Ron Hightower Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 ***UPDATED February 1st, 1:30PM*** Michael Phelps has acknowledged that the photo showing him smoking marijuana from a bong is real. He released this statement: 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. EARLIER: Olympic Champion Michael Phelps, who vaulted to international stardom during the 2008 Summer Olympics by winning a record eight gold medals in swimming, has been caught in a very compromising position, according to a report by the British paper News of the World. The paper has a photo of Phelps smoking from a bong, a water pipe normally used for smoking marijuana. (View the photo here.) The alleged photo was taken at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, where Phelps was visiting a female student who he was secretly seeing. The paper's anonymous source relates that Phelps partied hard each night he was there, which is not out of keeping with other reports of the Olympian since his swimming triumphs. News of the World also makes the very provocative claim that people representing Phelps tried to snuff out the story and offered the paper extraordinary incentives not to publish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silent Bob Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 Is that why he eats all that pizza? But seriously, as Phelps himself pointed out, the guys is 23 years old (shit, he's 23?...christ, I feel inadequate), it's not like it's unheard of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diamond6311 Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 I've heard mixed review on this. Some say he might loose some of his sponsors, others say he won't. He was never sold as this perfect person. No matter what he is still one of our best Olympians. I think that by him admitting to his mistake and taking fault will let him move forward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silent Bob Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 Though being straight about it does help, I can see him losing a sponsor or two. On the other hand, I can see most of the general public not really caring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Hightower Posted February 3, 2009 Author Share Posted February 3, 2009 Yeah, but the guy IS a role model to kids. Do you think that his legacy will be hurt by this mishap? Do you think that this is what he'll be remembered for? No one's perfect, but man, is there anyone out there that's clean anymore? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signal08 Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 Yea, he wont make that mistake again, bc he said he wouldnt in an apology. just like he won't get arrested for drinking and driving again like he did when he was 18 years old, wont make that mistake again either,bc you know, he apologized n stuff. mebbe next he will commit manslaughter, but he wont make that mistake again, after he does it then apologizes. ============================ I dont find the guy very heartfelt. With his lisp or whatever speech he has "i'th learnedth from this'th experienceth" He is a role model, and describes himself as such. I am no role model, but I've never been arrested, never done pot, and never driven drunk. I think he can go fuck his egotistical role model self. On the other hand though, hes a dumbass 23 year old who smokes pot and wears his hat all crooked to the side like a thug... who gives a shit? I dont give a shit that he smokes pot, just turn in your gold medals and dont live in the public eye if you are going to do so. Live the life of a role model, or be ordinary like rest of the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silent Bob Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 Well...I did say most of the general public wouldn't really care... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signal08 Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 read a lil closer... I dont care. Just turn in your shit and be a regular Joe Bag O'donuts and work for 30k. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silent Bob Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 Which kinda means you do care. "I don't care" would be "huh, so he smoked pot but he's still gotta buncha gold medals so that's still cool and everything". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signal08 Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 Ok, I care that he doesnt have any discipline to fill the role model position that he holds. I have expectations from people who claim to be great. He represents this country as a HUGE icon to the rest of the world, and he can't excuse himself from a bong toting party. Thanks for making my saying "Proud to be an American" mean less than it already does. The society we live in today is pampered, and we don't hold anyone accountable. When the standards continue to drop and our grandkids grow up watching porn for saturday morning cartoons, and schools have private sex rooms, and you can smoke up a joint and pick up your kids from day care... dont wonder why this country came to this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DKS01 Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 When the standards continue to drop and our grandkids grow up watching porn for saturday morning cartoons, and schools have private sex rooms, and you can smoke up a joint and pick up your kids from day care... dont wonder why this country came to this. Reality and you don't get along much, do they? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reverend Jax Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 Got this in my inbox this morning. A Letter I’d Like To See (But Won’t) Between this and Matt Taibbi's Awesome fantasy farewell interview with George W Bush, I'm starting to like this style of editorial. Kind of cathartic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alive she cried Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 Got this in my inbox this morning. A Letter I’d Like To See (But Won’t) That was good, spot on. Exactly how i feel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunsmithx Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 I would give him a hand job if he were to come out and say that because god damn we have no need to know what he put in his body, the only people who do are the olympic commitie while he swims in events they deal with, after that fuck everyone else who cares. btw I can't wait for someone to say he won those medals cause he smoked dope Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the division of joy Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 I do believe jax has earned himself an FHD for that link. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HypnotizinChikns Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 He's twenty three smokes pot and is actually doing something with his life? he needs a new dealer. that shit he's smoking is weak. mebbe next he will commit manslaughter, but he wont make that mistake again, after he does it then apologizes. Um what? you can't be serious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the division of joy Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 The mythbusters quote "i reject your reality and substitute" my own comes to mind here, dr g. