Subway drops Michael Phelps endorsement Never mind!

Seems I jumped the gun when I saw all of Michael Phelps’ links pulled from the website:

Another company is standing by Michael Phelps.

Despite being removed from the sandwich chain’s website, Subway will not drop its endorsement deal with the Olympic gold medalist because of his controversial pot photos.

“Like most Americans, and like Michael Phelps himself, we were disappointed in his behavior,” Megan Driscoll, the rep for Subway, tells Usmagazine.com. “Also like most Americans, we accept his apology. Moving forward, he remains in our plans.”

Subway is the latest company to pull the plug on its Michael Phelps sponsorship.

And unlike Kellogg’s, whose contract with the Olympics champ swimmer is up soon, Subway just signed Michael Phelps on Nov. 21, 2008!

Here’s what the proud company said at the time:

“Subway takes pride in being a healthy and active brand – one that can be a regular part of these world class athletes’ routines,” states Tony Pace, chief marketing officer of the Subway Franchisee Advertising Fund Trust. “We knew Michael Phelps was a big fan of our sandwiches and we wanted to build on that with him to illustrate that Subway is a brand that can play a role in helping everyone — from elite athletes to weekend joggers — perform at their peak levels and make healthier, smarter choices about food, whatever the activity.”

But now, Phelps has been removed from the Subway website and, as Buzznewsroom.com reports, even (shudder) delinked. Oh, the horror.

Looks as if Michael might even have to give back the endorsement moola.

Add another one to the boycott list.  Subway was more than willing to sign on an athlete with an underaged alcohol DUI conviction, but felt that an adult smoking marijuana in private was bad for their image.

That’s OK, I like Blimpie and Quizno’s better, anyway.