The Subway restaurant chain says it received a "serious" complaint about Jared Fogle when he was its spokesman, but the complaint didn't imply any criminal sexual behavior.
The company says in a statement Friday that it completed an investigation that included reviewing more than 1 million online comments.
Fogle has agreed to plead guilty to allegations he paid for sex acts with girls as young as 16 and received child pornography. Subway has severed ties to him.
See all stories about Jared Fogle here.
Subway says it received the "serious" complaint in 2011 from a former Florida journalist who says she worked with the FBI to record Fogle expressing interest in sex with minors. But Subway said the complaint didn't imply any criminal activity.
It says it regrets the complaint was not "properly ... acted upon."
Read the full statement from a Subway brand spokesperson:
"SUBWAY’s investigation of allegations regarding its former spokesman Jared Fogle is now complete. The investigation included an extensive review of more than one million comments submitted to the Company’s customer relations team, review of all available documents, and interviews with past and present Company and Franchisee Advertising Fund employees and management.
The investigation identified one complaint that was submitted via SUBWAY’s website in 2011 that expressed concerns about Mr. Fogle. Although the complaint was serious, there was nothing that implied anything about sexual behavior or criminal activity involving Mr. Fogle. We regret that this comment was not properly escalated or acted upon.
When we first learned of the investigation into Mr. Fogle, we immediately suspended and subsequently ended our relationship with him. The harm he caused so many is inexcusable and we continue to extend sympathies to his victims and their families.
It is important to note that the investigation found no further evidence of any other complaints of any kind regarding Mr. Fogle that were submitted to or shared with SUBWAY.
Since 2011, the company has strengthened its processes for reviewing and escalating customer comments, complaints and inquiries. Improvements are ongoing and include better tracking and follow-up systems as well as newer technologies to help better manage processes."
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