In our exclusive photo Michael Phelps, who won a record EIGHT gold medals for swimming at the Beijing games last summer, draws from a bong.
The glass pipes are generally used to smoke cannabis.
And after sporting chiefs announced laws which mean four-year bans for drug-taking, Phelps’ dreams of adding to his overall 14 gold medal tally at the 2012 games in London could already be OVER.
Those dreams seemed the last thing on his mind when he puffed from the bong during two days of partying with students last November, a quiet time in the swimming calendar when athletes would not expect to get tested for drugs.
One party-goer who witnessed the star’s behaviour told the News of the World: “He was out of control from the moment he got there.
"If he continues to party like that I’d be amazed if he ever won any more medals again.”
Phelps’ aides went into a panic over our story and offered us a raft of extraordinary incentives not to run the bong picture.
It was on November 6, weeks after his Beijing triumph, that 23-year-old Phelps surprised students at the University Of South Carolina in Columbia by showing up unannounced at a house party.
He was visiting Jordan Matthews, a girl he was secretly seeing who was a student there.
Our source revealed: “Michael came to visit Jordan but ended up just getting wasted every night.
“He arrived with a group of girls hanging all over him. Jaws hit the floor when he walked in. You don’t get many celebrities in Columbia, so when Phelps comes to your party it’s a very big deal.
Obnoxious
“He didn’t know many people so you’d think he’d be a little shy. But he was loud, obnoxious and slamming beers from the get-go.
“Every girl wanted a piece of him and every guy wanted to be his best buddy. He couldn’t get enough of all the attention.”
As he basked in his hero status, Phelps knocked back beers and shots of spirits. And when a student offered him the glass bong engraved with red writing, he did not hesitate, says our source.
The 6ft 4ins athlete, in a white T-shirt and navy cap worn back to front, clasped the device in his huge hands and inhaled deeply.
Our source said: “You could tell Michael had smoked before. He grabbed the bong and a lighter and knew exactly what to do.
“He looked just as natural with a bong in his hands as he does swimming in the pool. He was the gold medal winner of bong hits. Michael ended up getting a little paranoid, though, because before too long he looked like he was nervous and ran out of the place.”
But the next night, Phelps was out partying again. The source added: “He was right back at it at Pavlov’s bar.
“Like the night before he was holding court, throwing back shots two at a time and pouring drinks to every cute girl.”
Drink has got Phelps into trouble before. In 2004, aged 19, he got 18 months probation for driving while under the influence.
His wild behaviour is in stark contrast to the grim regime which took him to the top of his sport.
He once described his life, saying: “All you do is eat, sleep, swim; eat, sleep, swim; eat, sleep, swim.”
Last night Phelps’ management team and the sporting world closed ranks over the scandal.
Taint
The US Olympics Committee, who have pledged to clamp down on drug use, refused to comment, as did USA Swimming and Phelps’ coach Bob Bowman.
More surprising still was the World Anti-Doping Agency’s refusal to comment, given that they introduced the four-year ban on sport’s drug users.
Phelps, who earned £4million last year in endorsements, has resumed training for the 2012 games.
But there were fears about his commitment when, weeks after the bong incident, he began dating former stripper Caroline Pal.
Phelps is represented by marketing giant Octagon, which works with huge brands such as Mastercard and HSBC. They admitted proven cannabis use would be “a major taint” on Phelps’ character.
Spokesman Clifford Bloxham offered us an extraordinary deal not to publish our story, saying Phelps would become our columnist for three years, host events and get his sponsors to advertise with us.
In return, he asked that we kill Phelps’ bong picture. Bloxham said: “It’s seeing if something potentially very negative for Michael could turn into something very positive for the News of the World.”
He stressed that the swimmer had taken 1,500 drug tests and never failed one.
Until now?
Carried by the AP as well, so more likely than not to be legit. Meh.
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I just heard about this this morning. Phelps took responsibility, apologized, and said it won't happen again. That works for me.
