Only from those of you who are racists. Some of us couldn't care less about what people smoke in their spare time regardless of the color of their skin. Smoking and letting people take photos of you doing it when you could lose millions seems a little stupid though.
Ubigred...did you happen to catch the last election? I know this is hard to fathom, but a lot of us elected a man who admitted to smoking pot and doing lines. Oh, and he's not white.
USA Swimming suspends Phelps for 3 months By PAUL NEWBERRY, AP National Writer 18 minutes ago Michael Phelps was suspended from competition for three months by USA Swimming, the latest fallout from a photo that showed the Olympic great inhaling from a mar1juana pipe. The sport’s national governing body also cut off its financial support to Phelps for the same three-month period, effective Thursday. “This is not a situation where any anti-doping rule was violated, but we decided to send a strong message to Michael because he disappointed so many people, particularly the hundreds of thousands of USA Swimming member kids who look up to him as a role model and a hero,” the Colorado-based federation said in a statement. “Michael has voluntarily accepted this reprimand and has committed to earn back our trust.” Phelps won a record eight gold medals in Beijing and returned to America as one of the world’s most acclaimed athletes. Now he’s enduring a wave of bad news in the wake of the photo, published Sunday by News of the World, a British tabloid. Earlier Thursday, cereal and snack maker Kellogg Co. announced it wouldn’t renew its sponsorship contract with Phelps, saying his behavior is “not consistent with the image of Kellogg.” The swimmer appeared on the company’s cereal boxes after his Olympic triumph. Phelps has acknowledged “regrettable” behavior and “bad judgment.” He didn’t dispute the authenticity of the photo, reportedly taken at a house party while Phelps was visiting Columbia, S.C., in November during an extended break from training. The 23-year-old has resumed training in his hometown of Baltimore, but his plans to return to competitive swimming will have to be put on hold. Phelps had been planning to compete in early March at a Grand Prix meet in Austin, Texas. Now, he won’t be able to allowed to compete until early May, which would give him just over two months to get in some racing before July’s world championships in Rome.
Link Kellogg dropping Phelps over pot photo PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)—Cereal and snack maker Kellogg Co. said it won’t renew its sponsorship contract with Olympic swimming star Michael Phelps because of a photo that showed him inhaling from a mar1juana pipe. The Battle Creek, Mich.-based company said Thursday that Phelps’s behavior— caught on camera and published Sunday in the British tabloid News of the World— is “not consistent with the image of Kellogg.” The company put Phelps on boxes of its Frosted Flakes and Corn Flakes. The 23-year-old swimmer, who won eight gold medals in Beijing, has kept the backing of many sponsors since the photo surfaced from a November house party at the University of South Carolina. Among those standing by him, even if they don’t condone his behavior, are Visa Inc., Speedo, luxury Swiss watchmaker Omega and sports beverage PureSport’s maker Human Performance Labs. Phelps apologized for his “regrettable” behavior and “bad judgment” after the photo appeared. Phelps’s agent was not immediately available to comment. Kellogg had contracts with Phelps and other Olympic athletes to support its association with the U.S. Olympic team. The company said in a statement that it won’t renew its contract with Phelps, which expires at the end of February. Kellogg would not disclose the value of its deal with Phelps. Experts have said that after Phelps won his medals, he scored millions in endorsement deals.
Phelps suspended 3 months. Ridiculous. http://sports.yahoo.com/top/news;_y...YcB?slug=ap-phelpssuspended&prov=ap&type=lgns
Thurgood: Yea. Um, So how long's your dad been in jail? Mary Jane: Four years next month. Thurgood: Four years. And what exactly was he selling? Mary Jane: mar1juana. Thurgood: FOUR YEARS JUST FOR WEED?! DAMN! Mary Jane: Just? No, no, no, no. Not just. mar1juana is terrible. It's a gateway drug. I mean, everybody knows that it leads to other stuff. Thurgood: Yeah, mostly junk food.
One point nobody has mentioned is the hilarity and enormous double standard Phelps is being held to when compared to somebody like Santonio Holmes. I like Santonio and obviously i'm a Steelers fan so i'm reluctant to even point this out, but the fact that Holmes was arrested for possession I think definitely trumps taking one bong hit. On one hand you have the media, seemingly disappointed that Phelps might not be the boy scout everybody made up to be, treating Phelps like he bombed Pearl Harbor. His sport is publicly sanctioning and suspending him. His endorsements are falling. There's talk of him not competing in 2012. What's the worst that happened to Santonio? He got suspended for a week?! Now, he's being glorified as a Super Bowl hero, he's going to Disney World and what not. It's like all is forgotten yet Phelps is some kind of detriment to the sport and bad role model because he took a fricken bong hit.
A large part of Kellog's target market is kids. What did you expect? If it's such a travesty, you guys can pool some money together and donate it to Phelps. And picket in front of the Kellog's hq while you're at it.
I kinda feel the opposite way. If O.J. Mayo did this and got a DWI people would be all over him. Most people are just laughing at phelps.
I love how the swim team suspended him for 3 months...like he's going to swim in a meet or something during that time. Big whoop. What if Phelps were a real ass who was pissed at being suspended? Then, moved to Canada and joined their swim team. That would be great. Or, just threaten to not swim again in the Olympics. Let's see how the gold medal tally works out then. There are two sides to this debate...as we all know: 1.) People who play sports and/or are famous are set up to automatically be role models in all facets of life regardless of whether it's in or out of the sport. It definitely is by no means voluntary. You are under the microscope no matter what...and it never fairly balances out. Someone may be kicked out for steroids...but the bigger topic is Phelps with a bong. Anyone remember Craig Biggio's DWI? One apology and that was that...not non-stop media attention that Craig Biggio is a drunk driver. It was over after the day after the incident. But, Phelps is the bigger troublemaker apparently. 2.) People who play sports and/or are famous are just great athletes and what they do on their own time is their own business...as long as it is not something directly impacting their profession's obligations/rules. I personally lean toward the latter. If everyone that were famous was expected to be a role model with high morals, then that would never work...and it doesn't work obviously. Kids may look up to athletes as role models...but maybe they shouldn't if it is expected to shape the kid's own attitude/behavior. A more suitable role model for any kid should be their parents or a relative IMO...not some person they don't even know, can't account for what they do outside of their profession, and likely will never meet. Then, when one of these supposed athlete "role models" does screw up, then all hell breaks loose. I don't see it as fair that he should have to be scrutinized all to hell over one little mishap.
