It was one toke over the line for Michael Phelps as he was suspended from competition for three months by U.S. Swimming. Kellogg’s also announced it would not renew its endorsement contract with Phelps, which expires at the end of the month.
“This is not a situation where any anti-doping rule was violated, but we decided to send a strong message to Michael because he disappointed so many people, particularly the hundreds of thousands of USA Swimming member kids who look up to him as a role model and a hero,” U.S. Swimming said in a statement. “Michael has voluntarily accepted this reprimand and has committed to earn back our trust.”
Phelps apologized after a photo appeared that showed him smoking from a bong at a party last fall in South Carolina. The world swim body FINA issued a statement earlier this week supporting Phelps, but U.S. Swimming took a different tack. Phelps’ coach Bob Bowman told the AP that the swimmer accepted the federation’s decision.
“Michael’s been through a lot and he’s learned a lot, hopefully,” Bowman told The Associated Press during a telephone interview. “I support him and I want to see him do better. I’m here, as always, to try to help him move forward. He’s learned some tough lessons and he’s disappointed a lot of people, me included. … I certainly understand USA Swimming needed to take action. We will certainly abide by everything they’ve put down.”
Phelps had planned on competing at a meet in Texas in March, but is now banned until May. The world championships this year are in Rome in July. U.S. Swimming also has withdrawn any financial support for Phelps, 23, to train.
The suspension is no big deal and seems more about U.S. Swimming protecting its image than it is of punishing Phelps (not that I think he should be punished for smoking pot). Phelps has plenty of money and can train on his own without other financial support. In addition, the interest in the world championships in July has now soared. Meets in non-Olympic years never get much attention, but the Rome meet will get huge international focus. This could be the start of the Michael Phelps Comeback Tour. America always loves a comeback.
on Feb 5th, 2009 at 10:33 PM
I’m not fan of Phelps, and his apology was ridiculous, but I’m actually starting to feel a hint of sympathy for him. He is really being raked over the coals for this. As well he should be – but I still feel for the guy.
on Feb 5th, 2009 at 10:46 PM
Cyd I agree with you. I’ve voiced my displeasure with his actions in the comments of the other blog entry. Others seem to have a “who cares” attitude but it’s something that should be addressed.
The issue now is this apparent piling on attitude. I would venture to guess US Swimming caved to some pressure, both from within and without (sponsors). He’s back in the pool and that’s what’s important in my mind. They should express their displeasure then put this all behind.
My biggest concern for him is that if this is a trend in his life he take on some serious self-assessment to curtail possible future problems.
on Feb 5th, 2009 at 10:59 PM
Considering that you’d be hard pressed to find many people under fifty (or 60 or 70, for that matter), the sanctimonious blather and sheer hypocrisy over Michael Phelps’ bong hit is absurd. I seriously doubt that Phelps is going to convince any ten-year-olds to take up smoking pot; give them a few years and their peers will do that for them. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. No doubt there are a few of them, but not many.
on Feb 5th, 2009 at 11:45 PM
Thats why I have always said give me the money but never the fame. We put these people up on pedestals only to love to tear them down. I think Charles Barkley said it best when he told people not to have their kids looking to him as a role model or hero. He said that he threw a ball in a hoop. Michael Phelps swam laps in a pool. The real heros are the US Airways pilot who saved over 100 lives a couple weeks ago, the firefighters who run toward the fire when everyone else is running away, the dedicated teachers who work in some of the worst schools in the country hoping they can make a difference. Those are who the role models should be. But, it comes with the territory and he’s there to reap the benefits of his athletic gift, and this is part of the fall.
on Feb 6th, 2009 at 12:05 AM
He should be raked over the coals? For smoking weed. Umm, why?
on Feb 6th, 2009 at 12:25 AM
Why should he be raked over the coals for smoking weed? Try because its (like it or not) a crime in South Carolina and loads of other places. But in the end, he’s just like you and me……he’s good/great at some things and sucks at others (his SNL appearance comes to mind). What he did was sophmoric and ill advised and probably a good indication that its about time he spent less time at movie premieres and more back in the water.
on Feb 6th, 2009 at 12:25 AM
Rake! Rake! Rake!
on Feb 6th, 2009 at 1:15 AM
Sodomy was also illegal until pretty recently, but I bet none of us here paid any mind to that, hmm?
And I really don’t see why he should have been in the water in November. That’s silly.
on Feb 6th, 2009 at 1:59 AM
I never did like Phelps. It’s not his surname which bothers me (see Fred Phelps). I think it’s the “I’m too good for you losers” image he carries which isn’t what he is but he comes off that way to me at least.
His apology was just as good as a non-apology apology. I highly doubt many kids have been damaged by the story and or photo. I think this is just another attempt at USA Swimming trying to maintain their less than wanted pristine image.
on Feb 6th, 2009 at 2:24 AM
Since U.S. Swimming has withdrawn any financial support for Phelps to train this year, can Outsports form a nonprofit fund to solicit funds for him? I think that would be kewl and a nice gesture from folks like us to donate!
on Feb 6th, 2009 at 3:11 AM
Krishnan, Michael Phelps doesn’t need a penny of our money. He is an absurdly wealthy man.
