I have no fewer than ten pictures of Michael Phelps in my room, and I’m loyal to my pop culture icons to the point of retaining Napoleon Dynamite in one of my e-mail addresses since his cult dominance in the 7th grade. But with the backlash surrounding Michael Phelps’ recent use of a marijuana pipe, I’m not really sure that I can remain the statistics-rattling, TV-stalking, race-cheering fan that I became when he started giving fellow swimmers a run for their money in Athens in 2004.
First published in a London tabloid, the photos revealing Phelps smoking pot caused Kellogg’s to cancel their endorsement deal, and has cost Phelps a three-month swimming suspension (issued by USA Swimming) that will leave him with only two months of competition before the World Finals of Swimming this summer in Rome.

Strike one came in 2004, just months after then 19-year-old Phelps captured five gold medals in Athens, when he was arrested for DUI two years under the legal drinking age. His recent, record-shattering races overrode that memory, but it comes to light again with the controversy of Phelps’ latest mistake.

For me, Phelps’ redeeming graces (other than his amazing talent in the pool) are his humility and his honesty. Phelps never once denied his use of marijuana shown in the picture, and has taken his punishment in good character, accepting that he made a mistake and that his temporary ban from the pool is a “fair punishment.” Even with photographers and journalists tracking his every step, from his house to the pool and back home again, he has never lashed out and has even apologized several times for his behavior and for his disappointment to the multitude of young fans who looked up to him as a sports hero. Although I absolutely do not agree with Phelps’ decisions, I am happy to see that even with his personal life, Phelps has continued to be a man worthy of titles such as “Sportsman of the Year,” as he was recently deemed by Sports Illustrated. My only hopes are that Phelps continues to accept his punishments in good character and that this time, he lives up to his promises to reform.
To continue tracking the new Phelps saga, check out ESPN’s Swimming News Wire for more pictures and new developments.