Responsibilities of an Olympian

[aaosmts19]

I have started a new string to continue the discussion that we was spawned in 'Apolo Articles". This was pertaining to MIchael Phelps.

I had put an entry in "Apolo articles" because indeed Apolo made some quotes that applied, indirectory, to Michael. As the story flushes out over the next few days, it seemed more appropriate to turn the discussion to what it means to be an Olympian....

Follow this link to the actual story and you'll see a picture of him leaving the pool yesterday. He looks lost....
www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/2009-02-04-phelps-speaks_N.htm

By David Ginsburg, AP Sports Writer

BALTIMORE — Olympic champion Michael Phelps said Wednesday it has been difficult coping with the fallout from a photo of him smoking from a marijuana pipe.
"It's something I am going to have to live with and something I'll have to grow from," Phelps told The Associated Press outside the pool where he trains. "I know with all of the mistakes I made, I learned from them and that is what I expect to do from this. By no means it is fun for me, by no means is it easy."


BRENNAN: Money buys Phelps love, not guidance
MEETING: USOC wants sit-down with Phelps

It was the first time Phelps had publicly addressed the photo since issuing an apology Sunday after it surfaced in a British tabloid over the weekend.

Wearing a black sweat suit and shaking off the remaining drops of water in his hair after a workout at the Meadowbrook Aquatic Center, Phelps said the most important thing for him is that he was back in the pool training.

"I'm back to my routine, the thing I love, the thing I care about most," Phelps said. "To be able to get back in the water and get back to a normal schedule is what I am happy about most."


Phelps and his coach, Bob Bowman, in November took over operation of Meadowbrook and the North Baltimore Aquatic Club, where the swimmer began training at age 7.

Phelps declined to address the possibility of criminal charges and reiterated his desire to put the furor behind him.

"You know, it happens," he said. "When stupid things are (done), bad judgment is made and mistakes are made, it happens."

Phelps apologized to his fans and sponsors after the tabloid News of the World published a picture that appeared to show the Olympic champion smoking marijuana during a November house party at the University of South Carolina.

The photo wasn't the first time Phelps has been in trouble for his activities away from the pool. After the 2004 Athens Games, an underage Phelps was arrested for drunken driving, pleaded guilty and apologized to his fans.

Several of Phelps' sponsors — including Visa, apparel company Speedo and luxury Swiss watchmaker Omega — have expressed their support of the athlete, who won a record eight golds medals at the Beijing Olympics last summer.

"I have a relationship with all of my sponsors and they are really like family," Phelps said. "It's been like that for our whole partnership together. And it's good to have support in a time like this. This is when you most need it." it."

He was also appreciative of the backing he's gotten from those close to him.

"Right now, at a time like this, this is when you really know who are your real friends and family," said Phelps, 23. "At a time like this, you really notice who is there in good times and in bad. And I have had a lot of support and that is something I am thankful for."

On Wednesday in Switzerland, swimming's governing body praised Phelps for his public apology.

"As a citizen, Michael Phelps displayed inappropriate behavior," FINA said in a statement. "But his sincere regret and the promise that such a situation will not happen again are sufficient guarantees that this great star will continue generating respect and appreciation to all fans of our sport around the globe."

But the CEO of the U.S. Olympic Committee said Wednesday he'd like to have a face-to-face meeting with Phelps, and spokesman Darryl Seibel said the federation was sending the Olympic star a letter offering its assistance.

Phelps has apologized. Now the USOC wants to help him avoid a repeat.

"Based on this occurrence, we at the USOC, as we said in an earlier statement, are exceptionally disappointed in him, as he is in himself," Jim Scherr said during a conference call that was set to preview the 2010 Winter Olympics, but also included several mentions of Phelps. "We'll follow up and have a direct conversation with him and people close to him."

The USOC can't do much to penalize him. Anti-doping rules don't call for sanctions against athletes who test positive for marijuana when they're not competing. And the USOC's code of conduct doesn't apply to athletes once the games are over.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

----------------------------
The article below also has a picture of Eric Heiden speedskating with the caption:
"Like Michael Phelps, five-time gold medalist Eric Heiden had the world at this fingertips, but he opted to walk away from the money."

www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/brennan/2009-02-04-phelps_N.htm

By Christine Brennan, USA TODAY
A steady stream of lavish praise has been bestowed upon beleaguered Michael Phelps this week, much of it coming from companies and sports organizations that desperately need him to be loved again.

