In 2000, Jared Fogle started his campaign as the face of Subway sandwiches. Known for his story of an over 200 pound weight loss, he claimed that Subway’s menu was the reason for his sudden change of diet. The plentiful healthy options that Jared claimed Subway had gave him a voice in multiple Subway Ad campaigns as the face of the Subway diet.
He was the face of these campaigns for almost ten years, but what many were not aware of that he has been involvement with sex scandals during and after his time as the “face of Subway.” Since 2007, Fogle has been accused of sexual activity with minors and the creation of child pornography. He has been on house arrest since the accusations first came out in July.
He and a friend were involved with the creation of underage explicit content, and he also did not report abuse done by said friend to a 14-year old girl. Eleven other children have been identified as being involved with the scandal Fogle was, in part, responsible for. These children were unaware of what was happening, as police confiscated evidence found that they were filmed using hidden cameras. Fogle’s lawyers have been asking for a prison time of only 12 and a half years, while the maximum time possible for his crimes is a fifty year sentence. “Even if he does get the maximum sentence, I don’t think that’s enough of a punishment for him,” Star Hagen- Esquerra, a junior, said, “This is one of the few cases where I feel the death penalty is appropriate.”
He is also been found guilty of asking a 17-year old girl to have sex with him. He reportedly told the girl that he would pay her to come home with him and is quoted as saying, “the younger the girl, the better” to her to try to pressure her to get a friend to come along with her.
After these accusations came out earlier this year, people began to go up in arms over the event, with a few bloggers even going as far as to preach for a boycott of Subway products. “While what he did was awful, he shouldn’t get more attention for it just because he’s some sort of ‘celebrity,’” Rowan Nolan, a sophomore, said, “I think it’s ridiculous that some people think this somehow represents the morals of Subway. He’s just one person, and his actions could never represent such a big company.”
When the accusations first came out, Subway promptly fired Fogle from his position and he will face time in prison later this year. Aside from his public life, Fogle has been affected in his private life as well. His wife recently came out to say that she will be seeking a divorce from him as soon as possible. She also has asked for custody of their preschool aged children.
By: Serena Mendoza
The Claw 