Delaney: Phelps blew it
Three big sports stories this weekend, but one resonated with me: Michael Phelps' admitting British tabloid photo showing him inhaling from a marijuana pipe during a trip to the University of South Carolina in November was real.
More than the compelling Super Bowl, more than the five-set Australian Open men's final between between Federer and Nadal, I couldn't get Phelps off my mind. I think the results of Phelps' admission will be around for a while.
One bad decision is understandable. But two? After the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Phelps was arrested on DWI and sentenced to probation. He was 19 at the time and it was illegal for him to be drinking. Four years later, the 23-year-old was caught, though not arrested, smoking marijuana. Marijuana is illegal.
In a statement, Phelps said: "I engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgement. I'm 23 years old and despite the 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."
Do you believe him? Here's a young man who wore the world around his neck with the eight gold medals, and he makes a decision to smoke marijuana. He's not a teenager. He's 23, old enough to understand who he is and the ramifications of what he does. If you accept the cheers from stadium-size crowds as he did several times this fall, including in South Carolina, then you better know eyes will still be watching when it seems things are quiet.
More than the compelling Super Bowl, more than the five-set Australian Open men's final between between Federer and Nadal, I couldn't get Phelps off my mind. I think the results of Phelps' admission will be around for a while.
One bad decision is understandable. But two? After the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Phelps was arrested on DWI and sentenced to probation. He was 19 at the time and it was illegal for him to be drinking. Four years later, the 23-year-old was caught, though not arrested, smoking marijuana. Marijuana is illegal.
In a statement, Phelps said: "I engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgement. I'm 23 years old and despite the 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."
Do you believe him? Here's a young man who wore the world around his neck with the eight gold medals, and he makes a decision to smoke marijuana. He's not a teenager. He's 23, old enough to understand who he is and the ramifications of what he does. If you accept the cheers from stadium-size crowds as he did several times this fall, including in South Carolina, then you better know eyes will still be watching when it seems things are quiet.
posted by Anne Delaney at
12:42 AM
3 Comments:
Anne-
Michael never had the opportunity to be young and make mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes and more often than not a lot more than two. Give the kid a break. With all he has done and all the pressure he has withstood in the name of representing our country he deserves a pass on something this petty.
Frankly, I think the media's fascination with this story is all that's keeping it alive. In a country where a broad majority of people at least try marijuana at one time or another in their lives, the notion that his having done so irreparably changes your impression of him speaks more to your naivete than it does to his lifestyle. As an American, and as a consumer of sports (a viewer, a ticket-buyer and a reader of various print-news outlets), my opinion of the young man is far more tarnished by the earlier DWI than by this. Frankly, my biggest disappointment is that, yes, he's probably lying when he says it'll never happen again. He'll do another stupid thing before the spotlight is off him, or something he's already done will suddenly come to light.
Another person's reputation denigrated by holier than thou reporters for smoking a little harmless weed. I hope kids look to Michael Phelps and realize that "Only Losers Do Drugs" and all the other bull crammed down their throats when they are young is just that, bull. It's obvious that disparaging Michael Phelps,for engaging a recreational activity that over 40% of his peers have at one time or another also engaged in, serves to make you feel better about yourself.
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