We shouldn't be at all surprised that Speedo chimed in with its unwavering support for Phelps, or Omega watches (he was wearing their product in the famous marijuana photo, after all) or the International Olympic Committee.


While we can only hope these people truly care about the 23-year-old who is having so much trouble balancing his life as both role model and playboy, we can be absolutely certain of this:

They need him. They need him for their bottom line. (Imagine, for a moment, the Beijing Games without him.) They need him to swim again, and win medals, and become America's next great story of redemption.

And so they will use him. They will praise him, hoping consumers ignore the pot-smoking photo from November and the photos with the Las Vegas strippers in September and the DUI from 2004 and get on with all of their Michael Phelps adulation as soon as possible.

It should be noted, however, that the succession of unabashed sponsor love for Phelps officially ended Wednesday when two of his newer sponsors, Subway and Kellogg's, did not support him when asked for a comment.

The e-mail from Subway spokeswoman Megan Driscoll was about as brief as it could be: "Subway is not commenting or releasing a statement right now on Michael Phelps."

Kellogg's comment was "no comment" — and it required two phone calls to drag even that out of them. So Subway and Kellogg's are not saying no and they're not saying yes, which probably means they are: 1. not happy, and 2. thinking about their options. Thank goodness a smidgen of sanity remains in the corporate world.

Let's go back to 2008, and let's envision the many meetings Phelps had with his management team. This would have been the time for Phelps and his agents to have had a frank conversation about what Michael wanted to do, have fun or make money. Did he want to let loose after all those years of having his head under water — to live the life of a single 23-year-old, running around and going to parties? (A perfectly understandable choice, of course, since he already had plenty of money.)

Or did he not want to do that and instead turn himself into America's pitchman, inviting the nation's eyes to constantly be upon him, actively courting children like a latter-day Pied Piper?

In today's world of instant information, anyone could have told you that to avoid trouble, he had to pick one: A or B.

He chose A and B.

There were millions of dollars to be made, and he and his team decided to make them all, cellphone cameras be d**ned. Now, months later, as we near the end of Phelps' miserable week, one question lingers above all others: While many were looking out for Phelps' financial well-being, who was looking out for him?

Those of us who have had the pleasure of covering his athletic exploits the past nine years know he is not a complex man. He's a 6-4 little brother who, in season, basically swims, eats, sleeps and hangs out with his teammates, then does it all again, day after day. He is a high school graduate who enrolled in just a few classes at the University of Michigan in the four years he swam there. Simply put, he's a guy who needs guidance, perhaps lots of it.

Phelps needed someone to say one name to him: Eric Heiden. In 1980, Heiden was Phelps. He won all five men's speedskating gold medals at the Lake Placid Winter Olympics and was almost as big a deal as Phelps was last summer. But Heiden didn't cash in on any of it. Wanting his life back at 21 (two years younger than Phelps), he walked away from the money. Today he's a successful orthopedic surgeon in Utah.

Michael Phelps has become all things to all people. Hero, role model, pitchman, meal ticket. These days, mostly meal ticket. NBC needs him to drive ratings for the 2012 Games. Speedo needs him to sell swimsuits. Kellogg's needs him to sell Corn Flakes. The IOC needs him for the small task of selling the Olympics.

It's time for someone to realize everyone is using Michael Phelps. We can only hope that someone is Michael Phelps.

[sk8er]

I'm so glad they came up with Eric Heiden. For me he's always been the "God of the Olympics," both for his incredible performance but also for his character and values. The greatest example of the true Olympic spirit.

SusanG

[gasp]

Continuing the Spirit of the Games/Olympic Movement....check out this article. Mentions Apolo and Shani at the end. However, it's everything above that paragraph that is more significant.


Thu Feb 05, 2009 By Dave Ungrady / Universal Sports


Idaho to host Special Olympics
Celebs in the mix
Setting sights high
Special Olympics: History of the Games




Washington, D.C. -- As he neared the end of his last training race, the hard work started to show on future Olympian Clarence Washington. Patches of ice shaved from his and other speed skaters on the indoor oval covered sections of his jacket like powdered sugar on a pancake, a reminder that at any level, sprinting in circles on a frozen slick surface often results in a spill or two.