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silent Bob Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 Well it is a gateway drug. A gateway to MURDER!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FireDownBelow Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 Um...guys, did we forget that he was convicted of drunk driving? I betcha that's where the manslughter issue comes up. It's really not such a far fetched concept. You know...drunk person, 3000 pound piece of metal accelerating at 60 MPH, and a relatively small human being... Drunk driving is atrocious. Driving while stoned isn't much better. But, drinking is legal. Why isn't pot? I suppose that isn't the issue. The issue is that he smoked pot. Pot is currently a controlled substance. Ergo, he broke a law. Nevermind the law and it's validity. He broke the law. This in and of it's self makes him a poor role model and I think undeserving of his gold medals. I recall much the same think occured when Clinton was on trial. <sigh> The public was so caught up in the sexual scandal involving Lewinsky, that most of them lost sight of the fact that it was never about whether they screwed around. Adultery is not illegal in most states any long. However, perjury is still a federal offense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reverend Jax Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 Well it is a gateway drug. A gateway to MURDER!! Haha! That was spot-on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the division of joy Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 But, drinking is legal. Why isn't pot? I suppose that isn't the issue. The issue is that he smoked pot. Pot is currently a controlled substance. Ergo, he broke a law. Nevermind the law and it's validity. He broke the law. This in and of it's self makes him a poor role model and I think undeserving of his gold medals. What does being a poor role model have to do with putting himself into months nay, years of training to win gold medals. Seriously, i'd love to know why every athlete Must be a role model. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acalis Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 You can understand why one would make a huge deal out of this. If he's capable of smoking marijuana, then how would one know if he wasn't doping at the Olympics? Not to mention the obvious reprecussions of possibly losing sponsors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FireDownBelow Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 It's about living in the public eye, Ross. If Phelps were some weird little pissant of a kid (which he actually is) who decided to break a world record for Guiness, he'd get his fifteen minutes of fame and then we'd forget him. Instead, we have a young man that took home gold medals while millions, no...billions, across the world watched. It's about scope. If I get a speeding ticket, no one will berate me except the cop, Ryan, and my insurance agent. However, if I were to roundhouse kick a small child at the fair, a lot of people would have something to say about that. One of those things might be, 'Don't be like her, sweetie.' Everyone is a role model, you know. People are always watching us and scrutinizing are behavior. The point I'm making about Phelps, however, is that he competed in the Olympics. He's a household name. Does he care if he's a role model? I dunno. Fact is, there's nothing you can do to change that however. Kids are going to strive to be like him and parents are going to use him as an example. If he cares, which the apology seems like he does, he should be conscious of being in the public eye and act accordingly. If he doesn't, well then, ok. Also, let me point out: Hitler ws one charismatic fuck. Nevermind that he was crazier than bat shit. Is he a good role model? Or Charles Manson. Or David Koresh. Any number of cult leaders. When someone fucks up, it belittles their other accomplishments. It's add a taint. No one wants to take money that they know was stolen from little old ladies and orphans. Stuff like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DKS01 Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 He broke the law. I'm trying to pretend I care, but really, I don't. I work with a lot of people who break that same law on a regular basis, I may have worked with a few who broke the law against dealing it, too. I didn't care when they did it, either. And validity/stupidity of the law aside, I'm still failing to see the relevance of him being a "role model". I mean, he won the fucking medals, him smoking some weed has no bearing on that whatsoever. I don't honestly give a flying fuck about the Olympics, I've never watched them, doubt I ever will, I didn't watch Phelps win a goddamn thing, and again, I probably never will. Hell, the biggest excitement I got out of his competing was the fact that I knew I could count on a slow work night if I had to work on a night where he was competing. But the fact is he DID win em, and rather he's a good "role model" or not has no bearing on that. Mike Tyson certainly isn't a good role model either, but that doesn't mean that every title he won back in his day should be wiped from the record books cause he was a poor role model. Since when does being in the public eye automatically mean you need to be a role model and should be expected to act like one? Amber, should Ozzy Osbourne or anyone in the Rolling Stones be considered a role model? I mean, they're certainly in the public eye too and are also household names, are they not? Why is Phelps any different? Is it somehow harder for a parent to teach their kids to not do what he did than it is to teach them not to do what Ozzy(or Britney, or whatever other celebrity you want) did? The fact is, he's human, just like you or me or anyone else, and like all humans, he has flaws. Him being famous and winning some medals shouldn't somehow mean he has to be flawless(and clearly, being dumb enough to let himself be PHOTOGRAPHED doing it shows another flaw right there, but nevermind that). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FireDownBelow Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 Oh bleah. I'm not saying that I care if he smokes pot. I don't. That shit should be legalized. What I care about is America touting him as some fucking golden child and then he goes and breaks the law. I care about the fact that he's coming across as a hyprocrit cause he obviously seems to believe this shit, as well as numerous other Americans. If he wants to be one, then he needs to be one and not half ass it. All I'm saying, he's doing a pretty piss poor job. It's not the pot smoking, it's the hypocrisy that I think makes him undeserving of the medals. And that, well, it's kind of like being elected to office. An Olympian represents his country. He's not just himself. I can't explain it any better than that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.