Phelps Apologizes for Marijuana Use
Sunday, February 1st, 2009 at 12:00 pm | By: Radical Russ
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Olympic great Michael Phelps has acknowledged ”regrettable” behavior and ”bad judgment” after a photo in a British newspaper showed him smoking marijuana.
In a statement released to The Associated Press, the swimmer who won a record eight gold medals at the Beijing Games conceded the authenticity of the exclusive picture published Sunday by the tabloid News of the World.
Phelps said: ”I engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment. 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.”
Youthful and inappropriate. Childish things, as our president might say. ”It will not happen again.” Not to get all Clintonian on you, Mike, but does “it” refer to “smoking marijuana” or does “it” refer to “photos surfacing in newspapers showing you smoking marijuana”?
I’ll never understand the mindset that accepts as rational the idea that these world class athletes – Michael Phelps, Ricky Williams, Ross Rebagliati, those Russian sumo, etc. - can dedicate their entire lives to eating right, working out, honing their bodies and minds to the pinnacle of their sport, but should they wish to relax and unwind, they’re forced to ingest a hard liquid drug that has noticably deleterious effects on health and athletic ability (Max McGee notwithstanding) rather than a mild herb that doesn’t seem to have affected their abilities whatsoever.
Even more perplexing is the notion that, in the name of “sports medicine”, these athletes are accustomed to taking all manner of narcotic pain killers and other pharmaceutical cocktails that aid performance or mitigate injury, but are addicting (Brett Favre, *cough*,) and wreak havoc on the liver and kidneys, yet if we catch them smoking weed we have to mete out severe punishment (Santonio Holmes, notwithstanding).
As I look at the coverage on Huffington Post (admittedly, a liberal website) almost all comments are “it’s well past time to legalize it” and “so what” and “didn’t hurt Phelps’ performance any”. Oh, an Obama brother pot bust and an eight-time gold medalist bong photo following ten days of growing drumbeat over President Obama’s non-response to the Tahoe Raid… somebody really did get me a swell birthday present!
I don’t think he has anything to feel sorry! Millions of people in the u.s.a. smoke pot medicinal and recreational users,I am a medicinal user because after 15 yrs. of having multiple sclerosis/seizures I know that the pharm. drugs suck,they do not work plus they keep on selling them and pushing them on us!When are the american people gonna wake up? We all need marijuana in our lives to keep us off the pharm. drugs before we all die!!!!!!!!!!!!
I agree, it is not only our right but our obligation, like voting, to stand up and protest unjust and ILLEGAL laws.
A law that is passed that infringes on one’s constitutional rights, like pot prohibition, is an illegal/unconstitutional law.
Michael Phelps did drop the ball for not standing up and defending his actions.
My point in my previous remark was to forgive this, and not beat the kid up for it. Nobody’s perfect, he is young and will be a public figure a long time. Maybe he will wise up and stand up at a later date. Humans are imperfect, he is considered a hero, and let us give him a chance to see the error of his ways.
if laws are unjust and unfounded it our right to fight against them by disobeying them.
Michael Phelps is young.
He does not deserve to be beat up for not defending his constitutional right to pursue happiness in the face of a blatantly illegal law.
Give him a break. He may change his tune.
Timing is everything.
Michael is a hero. Even without defending his right to smoke, he has still furthered the cause merely by showing that you can be the one of the greatest athletes of all time and still smoke.
He is human. He made a mistake. The mistake was not defending his freedom. Can’t we give him that?
Namaste
I don’t understand this. Why can’t people start standing behind their use of marijuana, if I won 8 gold medals I’d be shouting it from the rooftops.. but then again I already do that.
“playing the game to get what you need” is the same excuse used throughout history to justify a lack of integrity and the willingness to stand up and say things may be the way the are but it doesn’t mean things are right.
There’s a difference between courage and cowardliness. I don’t think Phelps is a coward but I certainly think he lacks courage and faith in his own convictions and actions.
Obama makes a joke about his marijuana use at around phelps age. and hes the pres. but the fact that phelps has a pic of it and hes an athlete makes this worse?? idk bout that.
and cnn tlkin about it like he should get stripped of his medals is really pissing me off. they keep interviewing mothers who are “disappointed”. disappointed?? that michael phelps the greatest olympian in history and is…. human? omg this is outrageous america!!
The only thing he did wrong was to break the law, but the law he chose to break is a bad law that benefits no one and costs our country dearly.
It would have been better if he’d spoken out against this law rather than violating it. It also would have been better if he’d stood by his decision rather than writing it off as “bad judgment”.
100 bucks say’s the 4 lit up before that ‘Risky Business’ commercial was filmed.
Like anyone in the public eye, he said what he needed to say. I mean, lets be honest, you gotta play the game a little to get anywhere and stay at the top. It’s pretty naive to thing otherwise.
He can now endorse bongs in High Times.
Another addition for celebstoner.
At least hes using a ROOR
And what a bag of shit for saying sorry.
If it was legal he wouldn’t have looked so bad and would have gotten by with it like his DUI.
gotta love the ROCK BAND video game endorsement, I’m sure Tony Hawk burned some in his day. Kobe, maybe, A-roid, maybe.
Translation: “I regret I got caught. How stupid of me to do a few tubes when there’s a camera in the room. I hope this doesn’t screw up my endorsement deals.”
Like any of the crap you’re going to endorse has anything to do with your athletic ability or the gold medals you won. No more than smoking weed did.
Phelps would be a horrible spokesman for legalization. Did you see him on SNL? I doubt he could prove he could swim in a debate.
I really wish he didn’t apologize or call it a mistake.
MORE pot apologetics
LESS pot apologies
apologetics:
2. Formal argumentation in
defense of something,
such as a position or system.
apology:
1. a written or spoken expression
of one’s regret, remorse, or sorrow
for having insulted, failed,
injured, or wronged another.