When Washington fell, he slid smoothly toward the rink’s walls, collided with the boundaries and quickly returned to his feet, slowed but undeterred by the spills.

His face showed neither disappointment nor concern. He was a typically determined special athlete who happened to be a future special Olympian.

Washington, a 15-yr. old resident of Washington, D.C., will compete at the Special Olympics World Winter Games that begin later this week in Boise, Idaho. He took part in practice earlier this week at the Fort Dupont Ice Arena in Washington two days before leaving for the Games.

“It’s just a race,” he said calmly and without expression during an interview before his workout. “I can’t get mad.”

Washington is considered intellectually disabled due to an intelligence quotient less than 80. He will be one of about 2,500 athletes expected to take part in seven sports at the Games scheduled Feb 7-13. The only Washington, D.C. area resident entering the Games, Washington will compete in the 333m, 555m and 777m.

“When I first get on the ice before the race, I’ll be nervous,” he says. “But when I get past the finish line, I won’t be nervous. I’m hoping to have fun.”

Washington’s approach to competition reflects a philosophy of the Special Olympics that mirrors the themes of the Olympic Games.

Nathaniel Mills, a three-time speed skating Olympian in the 1990s who helps coach Washington, spends much of his time promoting Olympic themes that include the joy in the effort and the development of body, will and mind.

He helped manage Washington’s training session earlier this week at the Fort Dupont Ice Arena in southeast Washington, D.C.

“In many ways (Special Olympics athletes) are fulfilling the Olympic creed more than the Olympic movement does,” he said at the end of the workout. “The focus is on finding joy and effort, not on competitive achievement. They really do a good job keeping the athletes focused on that. It’s about personal effort and personal achievement, not beating other people.”

Washington, a ninth grader at Spingarn High School in D.C., became a speed skater two years ago for the same reason he plays basketball, soccer, football and runs track and field -- for the simple joy of competing in athletics.

He trains once a week along with a group of other intellectually disabled middle school students in Washington at the invitation of the Special Olympics District of Columbia office and trains one other day during the week on his own.

Anthony Sokenu, an Associate Director of Sports in the D.C. office, helps coach Washington. “The first sports I saw him in was soccer,” Sekune says. “He was head and shoulder above all the athletes and his teammates.”

Washington showed the same proficiency when he began the speed skating sessions. “I saw in him an ability to adapt to new sports,” Sekune says. “Most athletes who start speed skating there’s a fear of getting on the ice and being unstable. The first time I saw him skate, by the end of the day, he was learning to cross over.”

The cross over is a technique speed skaters use to navigate around turns by placing one skate over the other to maintain balance.

Washington admits his first day on the ice was challenging. “I was falling,” he says. “I said I’ve gotta get back up, keep on going, get better. I said I can do it, so I just got up and finished skating.”

Within two years, Washington has become an elite Special Olympic speed skater. He earned his place at the Winter Games by winning a gold medal in the 333m race at the 2008 D.C. Special Olympics Speed Skating Championships last March. He was selected to compete in the 555m and 777m at a team training camp in December in Denver.

Washington tweaked his technique at the five-day camp. “It was good,” he says. “We were on the ice every day. I learned how to get low and cross over, and get my hands behind my back on the turn. I met a whole lot of new people and made some new friends.”

Sokenu has been impressed with Washington’s positive attitude. “When Special Olympic athletes miss a play, they tend to get disappointed,” he says. “But Clarence does not do that. In soccer, he took on the role of captain and motivated the team. He was the assistant player coach of the team. That’s no small feat for a Special Olympic athlete.”

Washington competitive bracket is determined by age, gender and ability level. He will be placed in either the 11-15 or the 16-21 year old age groups, depending on competitors’ times, and in a division where the difference between the fastest and slowest seeded times are no greater than 15 percent. An athlete can compete one age level higher than they’re natural age division.

Coaches such as Mills have helped Washington learn the techniques of such elite racers as Olympic gold medalist speed skaters Apolo Anton Ohno and Shani Davis. Mills coached Davis early in his career when both were living in Chicago.