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I really don't care, but I'm sure his camp wet itself over his tarnished public image. Hell, if he can smoke weed AND his competition, more power to him. It's not like pot is a performance enhancer of any kind
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I really don't care, but I'm sure his camp wet itself over his tarnished public image. Hell, if he can smoke weed AND his competition, more power to him. It's not like pot is a performance enhancer of any kind
I disagree. He's a young guy who trained hard enough to win eight Olympic gold medals. If he wants to blow off a little steam and party hard before he starts training again, more power to him. And unless he fails a test, I doubt there's much the IOC or USOC can do about it. A picture, especially one from this source, isn't admissible evidence of anything.
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Like you wouldn't do the same thing is you could. If you subtract his fame and the obvious hangers on it sounds a lot like the college parties I used to go to.
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I disagree. He's a young guy who trained hard enough to win eight Olympic gold medals. If he wants to blow off a little steam and party hard before he starts training again, more power to him. And unless he fails a test, I doubt there's much the IOC or USOC can do about it. A picture, especially one from this source, isn't admissible evidence of anything.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Deserve
Like you wouldn't do the same thing is you could. If you subtract his fame and the obvious hangers on it sounds a lot like the college parties I used to go to.
It has nothing to do with the pot picture. You post a thread about Michael Phelps last week, and that's my reaction.
He's a fake piece of crap. I realize that he's my age and going crazy with his fame. But he's painted as such a goody goody blah blah, when people knew that this shit was going on for a while. (I think pot should be legal, so I'm not coming off of a moral high horse)
He's a goober. He's been in 100s of interviews, yet it always seems like every interview is his first and I honestly don't think he's very bright.
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His parents claim ADHD and that swimming helps with that. I claim bad parenting.
My kid has been diagnosed with ADHD and he is incredibly bright and articulate. I vote with parenting. But at some point he's also a grown ass man who should know better.
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Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.
Sounds like the sheriff's office is looking to get their 15 minutes of fame. If this holds then I propose we set up a police division that trolls myspace for evidence.
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Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.
The public is guilty of thinking he is some perfect role model. He already had a DUI and was known to party. I also hate that the public and his sponsors are mostly giving him a pass for this. Look at all the crap some random NBAer gets when he gets caught with some pot or simply talks about it.
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So now all pot heads need is someone that is as intelligent as they are in shape to admit to smoking, but I haven't researched how intelligent he is, or was before he started smoking, nor have I researched the actual enjoyment levels of pot heads after hearing this news. Of course that would only account for those that know what's going on, watch the news or have some type of social life, and/or can afford to pay the cable bills.
So now all pot heads need is someone that is as intelligent as they are in shape to admit to smoking, but I haven't researched how intelligent he is, or was before he started smoking, nor have I researched the actual enjoyment levels of pot heads after hearing this news. Of course that would only account for those that know what's going on, watch the news or have some type of social life, and/or can afford to pay the cable bills.
Because you know what? It’s none of your goddamned business. I work my ass off 10 months a year. It’s that hard work that gave you all those gooey feelings of patriotism last summer. If during my brief window of down time I want to relax, enjoy myself, and partake of a substance that’s a hell of a lot less bad for me than alcohol, tobacco, or, frankly, most of the prescription drugs most of you are taking, well, you can spare me the lecture.
I put myself through hell. I make my body do things nature never really intended us to endure. All world-class athletes do. We do it because you love to watch us push ourselves as far as we can possibly go. Some of us get hurt. Sometimes permanently. You’re watching the Super Bowl tonight. You’re watching 300 pound men smash each while running at full speed, in full pads. You know what the average life expectancy of an NFL player is? Fifty-five. That’s about 20 years shorter than your average non-NFL player. Yet you watch. And cheer. And you jump up spill your beer when a linebacker lays out a wide receiver on a crossing route across the middle. The harder he gets hit, the louder and more enthusiastically you scream.
Yet you all get bent out of shape when Ricky Williams, or I, or Josh Howard smoke a little dope to relax. Why? Because the idiots you’ve elected to make your laws have, without a shred of evidence, beat it into your head that smoking marijuana is something akin to drinking antifreeze, and done only by dirty hippies and sex offenders.
