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.”

via Phelps Apologizes for Marijuana Use – NYTimes.com.

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 know, you’re thinking, “So what does this have to do with marijuana?”

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Brett Favre has decided to retire from the NFL after 17 seasons. FOX Sports first reported Tuesday that the Green Bay Packers quarterback informed the team in the last few days. ESPN.com said that according to Favre’s agent the quarterback told coach Mike McCarthy of his decision.

Well, nothing really. I’m just a huge Green Bay Packers fan and this is really bumming me out today. However, I do have some thoughts on what this does have to do with marijuana… click on the link below to read the

See, at one point in his career, Brett Favre had an addiction to painkillers. It’s no surprise, since he is the NFL’s all-time Ironman, playing in 258 consecutive starts. That’s quite a feat, and probably not one that’s acheivable without painkillers at some point. Brett courageously admitted he had a problem and got some treatment. The fans didn’t hold it against him and he’s acheived near mythic status among them.

But would the country have forgiven Brett Favre if he had been popped for failing a marijuana test? Surely, Brett Favre the former pill addict is a national hero. But Brett Favre the pothead would never be given that status.

The list of NFL players who’ve had issues with the NFL for their marijuana use is long. It starts with Ricky Williams, the talented back who played with New Orleans and Miami, and the list includes many more players who have at one time or another been suspended, fined, admonished, or traded for their marijuana use.

These men who put their bodies through the abuse and pounding of the NFL are encouraged to use addictive opioid painkillers all the time. Team doctors are quick to keep the star player out on the field – injuries cost money. But if one of these players should use a non-addictive, non-toxic herb to control pain, they are in violation of the league’s substance abuse policy.

Besides its prohibition, the NFL cites the “what message does it send to the kids” line when justifying the ban on marijuana (they certainly couldn’t cite the “performance enhancement” angle). Well, what message does it send the kids when Dr. Feelgood is allowed to pump our kids’ sports heroes full of dangerous novacaine, lydocaine, what-have-you-caine, but we punish them for making the smart decision to use something safer?