lol Wow, now your just being ridiculous. It's dumb that someone had to take that photo and sell it, but it's also dumb that Phelps put himself in a stupid position, again.
Contract? I'm sure there's section about doing dumb **** in the public eye. The guy is 23, not 15. He should known full well what could happen.
Well when you sign a contract for millions of dollars and it's written in plain English what can happen if you do something like that and you go ahead and do it anyways, it's a fair punishment. This dude put millions of dollars on the line to take a bong hit at some random party with people he most likely didn't know. That makes him a dumbass.
Yeah uhhh who told him that was a good idea? You wanna get high do it in your own privacy where it wont cost you millions. Sure the punishment is a bit harsh, but that doesnt make him any less dumb.
Well personally I don't smoke. I don't even drink actually. Not a morale issue or anything though. Just not interested. It's bad behavior. I know he didn't hurt anyone, but it is an illegal act. He got caught doing something illegal. There has to be a price to pay.
His sig didn't blow him millions of dollars though I dont think he is a dumbass, but his decision in this one case really was dumb.
Risking millions of dollars to smoke a bong at a party? Yea, he's a dumbass. If he didn't then he got very lucky. It doesn't take much for a "pro" athelete to lose sponsorship deals, but Phelps is asking for it.
Phelps needs to heed this advice: Trust no one, everyone is out to get you, live your entire life as if it was filmed for the whole world to see.
Dude, I agree with slick on this one. What Phelps did was plain old DUMB. He's making millions of dollars. He should be more careful of what he's doing in the public eye, because he will lose a ton of money over it. That's why he's dumb. One hit of a bong is going to cost him millions. No one is saying he shouldn't have fun or that he's a bad person, but he needs to be careful as to what he does and where.
it's a shame somebody sold him out like this, but i personally don't think any less of this kid....he doesn't take performance enhancing drugs, and he is a star athlete....so what he screwed up and did something i'm sure 95% of the posters on this site have done at least once.
somehow theres talk about filing charges against him? dont the po-lease have something better to do then try to charge someone after a picture surfaced appearing to show him in a room, somewhere in america, smoking a bong...ridiculous. they dont even know by the picture whether it was an illegal substance of not! ****in joke
If you're a public figure, you are kept under a microscope. It's unforunate that he got his picture taken sucking on a bong, but people and sponsors tend to judge you by your actions. I think it was last year Matt Leinart from the Cardinals got caught partying when he was supposed to be in training for the season and those pix were all over the internet. It's safe to say that wasn't the first time Phelps has ever smoked weed, and judging by his perfomance in the last Olympics, it didn't effect how he did. Though, getting his picture taken might affect some aspects of his future career. Hopefully he'll so a stint on SNL or something and be able to laugh it off with a funny sketch. Smoke all you want if your famous, just do it in private next time man, you're still a World Champion swimmer as far as I'm concerned.
whats he throwing away here? i kinda dont get it. isnt the height of his popularity now and passing? he was a big deal over the summer during the olympics. now we're in winter wheres its cold in 90% of the states. no swimming, no games, who cares? id have thought he basically cashed in already, because everyday that passes, he becomes less significant no? i mean, he'll probably get hot again in 4 years if he competes, and this will probably all blow over by then like his dwi. but in the interim...who cares about him. i mean swimming? cmon. what am i gonna root for sven von svenbdlign at the grand world prix national medleys this june? worst case scenario, the guy opens a swimming school that he shows up hung over to twice a week, and cashes in on dopey soccer mom's one-up-manship.
the dude took a bong hit to me that looks like it was in private. it's not like he's standing in front of a crowd on a big platform going "give me the bong you bastards!" it looks like someone sent the picture in knowing what would happen. and he did it while out of competition.. and if anyone thinks pot helps you compete.. well... my point is this: the sponsors have said they don't condone what he does but so far are alright with keeping him as their model. he issued an apology. santonio holmes came out and said he used to sell drugs at the super bowl and it's put in a positive light yet phelps has a picture released of him smoking out of a bong (you can put tobacco in them too, ya know...) and it's seen as dumb? for the record, i think it was probably pot in there. was it the best thing to do as a public figure? nah. was it the worst? hayell no.
I really couldn't give a damn less about what he does but I can see a bunch of sponsors running for the hills at Mr. clean-cut-Olympian being a pothead. Doesn't matter how you feel about the legalization of pot - right now it's illegal and that's all that matters in a court of law and that knob should have shown more discretion in his actions because anybody will sell you out for a buck.
I agree with slickj to an extent. He's not a dumbass for smoking marijuana. He's a dumbass for doing it in public with the knowledge of Youtube, Myspace, and Facebook in today's world. People take pictures and videos of pretty much everything, especially during parties. What better than to get a pic and/or video of Michael Phelps lighting one up? If I was there, I'd of probably took out my iPhone as well. Epic moment. Look. When you do things like that out in the open at parties and such, you're putting yourself out there. If you want to keep it on the low, then do it at home. Do it at a family members house. Do it around trustworthy people. When you're an Olympic record holder and you decide to smoke weed at a random college party, then yes, you should be classified as a dumbass. This is coming from a lover of the ganja. I'm not a dumbass for smoking weed in public because a picture or video of little ol' me doing so isn't going to get me kicked out of school. Michael Phelps on the other hand.....well, he's got to realize that he's going to be judged for every single thing he does out in the open. He's an iconic figure. A role model. It comes with the territory. At the end of the day I'm pretty sure he wasn't trying to cause any harm. Just a young guy out partying and having fun without using his brain. We've all been there before. The only difference would be the fact that he's got much more to lose when it comes to his reputation. He shouldn't be judged as a "bad person" though. That's ludicrous. You live and you learn. I mean, you can't use age as an excuse for everything, but come on.
I think I know what you mean, lol. Glad to know there are other grass lovers around. Take it easy down there in Jamaica, you are in a good spot for finding good stuff.
While I agree with what you are saying but sadly its true for high profile athletes as Phelps. When you become a household name like he has become. there are going to be ppl out there who are looking to make a quick buck off something bad you do. I hope he learns from this or learns to smoke pot alone so no one can take a picture of him while doing it.
He's the dumb *** that wants to be on the Wheaties box - he's putting himself on that pedestal. Conveniently he knocked himself off as well So it's a win/win for people like me who don't care about anything he does.
lol I love some of the sympathy he gets in here bc he's a public figure and it's a double standard. As if it wasn't his choice to sign contracts and promos for all these different sponsors? Yea, I feel really bad for that millionaire dumbass. Boy his life must suck so bad.
What if Phelps was black? http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/columnists/sfl-lewis-phelps,0,1853892.story I completely agree with this article. Too much slack given to Phelps by the public relative to other races. Attitude should be consistent regardless of race.
Thats pretty stupid IMO. Race doesn't have anything to do with it. If these sponsors still think Phelps can make them money and not embaress them, then they'll keep him. They aren't going to not drop him only bc he's white.
But what if he was black? You don't think if Ronnie Brown who is a very decent citizen and Pro Bowl athelete was photographed smoking weed he wouldn't lose sponsorship deals?
That article is a complete joke and another instance of people trying to drag race into every freaking thing. Wasn't there a report that criminal charges could be pressed? That seems like a pretty big deal to me. I think this story has gotten a lot more of an "outcry" than the writer thinks.
No, not necessarily. Race doesn't matter in an issue like this, AT ALL. The only factors are the person's character, past, popularity, and what their sponsors feel about them and their situation. Dragging race into this is bull**** and a pretty pathetic attempt at making a story. BTW, I'd love for someone to show how they can prove it was weed and not tobacco in that bong in order to press charges.
