Michael Phelps Loses a Big Endorsement

I don't think I even posted the item on Phelps and his bong hits in South Carolina, but today Kellogg's decided they have better places to spend their advertising dollars:

PORTLAND, Ore. — Kellogg Co. said Thursday that it will drop its endorsement deal with Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps following his acknowledgment he inhaled from a marijuana pipe.

The 23-year-old swimming star has apologized for his "regrettable" behavior and "bad judgment" after a photo appeared Sunday in the British tabloid News of the World that showed Phelps inhaling from a marijuana pipe.

Most of his major sponsors, such as Visa Inc., Speedo, luxury Swiss watchmaker Omega and sports beverage PureSport's maker Human Performance Labs, stood by the athlete following the news, even if they didn't condone his behavior.

But Battle Creek, Mich.-based cereal and snack maker Kellogg said Phelps's behavior is "not consistent with the image of Kellogg."

Because Kellogg's is so kid-oriented, I'm not surprised they're dumping Phelps. The image of him sucking on a bong full of dope is probably not one they want associated with their products.

He'll probably keep most of the endorsements from companies that manufacture products for adults or for the swimming crowd. They'll be a little more forgiving since their target audience probably doesn't care that much what Phelps does.

UPDATE: USA Swimming suspends Phelps for 3 months.