“Speed skating is all about cross overs,” says Mills, who helps train D.C. Special Olympics speed skaters once a week at Fort Dupont. “We went off the ice and I showed them videos of Ohno and Davis skating and pointed out how much of their time is spent cornering and how much of the cornering time is spent on their left leg. And he’s been working on that and improving quite a bit.”

Win or lose in Idaho, Washington feels he has already accomplished more than he expected.

“You win, you win and you lose, you lose,” he says. “Don’t worry about it. If you lose, you can get the next one.”

[A.O.Freak]

Phelps' problems aren't Olympian
By Philip Hersh

I started thinking about this question yesterday, but it hit home even more after listening to U.S. Olympic Committee chief executive Jim Scherr talk about the USOC offering help to Michael Phelps.

Scherr raised the possibility that Phelps' two post-Olympic transgressions -- drunk driving in 2004, apparent marijuana use in 2008, both criminal offenses -- could be a ``pattern of behavior.''

My question had been whether any other recent U.S. Olympic relative megastar had gotten into trouble the way Phelps has while struggling to balance being young, rich, famous and fun-loving.

I concede an apples-and-oranges element to the question, because Phelps 1) is the most famous U.S. Olympian in recent memory; 2) hit it big in an era when celebrity obsession has reached ludicrous proportions, and everyone with a camera phone is ready to capture and disseminate celebs' indiscretions; 3) is becoming richer, in absolute terms, than anyone who preceded him in this category.

But I thought of the biggest U.S. Olympic stars of the ESPN age, some of whom got very wealthy from endorsements (snowboarder Shaun White), competition appearance fees (sprinter Carl Lewis), salaries and prize money (volleyballer Karch Kiraly) and speaking engagements (hockey player Mike Eruzione and swimmer Janet Evans), and I realized none had made a police blotter or been involved in a scandal.

My top-of-the-head list also included runner Michael Johnson; figure skaters Michelle Kwan, Scott Hamilton, and Brian Boitano; soccer player Mia Hamm; basketball player Candace Parker; skier Picabo Street; and speedskater Apolo Anton Ohno.

The last two, Ohno and White, exemplify the youth culture Phelps embraces. Snowboarder White is the epitome of Gen X-through-Z sporting hip, and he makes a ton of money, and he seems to know which lines not to cross.

Now that doesn't mean I am certain all of them never had one drink too many or never used recreational drugs.

But to the best of the collective memory of Google, Wikipedia and me, none was arrested for drunk driving or photographed in flagrante delicto, as Phelps was.

He has been forced to issue an apology with the promise it wouldn't happen again. Twice.

The swimmer told the Baltimore Sun he was so upset about being hounded since the picture of him and a bong was published Sunday that he will consider retiring before the next Olympics rather than endure the down side of fame through four more years.

Such a decision would beg several questions.

*If you revel publicly in celebrity, as Phelps clearly has, you have to realize it is a deal with the devil and prepare for the consequences. If he did not know that before the 2008 Olympics, after four years as the world's leading swimmer, his management company and those close to him needed to spell it out for him after Beijing. (Maybe they did, and he didn't listen.) Yes, it was a sleazy act to sell the picture of the swimmer and the pipe, but anyone who behaves badly in public would be painfully naive not to realize both strangers aand even some seeming friends might try to profit from such an opportunity.

*The argument that Phelps is just a normal 23-year-old blowing off steam is specious. First of all, his initial offense could have been deadly. Second, marijuana use is illegal, no matter how ridiculous many people think that is. Third, athletes like Ohno, Kwan, White, Parker and Lewis were 23 or younger when they hit it big.

*Had Phelps been more circumspect, no one but his coach, Bob Bowman, would be hounding him -- and Bowman's Cerberus act is a good thing, since it helped fashion Phelps into the greatest swimmer in history.

*Maybe, as Scherr suggested, Phelps has fallen into a potentially destructive behavior pattern, some sort of binge-and-purge, where the purge comes from his incredibly demanding training regimen.

Michael Phelps has said for five years that one of his strongest motivations was to get more exposure for swimming.

His extroardinary successes in the pool have done that, but not to the degree they have brought exposure to Michael Phelps.

Everyone who cares about him should be at least a little concerned about what has been exposed.

