard to walk away from all of that history. Subway, however, is definitely trying. Since reports of police raiding Fogle's house went public, the company removed any mention of him from their website and asked franchisees to remove his image from stores, according to CBS News.
While it is not yet clear what the future of Subway has in store -- the company working through other, unrelated financial obstacles -- they have a long road ahead.
