Michael Phelps was beaten for the first time in an individual race since 2005. Has Phelps been slacking or lost his edge? Probably not. He was trounced at the at the world swimming championships by Paul Biedermann of Germany, who was wearing a buoyant polyurethane suit, the Arena X-Glide. There’s a feeling that these suits give swimmers an unfair advantage, and that’s the real reason Biedermann won over Phelps, who stuck with his tried and true Speedo. In fact, in the first three days of the championship, 15 world records were beaten. Rather an astounding feat.

Biedermann acknowledged he had an edge in his Arena X-Glide, an exceptionally buoyant polyurethane suit that has surpassed the Speedo LZR Racer worn by Phelps. All those suits are on the way out, to be banned by governing body FINA by May. But at this meet, the bodysuits are legal and Biedermann is the world champion.

“The suits make a difference,” he said. “I hope there will be a time when I can beat Michael Phelps without these suits. I hope next year. I hope it’s really soon.” Phelps, who has won a record 14 Olympic gold medals, sounded eager for a rematch. “It’s going to be fun next year,” he said, “when swimming is back to swimming.”

Biedermann [said he] competed in the best suit he could find. “It’s not my problem,” he said. “It’s the problem of FINA. They should handle it really fast.”

[From the Seattle Times]

Well they are – FINA banned the suits after Phelps’ coach said he wouldn’t swim in any races where the buoyant suits were allowed. According to USA Today, a “majority” of the swimmers at the world’s competition were wearing the suits, which is how so many records fell.

To try to get there, the FINA bureau, the organization’s decision-making board, decided Tuesday it agrees with a resolution passed last week by FINA members that restricts swimsuit material to permeable “textiles” (the full definition of which will be decided by the scientific panel) and outlaws full-body suits, which came into vogue in 2000.

Men’s suits will no longer be allowed to extend past the navel or knees. Women’s suits can’t go past the knees or cover the neck or shoulders.

[From USA Today]

In equally exciting swimming news, US swimmer Ricky Berens tore the back of his swimsuit right before his race World Swimming Championships on Sunday, baring his butt for all to see. “I kind of freaked out for just a second,” Berens said. “I felt like [the hole] was almost down to my knees. I felt like I was putting on a pretty good show.” And some great pictures.

Michael Phelps would rather suck on a bong than make out with Miss California. Phelps is denying Carrie Prejean’s non-denial denial that she and the Olympian are an item. Phelps confirms that he’s single, and that’s all – he wants to maintain a modicum of privacy, so I’ll respect that. He also doesn’t confirm or deny his support of Miss California’s anti-gay marriage stance.

Michael Phelps is denying rumors that he is romancing controversial Miss California contestant Carrie Prejean.

“I’m not dating anybody,” he told Usmagazine.com Wednesday at the opening of the Omega flagship boutique in NYC. “I’m single. My private life stays private.”

(Prejean, 21, was coy earlier this week when asked about rumors they’re an item. “He is a great man. Wouldn’t you like to know?” she said on The Billy Bush Show Monday.)

As for Prejean’s anti-gay marriage answer during the Miss USA competition, Phelps tells Us, “That’s the cool thing about America – everybody has their opinion.”

“I’m not saying I support her,” Phelps then added. “I’m not saying I don’t support her.”

[From US Magazine]

That sucks for Miss California – Michael Phelps shot down that rumor pretty hard. Chuckle. I’m sure everybody has already said this, but why would Michael Phelps want a Miss USA runner-up? The boy could get a Miss USA. Or even better, a girl with beauty-pageant looks and an education. I know Phelps has been seen with multiple strippers and random party girls, but I’d like to think that’s just a phase. He’ll settle down with someone nice, I know it! Someone he could bring home to his mom Debbie!

Here’s Michael Phelps opening the new OMEGA Flagship Boutique in New York City yesterday. Images thanks to WENN.com .

By now you’ve undoubtedly heard about the controversy over Miss California Carrie Prejean’s comments against gay marriage at the Miss USA pageant over the weekend. Prejean answered a loaded question from judge Perez Hilton about whether she thought states should legalize same sex marriage. She said, that for her and her family, she thought marriage “should be between a man and a woman.” Prejean stumbled a little at the beginning, saying that you can chose “same sex marriage or opposite” in our country, but it wasn’t that bad and considering some of the incredibly stupid and muddled things pageant contestants have said in the past it was adequately stated and to the point.

At least Prejean answered the question
Prejean ultimately was declared runner up, and believes she lost the crown because of her politically polarizing answer to that question. It probably did cost her the crown, and pageant owner Donald Trump confirmed that low scores in the question and answer phase affected the outcome. Meanwhile second runner up Miss Arizona gave a memorized nonsensical answer to a question about universal healthcare. She said “I think this is an issue of integrity regardless of what I think and what end of the political spectrum I stand on. I was raised in a family to know right from wrong and politics, whether you fall in the middle or the left or the right. It’s an issue of integrity whatever your opinion is, and I say that with the utmost conviction.” That makes absolutely no sense. [Thanks to Michael Buck of great YouTube show What the Buck for that quote]

Prejean: 1, Perez: 0
In an appearance on the Today Show yesterday, Miss California defended her statements on gay marriage, saying they were “biblically correct.” Perez Hilton spewed venom in his Skyped interview with Matt Lauer, making Prejean seem like much more of a sympathetic character despite her exclusionary politics. While I don’t agree with her at all on this issue, I feel she had the right to state her opinion when asked. It doesn’t matter if I disagree, she was asked a question and she answered it. She calmly and rationally defended herself to Lauer and she was thoughtful about it. At least she answered the damn question and tried to think about it instead of giving some BS answer. She should have been judged on the quality of her answer, not whether the judges agreed with her politics or not. There are all sorts of opinions in this world and we don’t get anywhere when we can’t talk through our disagreements.