Why should he be raked over the coals? Because he’s an idiot. How do you let this happen when you’re Michael Phelps? For stupidity alone, he deserves some raking; But this is still a bit much to me.
I wonder if the reaction would have been different if he was a little less conciliatory in his “apology.” If he’d said, “Yeah, I did it, it was dumb, and I’ll try not to do it again.” Instead of sounding like he’d just killed someone. I dunno.
on Feb 6th, 2009 at 4:33 AM
Even with such a simplistic apology you know he’ll do it again. There’s a deeper reason as to why we constantly fine athletes or even actors to commit such ‘crimes’ such as this.
We prep, heighten, fame, chant, etc. their names and their careers. These people do one thing most people take for granted and the media are hounds on it. While I don’t condone illegal drug use, oh wait, I drink… I certainly don’t think he was bright enough to realize someone with a camera at that party would have leaked those pictures onto the net. “Uhh, ‘ya think’th I coulda woulda not dun it?” – Michael Phelps.
I’ll be holding bets with friends and my teammates at college to see when he messes up again.
on Feb 6th, 2009 at 5:24 AM
Hey Cyd, good man, You know the respect I have for you & your work on behalf of all of us gay folks who have either played and/or who enjoy sports for the phenomenal human drama (as well as the downright sexy beauty of athletic play.) So, I hope you don’t take offense at this: I find it reprehensible that anyone should demand that the very “young” Mr. Michael Phelps, a phenomenally unique world-class athletic talent of the ages, need not be dragged over any coals, either figurative or literal. For simply doing what millions & millions of young folks on every acre of this strife-torn planet have done to alter their harsh reality, even a millionaire, who has earned every cent rained upon him for an incomparablely disciplined dedication dating from his early childhood, deserves his modicum of privacy left to him. When we humans dare to be superb, are we saddled with the likes of the parasitic News of the World types out there who will turn confidants of our heroes into Judas traitor photographers whose primary motive is to earn some dirty money by betraying PERFECTLY HARMLESS off-season & private COMMONPLACE indulgences by a young guy who sought to escape, perhaps, the inimitably inhuman pressure to be the “perfect” American Idol? Where is your understanding of propriety & proportion? Young Mr. Phelps was not extolling the benefits of THC while the spotlight was highlighting his incomparable achievements, after all. He has worked with young athletes for many of his few years on the world stage to encourage by example of his remarkable discipline (formed early in his childhood, once again) the dedicated pursuit of an athlete’s best talents through hard work & the love of the sport. Young Mr. Phelps deserves his well-earned private life when he is out of the limelight. Otherwise, how do we encourage his following generations to pursue their best? Is it a game of “Amuse us & then we own your life?” Please leave the young guy alone, to live his life as he sees fit in this US of A that’s fighting worldwide for individual liberty for every human being on this planet.
on Feb 6th, 2009 at 10:53 AM
US Swimming has no business interfering here. Was he using performing-enhancing drugs? No. Beyond that, it is none of their freakin’ business what he ingests. The level of sanctimony about this incident has risen to levels that would be comic if not so stupid.
on Feb 6th, 2009 at 11:28 AM
Why blame young Phelps for doing what everibody (or almost everibody) does ? I would rather point the fingers on the photographer who betrayed the young man’s privacy for probably some money.
And shame on you Cyd for making such a big fuss about the whole matter…haven’t you done anything stupid in your life you bitterly regretted soon after. Needless to say that you are not a big fan of Phelps, we already figured that out.
on Feb 6th, 2009 at 1:26 PM
I continue to not see what the big deal is or why he’s being called an idiot or why he felt the need to apologize. It’s just ridiculous and no one’s business but his. People who cry foul because he broke the law just make it worse. Whatever the outcome of being busted – cops, court appearances, lawyers, a blemished record – once again, his business, not the public’s. It’s also insane to cry foul because he’s an alleged “role model”, like he’s responsible for raising other people’s kids and how dare he let them down. Ludicrous! Any decent parent can simply tell their hero-worshipping kid “See? We’re all human.”
on Feb 6th, 2009 at 1:52 PM
I wouldn’t go as far as calling him an idiot…but there is a seeming double standard that I think alot of people are overlooking. Drug use is just that–drug use and unless I am mistaken the Olympic policy is no drugs. Also given the extreme sensitivity to performance enhancement among athletes, don’t you think he would have had the common sense to want to stay clear of being any part of any type of drug conversation.
The other thing I can’t help thinking is that had this been an athlete of color who had a prior run in with the law (dui offense) would the sponsors be as supportive? Would US swimming be so lenient? Making an example of someone who was very willing to take millions of dollars from sponsors in trade for his “golden” image seems fair to me. He and his agents knew that he was a valuable asset as it related to the “youth sports” demographic and were very willing to trade on that. Now the image is tarnished and there should be monetary repercussions.