You’ll have to pardon my cynicism. But I call bullshit. You don’t give a damn about my health. You just get a voyeuristic thrill from watching an elite athlete fall from grace–all the better if you get to exercise a little moral righteousness in the process. And it’s hypocritical righteousness at that, given that 40 percent of you have tried pot at least once in your lives.
Here’s a crazy thought: If I can smoke a little dope and go on to win 14 Olympic gold medals, maybe pot smokers aren’t doomed to lives of couch surfing and video games, as our moronic government would have us believe. In fact, the list of successful pot smokers includes not just world class athletes like me, Howard, Williams, and others, it includes Nobel Prize winners, Pulitzer Prize winners, the last three U.S. presidents, several Supreme Court justices, and luminaries and success stories from all sectors of business and the arts, sciences, and humanities.
So go ahead. Ban me from the next Olympics. Yank my endorsement deals. Stick your collective noses in the air and get all indignant on me. While you’re at it, keep arresting cancer and AIDS patients who dare to smoke the stuff because it deadens their pain, or enables them to eat. Keep sending in goon squads to kick down doors and shoot little old ladies, maim innocent toddlers, handcuff elderly post-polio patients to their beds at gunpoint, and slaughter the family pet.
Tell you what. I’ll make you a deal. I’ll apologize for smoking pot when every politician who ever did drugs and then voted to uphold or strengthen the drug laws marches his ass off to the nearest federal prison to serve out the sentence he wants to impose on everyone else for committing the same crimes he committed. I’ll apologize when the sons, daughters, and nephews of powerful politicians who get caught possessing or dealing drugs in the frat house or prep school get the same treatment as the no-name, probably black kid caught on the corner or the front stoop doing the same thing.
Until then, I for one will have none of it. I smoked pot. I liked it. I’ll probably do it again. I refuse to apologize for it, because by apologizing I help perpetuate this stupid lie, this idea that what someone puts into his own body on his own time is any of the government’s damned business. Or any of yours. I’m not going to bend over and allow myself to be propaganda for this wasteful, ridiculous, immoral war.
Go ahead and tear me down if you like. But let’s see you rationalize in your next lame ONDCP commercial how the greatest motherfucking swimmer the world has ever seen...is also a proud pot smoker.
Yours,
Michael Phelps
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Money! Not sure what the "bad parenting" comment was about, nor am I sure what Adam Welch's rant was about.
And I doubt Phelps qualifies as anything remotely close to a pot-head, much the same way that anyone here who has the occassional beer or glass of wine several times a week qualifies as an alcoholic. We're casual, social drinkers, and Phelps is probably at the most a social, casual smoker.
NBD, man. NBD.
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So now all pot heads need is someone that is as intelligent as they are in shape to admit to smoking, but I haven't researched how intelligent he is, or was before he started smoking, nor have I researched the actual enjoyment levels of pot heads after hearing this news. Of course that would only account for those that know what's going on, watch the news or have some type of social life, and/or can afford to pay the cable bills.
I don't use or have ever used pot, but from my experience of knowing people it can be used just like alcohol - something you do responsibly on the weekend. An ex of mine in college very occasionally smoked pot with her sister. Both graduated with 4.0s from college. They told me they smoked in HS with the guy who ended up being valedictorian. And that the guy in HS basically smoked every day.
Slackers or f'ups are probably going to be that way regardless of whether pot is involved.
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Phelps is an amazing example of determination, intensity and hard work. He's a champion that has utterly dominated his area of competition.
But I'm shocked to hear about his behavior. When I was 23, I wouldn't have had the slightest interest in going back to my college and have all the frat boys shaking my hand and bringing me beers, all those adoring sorority chicks hanging on my arms and everyone asking me how it feels to be the world's greatest Olympic champion. I would have passed on that to stay home and watch Simpsons reruns on Youtube. Yuuuuup.
I don't care if he's smart, stupid, a drinker, a smoker or a kid who's finally getting to live it up with the ladies. As long as he stays clean in the pool and doesn't hurt anybody, he's good in my book.
Michael Phelps shown doing bong hit
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