Jul 7, 2015

"The Sandwich Guy" Feels the Heat


I fell in love with Jared Fogle many years ago and I'm not ashamed. He became my hero and I wanted to walk down the same path that he had walked. We both wanted the same thing, success and happiness. But, things change as life goes on and now I'm watching closely to see if Jared and I should go our separate ways.

 In 1998, Jared was a 425 pound freshman at Indiana University. Now, his story is history since he lost 235 pounds eating Subway 6 inch turkey subs (hold the cheese and mayo please) and became the face of Subway's franchise in 2000. Now his net worth is $15 million. He used some of his rewards from his successful weight loss journey and started a charitable foundation which worked to prevent childhood obesity, encouraging children to develop healthy eating habits. In my book, Jared did all the right things. Now he's "tainted good"...some say Jared is "toast", while everyone is wondering if Subway will break with their pitchman.

Recently, State, Federal and Postal Service authorities raided Jared Fogle's Indiana home. Now he's fodder for speculation on the Internet, cable and regular T.V., newspapers and magazines, and even talk radio. The late night comedians will have a field day making Jared the butt of their jokes. So, whether he's actually guilty of anything or not, Jared is "Contaminated" and that matters.

Here's the story. A couple of months ago Russell Taylor (43), director of Jared's charitable foundation, was arrested and charged with 7 counts of production of child pornography and 1 count of possession. When Jared became aware of the situation, he said he was "shocked" over the allegations and dumped Taylor. The former director tried (and failed) to commit suicide at Marion County Jail and was evventually placed on life support. Subway is quietly awaiting any negative fallout and reviewing their options.

I'll always be grateful for Jared's weight loss journey and the benefits of his personal story. Now we'll wait and see what develops through law enforcement investigations and how the media handles "The Subway Guy".

Related Article:

Jared Fogel Turned Weight Loss Into Millions, Emerald Quill Blog, June 2013

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