[susie]

Thanks for the article, sk8er. I saw the same information on radio station WBAL's website. They also reported on air this evening that London 2012 is a go for Michael and that he's back in training.

wbal.com/apps/news/templates/story.aspx?articleid=20945&zoneid=21

I love that the USOC turned to Apolo to comment on the obligations of an Olympian. They knew who they could count on.

[sk8er]

Ummmm....I'll let someone else post that.

[mtnme]

very interesting article aofreak. The title says it all, Phelps problems aren't 'Olympian'. Certainly the majority of Olympic Athletes carry themselves with great integrity, well aware that they are role models whether they intended to be or not. The majority have chosen to take up that responsibility just the same.

How disheartening that Phelps is so distressed over the current broo-ha-ha that he would consider retiring. Have not the perks of fame (that fat paycheck, along with any American who owns a TV set knowing his name, and until recently, admiration of his countrymen,) - far outweighed the drawbacks? Has not the sheer satisfaction of competing and being the absolute best at what he does count for anything? or does just the ability to do as he pleases, including behaving badly - and not suffer any repercussions worth more?

That statement is even more telling than the original indiscretion. There's a real immaturity there that is the larger issue.

So Michael. You'd throw in the towel that easily over some bad press? Time to grow up. Welcome to the real world, where if ya can't stand the heat, ya get out of the kitchen. Which begs the question how you ever withstood the heat of what you have already accomplished if you crumble that easily.

Here's a better idea, stay away from the stuff that got you the heat in the first place. Now is that so hard? (...and if it is, then the USOC really does have good reason to be concerned...)

[skaterswaltz]

Kellogg to drop Phelps over pot smoking photo
Thursday, February 5, 2009 6:58 PM EST
The Associated Press


PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Cereal and snack maker Kellogg Co. said it won't renew its sponsorhip contract with Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps because of a photo that showed him inhaling from a marijuana pipe. The Battle Creek, Mich.-based company said Thursday that Phelps's behavior — caught on camera and published Sunday in a British tabloid — is "not consistent with the image of Kellogg."

The company put Phelps on boxes of its Frosted Flakes and Corn Flakes.

Phelps has kept the backing of many sponsors since the photo surfaced from a November house party at the University of South Carolina.

Phelps's agent was not immediately available to comment.

Kellogg says its contract with Phelps expires at the end of the month.

[susie]

USA Swimming has suspended Michael for three months. Credit to Tina at AJ.com.

****************************************

USA Swimming suspends Phelps for 3 months

Michael Phelps was suspended from competition for three months by USA Swimming, the latest fallout from a photo that showed the Olympic great inhaling from a marijuana pipe.

The sport’s national governing body also cut off its financial support to Phelps for the same three-month period, effective Thursday.

“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,” the Colorado-based federation said in a statement.

“Michael has voluntarily accepted this reprimand and has committed to earn back our trust.”

Phelps won a record eight gold medals in Beijing and returned to America as one of the world’s most acclaimed athletes. Now he’s enduring a wave of bad news in the wake of the photo, published Sunday by News of the World, a British tabloid.

Earlier Thursday, cereal and snack maker Kellogg Co. announced it wouldn’t renew its sponsorship contract with Phelps, saying his behavior is “not consistent with the image of Kellogg.” The swimmer appeared on the company’s cereal boxes after his Olympic triumph.

Phelps has acknowledged “regrettable” behavior and “bad judgment.” He didn’t dispute the authenticity of the photo, reportedly taken at a house party while Phelps was visiting Columbia, S.C., in November during an extended break from training.

The 23-year-old has resumed training in his hometown of Baltimore, but his plans to return to competitive swimming will have to be put on hold. Phelps had been planning to compete in early March at a Grand Prix meet in Austin, Texas.

Now, he won’t be able to allowed to compete until early May, which would give him just over two months to get in some racing before July’s world championships in Rome.

sports.yahoo.com/top/news?slug=ap-phelpssuspended&prov=ap&type=lgns

[mtnme]

to both Susie's and Skaterswaltz posted press releases...

...Ouch....

[skaterswaltz]

Feb 5, 2009 22:03:33 GMT -5 mtnme said:

to both Susie's and Skaterswaltz posted press releases...

