Jared Fogle 'Subway Guy' Child Porn Scandal: What Happens Now?

Jared Fogle, spokesperson and pitchman for Subway, has officially become a liability for the brand.

The 37-year-old has agreed to plead guilty to receiving and distributing child pornography, as well as engaging in sex acts with minors, as stated by his attorney and federal prosecutors on Wednesday.

He will be facing at least five years but not more than 12 and a half years in prison.

Due to the unfortunate turn of events, Subway decided to cut ties with its most famous brand representative.

The company tweeted on Tuesday, "We no longer have a relationship with Jared and have no further comment."

According to the Los Angeles Times, marketing and management experts already noted the dangers of high-profile individuals in representing a brand.

Ira Kalb, assistant professor of clinical marketing at the USC Marshall Shool of Business said, "When spokespeople get into trouble, or things come out about them, it's definitely going to have some spillover to your brand."

He then compared these brand ambassadors to mascots, saying, that the stuffed versions "don't get into trouble."

The outlet said that Subway's relationship with Fogle was tighter than other business-pitchman relationships.

The brand has relied heavily on Fogle for over a decade in promoting their cheap fast-food sandwiches diet plan.

According to ABC News, Fogle was famous for dropping more than 200 pounds because of his "Subway Diet".

It is not clear how customers will react to Fogle's admission.

However according to brand consulting firm Landor Associates, this will be bad for the company.

"For a while, when you see a Subway ad, you're going to think about that child pornography charge," the firm said.

The revelations about Fogle also comes at a difficult time for a brand that is already struggling with sales . ABC News reported that average annual sales of the sandwich shop fell 3 percent last year - the first decline since 2006.

Considering that Fogle is a recognizable face around the United States, USA Today said that this may be the opening to a serious talk with children about inappropriate touching and sexual assault.

While it is an uncomfortable topic for parents to discuss with their child, a clinical professor from the School of Public Health at Indiana University Bloomington, Catherine Sherwood-Laughlin said that it is important to address children's questions, should they ask about the issue.

Does Jared Fogle's inappropriate private life turn you off the fast-food shop, or do you think one man's actions - despite being the spokesperson for over a decade - does not affect your decision to eat at one of the biggest food chains in the United States?