Michael Phelps: Gold Medal Criminal?
What should happen now to the greatest athlete in Olympics history?
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 and subsequently a picture taken of him sucking on a bong (we all know what a bong is used for).
And now, Leon Lott, the Richland County, South Carolina sheriff, wants to charge Phelps with a crime for smoking pot in his county…
a crime which is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to 30 days in jail or a $570 fine, plus court costs.
THE PHOTO:
http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/gawker/2009/01/phelps_516_0102_25518a.jpg
THE STORY:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/feb/03/michael-phelps-smoking-marijuana
What do YOU think should happen to our hero?
What I think is that Phelps is a kid who made a mistake and used poor judgement, and NOTHING MORE. He’s not a criminal, as you call him in your question. He’s a kid who’s having trouble adjusting to the pressures which go along with suddenly being famous. There are plenty of athletes out there who have committed offenses which are FAR MORE SERIOUS than this- and NONE of THEM have really been punished all that severely. Take a look at Michael Vick as an example, or at OJ Simpson. Simpson is finally going to get his comeuppance for KILLING his wife and her friend, more than a dozen years after the fact, because the state of Nevada is NOT LIKE the state of California, and THEY DIDN’T botch their case. He’s going to spend the rest of his days in a Nevada state prison, thanks to his convictions for armed robbery and kidnapping. He still owes millions in legal bills and court costs, and is still paying civil penalties to Nicole’s family and to that of Ron Goldman. Michael Vick is currently in jail, serving time for running a dog fighting ring in which numerous animals DIED- and when he gets out, the NFL has actually been talking about reinstating him. Talk about hypocrisy, will you. If Vick gets a chance to play again, despite having admitted to gambling on the outcomes of the dogfights, then he’ll soon be a millionaire, and the horrendous cycle of abuse and criminal behavior will start all over again. This is a guy who truly DESERVES to be BANNED from participating in ANY professional sport for LIFE, the way the show jumper and former Olympian Barney Ward was, following HIS participation in a scheme to kill horses for insurance money and defraud investors of millions of dollars.
Compared to these idiot athletes, Phelps’ offenses are MINOR, and completely forgivable. He’s young, and inexperienced, and has a lot to learn, both about being famous and about life in general. He’s ONLY 23, for Heaven’s sake !! DO YOU mean to tell me that YOU DID NOTHING STUPID or that you didn’t regret later when YOU were that age?? On top of this, Phelps is known to have the learning disorder called ADD, which affects MILLIONS of people, and hampers one’s ability to use good judgement and control impulsive behavior. This is not his fault- it’s a condition he was most likely BORN WITH, because many if not most learning disorders are hereditary, at least to some degree. Canada, our northern neighbor, didn’t ban show jumper Eric Lamaze because he’d used cocaine in the past and had been suspended from competition by the FEI twice- and Lamaze won the individual gold medal for them. It seems to me that the LEAST the US can do is follow Canada’s example and give Phelps a break. He deserves it. He’s a kid who made a mistake and is going to pay the price, that’s all. He’s not the first young athlete to get into trouble, nor will he be the last. If he pays his fine and does the community service, or even spends a few nights in jail, it won’t do him any harm- and it will help reinforce a valuable lesson.
Enough said.