...Ouch....

I know - I feel bad for the kid. They're really coming down hard on him. I hope he taps into his determined spirit and overcomes this. I wish/hope he can talk to people like Eric Heiden and Apolo and ask them how they navigated these waters. Only other Olympic athletes like them could truly understand. The Philip Hersh article aaofreak posted is very good. I hope, too, that someone is watching out for Michael and not just seeing him as a cash cow.

[A.O.Freak]

Quitting Would Damage Phelps' Legacy
Posted Feb 6th 2009 1:10 AM by Jay Mariotti (author feed)

Filed Under: Backporch
So now he's threatening to seek an escape hatch, not compete in the 2012 Olympics -- you know, take his Speedo LZR Racer trunks and 14 gold medals and swim home. That would be a regrettable and rather cowardly backstroke by Michael Phelps, who finds himself at an unexpected crossroads in his charmed life and needs to make a mature decision to counter his reckless immaturity.

Thursday night, he was punished by the very country he made so proud in Beijing, suspended from competition for three months by USA Swimming. It's a bombshell decision by the sport's governing body, certain to furiously stoke the ongoing arguments about a national sports hero and whether he should be allowed to smoke marijuana in his downtime. In my mind, this is precisely the right call by the federation, necessary after Phelps embraced the idea of being a role model for children only to let them down by leaning into a bong at a college house party and leaving us with a disappointing image.

Mr. America has soiled himself, making us wonder if he has become another burned-out stoner who can't control his partying. Maybe you and I plunged into the same sort of activities in our early 20s, but none of us was Sportsman of the Year and the most acclaimed Olympian ever. If he cares about children as much as he claims, Phelps will understand and learn from sanctions that also include a stoppage of financial support by USA Swimming. He can go one of two ways, either turning a negative into a positive or letting the negative bury him by retiring from competition. Whether he realizes it or not, the incident's effect on his ultimate legacy hangs in the balance.

"This is not a situation where any anti-doping rule was violated, but we did decide to send a strong message to Michael because he disappointed so many people, particularly hundreds of thousands of USA Swimming member kids who look up to him as a role model and a hero," the federation said in a statement. "Michael has voluntarily accepted this reprimand and has committed to earn back our trust."

But has he?

Just a day earlier, in an interview with his hometown Baltimore Sun, Phelps suggested that the post-China scrutiny on his life has been too much to bear -- and that he might bypass the London Games because of it. "This is a decision of mine that I'm not going to make today and I'm not going to make tomorrow," Phelps said. "It's going to require a lot of time and energy and a lot of thinking for myself -- but also talking to Bob (Bowman, his coach) and talking to my family and just deciding what I want to do.

"Yeah, there are still goals that I have in the pool, 100 percent. But I'm not going to let anything stand in my way. If I decide to walk away, I'll decide to walk away on my own terms. If it's now, if it's four years, who knows. But it is something I need to think about and decide what I want to do."

To Phelps' credit, he apologized quickly and didn't try to cover up the bong photo, which inevitably was published by a sleazy London tabloid. He also says he doesn't smoke marijuana regularly, telling the Sun, "This was stupid, and I know this won't happen again. It's obviously bad judgment, and it's something I'm not proud of at all. I will say that with the mistakes that I've made in my life, I've learned from them. Every one of them. And I've become a better person. That's what I plan to do from here. It's definitely not what I wanted, and it's clearly not what my mom wanted."

Then why run away from 2012? The last time Phelps slipped up, with a drunk-driving arrest following his Athens medal haul in 2004, he vowed to overcome it by focusing on his swimming. But now he has a dope issue, too, which means he might have a problem much larger than a guy getting high one night at the University of South Carolina. What he must do, actually, is embrace swimming like never before, return to serious training and eye London with the same intensity and commitment that he eyed Beijing.

"It makes me happy," Phelps said of being back in the pool, where he was interviewed. "It's a part of me I've always had, and I've always been happy doing it. I like getting up in the morning and having something to do. On Monday, we get back to two-a-day (practices), and I'm looking forward to that. I feel more comfortable here. This is my home."

That way, he can reconnect with a nation of fans who are more than willing to forgive him if he's sincere about getting serious. "I think this is like the DUI, in that it's something I can talk more about and make sure that nobody makes the same mistakes I made," he said. "What I've gone through in the last week, no one wants to go through."

