Michael Phelps Photo Trouble
The Olympic Swim Champ was Photographed with Marijuana Paraphernalia
Feb 1, 2009
Michael Phelps, who did what some thought to be impossible, won eight gold medals at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing this past August.
The eight medals he won in Beijing, plus the six gold and two bronze he won at the 2004 games in Athens brought Phelps to a total of 16 Olympic Medals, making him the greatest Olympic athlete of all time.
Sunday, February 1, News of the World released a photograph of Phelps allegedly smoking pot.
Phelps released the following statement a couple hours later in regards to the photo:
"I engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgement. I'm 23-years-old and despite successes I've had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner people have come to expect from me. For this, I am sorry. I promise my fans and the public it will not happen again."
The photo was taken at a college party in this past fall at the University of South Carolina. Phelps was rumored to be dating a girl who attends the university.
Post-Olympic Games Behavior
This is not the first time that Phelps has apologized for his behavior out of the pool.
In the fall of 2004, after the Olympic Games in Athens, a then 19-year-old Phelps was arrested for driving under the influence after being pulled over by police for driving through a stop sign.
Phelps wrote about the incident in his first book, Beneath the Surface.
"I understood right away that this wasn't something trivial. I would have to be accountable for doing something very wrong."
Repercussions of Phelps' Actions
The possible major repercussions involving Phelps' career from the photograph are still yet to be seen, however the U.S. Olympic Committee released a statement shortly after Phelps' apology.
"We are disappointed in the behavior recently exhibited by Michael Phelps.
Michael is a role model, and he is well aware of the responsibilities and accountability that come with setting a positive example for others, particularly young people. In this instance, regrettably, he failed to fulfill those responsibilities.
Michael has acknowledged that he made a mistake and apologized for his actions.
We are confident that, going forward, Michael will consistently set the type of example we all expect from a great Olympic champion."
It should be interesting to see how Phelps' sponsors, like Speedo, choose to proceed with their spokesman after this latest situation. So far, no statements from Phelps' sponsors have been released.
Like Phelps wrote in Beneath the Surface, "The best way to atone for screwing up is to start by acknowledging you screwed up."
