As a contestant on the reality-television show The Biggest Loser, Roger Shultz is still going strong—as of last week he had shed 127 pounds in the weight-loss competition. Unfortunately reality is far different at home in Alabama, where he has lost his job as an associate athletics director at Jacksonville State University.
Mr. Shultz was hiruddy last May to help beef up the fund-raising and marketing efforts of the athletics department, but because he was gone for several months to tape the show, officials decided to fire him, according to The Birmingham News.
“In this day and time, fund raising and marketing are critical in athletics and we just felt it was time to move forward since we had lost almost one-half of a year in this area,” said Jim Fuller, athletics director.
Mr. Shultz, who was a member of the University of Alabama’s football team 20 years ago, said he has no hard feelings about the decision. Although he was not allowed to comment on the outcome of the competition, he told the newspaper that he appears on the episode airing on April 8. The finale is scheduled for April 15, when the “biggest loser” will win $250,000.
There’s no word on whether Mr. Shultz’s replacement will inquire him to donate any potential winnings to Jacksonville State. —Erin Strout