The latest fallout came from Kellogg Co., which announced Thursday that it was dumping Phelps as a spokesman after plastering him across its Corn Flakes and Frosted Flakes boxes after the Olympics. His bong behavior, the company said, "is not consistent with the image of Kellogg." Curiously, other sponsors were eager to support him, including Visa, Speedo and watchmaker Omega. That reflects the divided opinion surrounding Phelps, who also is backed by Dara Torres, the 41-year-old comeback star who won a silver medal in Beijing. "I see him as a kid trying to grow up in the most intense spotlight known to any athlete. He has apologized, and what else can he do?" she told the Associated Press. "The thing I hope is that people realize Michael is still a person and not just a swimming hero.

"He didn't let the USA down at the Games, so we shouldn't let him down. Knowing Michael the way I do, I guarantee you it's going to make him want to do well. All this is going to do is light a fire under him."

I hope she's right. It was encouraging to hear Drew Johnson, an agent for Phelps, come out late in the night and say of the suspension, "Michael accepts these decisions and understands their point of view. He feels bad he let anyone down. He's also encouraged by the thousands of comments he's received from his fans and the support from his many sponsors. He intends to work hard to regain everyone's trust." We're also hearing the same from Bowman, his most trusted advisor.

But until we hear again from Phelps, who knows what he's thinking and where he might be going?

He complained about paparazzi dogging him all week, waking him up at his Baltimore home and tailing him when he drives to the pool. "I've been waking up to guys yelling into megaphones outside my window at 7 o'clock in the morning," he told the Sun. "I've been through just about everything you can go through. I've had paparazzi people following me from my house to my mom's house. People knocking on the door. It's crazy." Since Beijing, his doings have been fodder for TMZ.com and other Internet sites, which have shown him on the party scene, hanging out with various women and enjoying life. There's nothing wrong with any of that until he goes bong-hit on us. That leaves him vulnerable to trouble, such as the county sheriff in South Carolina who wants to make a name for himself and possibly press charges against Phelps. Never mind the double standard: If the sheriff, Leon Lott, busted every kid who smoked pot at the university, there wouldn't be much of a student enrollment. Because the smoker was Michael Phelps, it opens the door to an avalanche of hassles.



He'll be tempted, no doubt, to listen to those who say the suspension is unfair -- and rebel. Most everyone in the U.S. swim community is rushing to his defense, including gold medalist Ryan Lochte. "There are always people you can't trust," Phelps said. "During the whole thing, I've really been able to see who my friends are, who my family are, and who really loves and supports me. They've stood by my side, from the countless text messages, phone messages, e-mails -- those are your friends. All those people who are around during the good times? Those aren't your friends."

But sometimes, the best friends in troubled times are those unafraid to state the truth. And the truth about Phelps is, he let his country down when a little discretion could have gone a long way. "Once we're allowed to call ourselves U.S. Olympic athletes, there are certain guidelines and protocols that go along with that," said the legendary U.S. speedskater, Apolo Anton Ohno. "I think it's important to represent what you'd like your mom to see or what you'd like little kids to see. It's important to be aware of your surroundings and the choices you make."

The most obvious choice for Michael Phelps is to dive into that pool and keep swimming for three years, all the way to London. That way, you teach the children well about correcting a mistake. To run from it would be legacy suicide

[kirkland]

Michael Phelps showed an extraordinary immaturity given his accomplishments more than anything, in my opinion, particularly since there had been a DUI incident after 2004. He should have learned his lesson. Is it a character issue? I don't know, perhaps. I agree with Apolo's comments.

[gasp]

So now arrests are being made in South Carolina. Did those students acutally put that "bong" on sale on Ebay? Not the brightest star atop the South Carolina state flag.
Holy....(cough, cough) SMOKES

[laura6]

Feb 13, 2009 21:22:30 GMT -5 kirkland said:

Michael Phelps showed an extraordinary immaturity given his accomplishments more than anything, in my opinion, particularly since there had been a DUI incident after 2004. He should have learned his lesson. Is it a character issue? I don't know, perhaps. I agree with Apolo's comments.

What were Apolos comments??