Tiger Starting To Lose Endorsements

And it begins…

As new reports of alleged extra-marital affairs continue to surface, Gatorade announced Tuesday that it would discontinue its Tiger Woods sports drink.

Gatorade says the decision to drop Woods' product was made “months ago” and has nothing to do with the recent public events involving the embattled golf star.

In an official statement released Tuesday, the company said: “We decided several months ago to discontinue Gatorade Tiger Focus along with some other products to make room for our planned series of innovative products in 2010. We hope to share more about our 2010 plans soon.”

“Gatorade Tiger Focus” was launched last spring and was the only product to contain theanine, which is said to reduce mental and physical stress. The partnership was unprecedented because Woods received royalties from sales of the beverage, rather than a contractual amount for an endorsement.

The news came just days after the company told FoxNews.com that it would not drop Woods from his endorsement deal following a mysterious car crash outside his Florida home last month. Days later, rumors of at least eleven alleged extramarital affairs surfaced.

Woods has apologized for “transgressions” that let his family and fans down.

Gatorade Tiger Focus is the first of Woods’ endorsements to end since the scandal began.

While the company is dropping Woods' drink, it was unclear Tuesday whether or not he would appear in any future advertisements connected to the company. [via]