Michael Phelps was photographed taking a hit off of a bong at a house party during a November visit to the University of Southern California South Carolina.
In a statement released Sunday, the swimmer who won a record eight gold medals at the Beijing Games did not dispute the authenticity of the exclusive picture published Saturday by the tabloid News of the World.
“I engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment,” Phelps said in the statement released by one of his agents. “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.”
While the newspaper did not specifically allege that Phelps was smoking pot, it did say the pipe is generally used for that purpose and anonymously quoted a partygoer who said the Olympic champion was “out of control from the moment he got there.”
Marijuana is viewed differently from performance-enhancing drugs, according to David Howman, executive director of the World Anti-Doping Agency. An athlete is subject to WADA sanctions only for a positive test that occurs during competition periods.
“We don’t have any jurisdiction,” Howman said. “It’s not banned out of competition. It’s only if you test positive in competition.”
I don’t think anyone would argue that marijuana would “enhance” Phelps’ performance in the pool, so it looks like he’ll take a public relations hit (pun intended) and move on.