Have we all done it? Perhaps, but we are not trading our images on it for monetary gain. Is he a private citizen? Not really when he is accepting millions, and if that is really what he wants in order to take bong hits at parties then don’t take the money and say that you will represent a company with standards that befit an olympic standard.
on Feb 6th, 2009 at 2:57 PM
Michael Phelps is an American Hero. He stood tall and made America proud at the Beijing Olympics. This is how America treats its heroes, we forget all of the hard work Michael Phelps did to achieve his task, we forget the pride we felt with the each gold medal, we forget how Phelps helped America to be competitive against the Chinese when they planned on winning all of the golds, we forget all of those things and hang a man for smoking glass pipe at a party. That is our shame; America cares little for appreciation and loyalty but is absolute when it comes to misplaced morality. In short America often finds it easier to tear people down and point fingers than it does to recognize freedom and practice good will. People of this country should stand up for their friends and neighbors being persecuted in this “drug War”.
on Feb 6th, 2009 at 3:32 PM
Would we feel the same way, if this picture was taken in Amsterdam?
on Feb 6th, 2009 at 5:37 PM
hmmm…to a certain degree, i think it’s much ado over nothing. among my contemporaries and people in my particular age group, this is something that most of us do. i think the fact that it came out in public was what put him in such a compromising position. i think people forget that, underneath the fame, the success and the gold medals, he’s still a young kid and does what every young kid does. the punishment is appropriate, but the way the media is sensationalizing this story is a bit over the top. people seem ready to crucify the kid, which is unfortunate. there are other people engaging in some truly DISGUSTING behavior in the public eye and it gets forgiven. confusing. but hey – the way of the world i guess.
on Feb 6th, 2009 at 7:16 PM
Fine. Well I won’t be buying those Special K anymore.
on Feb 6th, 2009 at 8:12 PM
screw Kellogg’s. i won’t be buying any of their products in the future. leave Phelps alone. the sooner pot is legalized the sooner all this really stupid crap stops. with tobacco cigarettes, which have been proven to kill you, and all forms of liquor, which will kill you in the long run from cirosis if you don’t get killed behind the wheel driving home, being legal, it’s just absurd that pot is still illegal.
on Feb 6th, 2009 at 9:41 PM
This really isn’t news worthy.
What’s more interesting is that if people REALLY genuinely gave a damn about he is perceived by the youth of America and other nations, they wouldn’t have publicized the story in the first place! It would have gotten itself suppressed and easily forgotten because in reality, IT IS SO minor compared to various other muck ups by athletes. Now, I’m not saying Phelps is right in doing what he did, but the people who published this and the people who suspended him (see USA Swimming) are contradictory and hypocritical themselves.
on Feb 7th, 2009 at 9:01 AM
I am NOT a Michael Phelps fan. Was sick of hearing about him a long time ago… But Kellogg’s and USA Swimming need to get over this. Of course he was smoking it. But who the heck cares… The dumbest thing is why on earth would he be hitting that bong when someone is around with a camera… DUMBASS!
on Feb 7th, 2009 at 10:28 AM
DAVE NOW THAT EVERYONE CARRIES A CELPHONE WITH CAMERA AT ALL TIMES NO ONE IS EVER SAFE FROM WHAT SHOULD BE A PRIVATE MOMENT ENDING UP ON THE INTERNET. BUT YES, WE SHOULD ALL JUST SAY, SO WHAT!
on Feb 7th, 2009 at 11:37 PM
BUT, THE CHILDREN! WHAT ABOUT THE CHILDREN!
I’m almost done with this cigarette, would someone hand me my Xanex and Vodka Stinger?
on Feb 8th, 2009 at 2:23 AM
Haha, Dave, I love you and your comment. I’m sure most people my age (18-19) are sick and tired of Phelps this and Phelps that.
@ Tommy T: Unfortunately you’re a bit wrong. The best camera which I believe the iPhone carries would not given such a crystal image as the one in the photo with Phelps having a bong at his lips. People do take cameras to parties so they can take pictures and post said pictured on their respected Facebooks and MySpaces.
A phone camera would and could not have product such a quality picture.
on Feb 8th, 2009 at 10:53 AM
It’s perhaps a bit surprising that this story blossomed as well as it did. I don’t think Phelps comes out that badly, however. Those that may want to punish him for being a bad role model are looking like the villians and may be winning him some sympathy for taking his punishment like a man.
Michael Phelps smoking pot at a party (where, presumably, other people were smoking pot) is really not that big a deal. Seriously. I mean, the President Obama has admitted to smoking pot. Do people think less of him?
Phelps is no Amy Winehouse, no Lindsay Lohan, no Paris Hilton. Give the guy a break.
on Feb 9th, 2009 at 1:30 PM
I don’t feel the slightest bit sorry for Phelps. He had endorsements out the ass while Matthew Mitchum, the openly gay Australian diver that got the highest score ever for an olympic diver can’t get ANY endorsements (although some Aussie phone company did just sign him for one year).
on Jun 14th, 2009 at 1:45 AM
Phelps has made some bad decisions and getting negative publicity but he’s 23 and should be allowed a few mistakes.
Now, it’s time to move on.
on Jul 4th, 2011 at 12:56 AM
Even though this is 2 years late, I’d like to offer a correction for future reference: the governing body of swimming in the United States is USA Swimming, not U.S. Swimming ~ just saying.
You’re the best, JTB