People are pointing out that Prejean is getting a lot more mileage out of her controversial answer than the pageant winner and this is ultimately working out well for her. She seems to be aware of the publicity, and told Lauer that she wouldn’t change a thing, that winning wasn’t what God wanted for her, and that “I wouldn’t be here with you if I was Miss USA.”

After this controversy dies down we may still be hearing about Prejean. According to RadarOnline, who spoke with her grandmother, she’s been dating record-setting Olympian Michael Phelps:

Miss USA runner-up Carrie Prejean is set to make headlines with something other than her anti-gay marriage comments. Her grandmother Jeanette Coppolla confirmed to RadarOnline.com exclusively that the beauty queen has been casually dating Olympian Michael Phelps.

“Carrie and Michael have been out to baseball games and lunch,” Coppolla said. “He always calls her when he is in town and they go out.”

Not just a pretty blonde, Prejean is fully aware of Phelps’ lothario reputation and is taking the flirtation with the swimmer in stride.

“Carrie knows that he has dated a lot of girls but she enjoys going out with him and isn’t serious about being in a relationship with him,” she added. “He’s a nice guy and she likes him.”

Earlier in the week, she played it coy when first asked to address the rumors of a relationship with Phelps, dodging Miss USA host Billy Bush’s questioning by saying, “That’s not appropriate to answer right now. He’s a great man…You can call me on a later day and we can talk about that.”

[From Radar Online]

Prejean is not Michael Phelps’ style, she’s a co-ed at San Diego Christian college and she’s obviously very devoted to her Christian beliefs. He’s been linked to multiple girls recently including a Vegas cocktail waitress and I bet that Prejean is frustratingly unattainable to him.

I don’t agree that marriage is only between a man and a woman and I find it baffling that same sex marriage is still an issue in 2009. Why don’t all couples have the same basic rights? It seems ridiculous that this is something we’re still talking about as somehow controversial. It must be incredibly difficult and disheartening for the couples who have struggled to have their unions recognized for years. That said, I’d rather hear someone say they disagree with me respectfully than yell at me or call me stupid or a bitch for having a different opinion. Prejean told Matt Lauer that she was asked her opinion and she gave it. Integrity and graciousness are what we look for in a pageant winner and Prejean has those qualities, even if a lot of us don’t agree with her politics at all. She’s not enough of a skank for Michael Phelps, though.

Meanwhile Prejean’s grandmother had some barbs for Perez Hilton. She told Radar Online “I don’t know why that gay guy Perez was even judging a contest with a bunch of girls. That doesn’t make any sense. He should be judging a Chippendale’s contest.” At least Prejean’s sister is a gay rights activist, although her grandmother claims “Her sister Christy is not gay, she just has her own mindset. But she’s not gay, we just feel sorry for them.” A lot of us feel sorry for ignorant people too. That doesn’t mean we should get in a fight with them though, that doesn’t solve anything.

Michael Phelps is back in New York for training and “to be with his mama of course,” according to his mother Debbi Phelps. And, judging by his actions on Tuesday night, to party. The Olympic swimmer had a great night on Tuesday at Marquee, drinking Grey Goose vodka straight out of the bottle and making out with his cocktail waitress girlfriend, Caroline Pal. The two were very touchy-feely while Michael ordered two bottles of vodka and danced around shirtless to MIA’s “Paper Planes.”

“Michael was definitely having a good time,” an eyewitness tells us. “He was drinking straight from a bottle of Grey Goose, and when the deejay started playing M.I.A.’s ‘Paper Planes,’ he got up, started dancing like a loon and kept on yelling, ‘Shots!’”

Phelps definitely had enough alcohol on hand for several rounds — he’d ordered four bottles of vodka.

In addition, the athlete skeeved out onlookers when he persisted in PDA-ing with his girlfriend, cocktail waitress Caroline (Caz) Pal.

“They wouldn’t stop making out! They were literally sucking face, and not caring that anyone was watching,” says our snitch, who added that Phelps danced up such a storm that he briefly went shirtless, changing out of his T-shirt in the club and putting on a zip-up hoodie with nothing underneath.

But the night wasn’t all fun and games for Phelps. During the course of the evening, the champ recognized UConn basketball player Hasheem Thabeet and went over to introduce himself.

“Hasheem had absolutely no clue who Michael was, and [Phelps] walked away looking a little embarrassed,” says the onlooker.

[from NY Daily News]

After the much-publicized and debated picture of Michael smoking a bong in January, he apologized for his actions to Matt Lauer. Many of his endorsement deals were also canceled, including Kelloggs and Subway. Michael was clearly embarrassed and sorry for his actions – maybe not for what he did exactly, but he’s young and everyone thought he had learned from his mistakes.

Especially now that he is in training, you’d think he would be careful where he’s seen out . He’s 23, and there’s no problem with him drinking at a club, but he could tone it down a little. “Michael Phelps seen sipping martinis and chatting with girlfriend” isn’t exactly newsworthy. The best part is that his mother Debbie was across town at a “Dressed for Success” event gushing over her son. (In case you were wondering, Dressed for Success is a non-profit organization that provides interview suits to low-income women.)

After he grew tired of the party scene at 2:30, he said that he was going to a friend’s place to “chill.” Hopefully there weren’t any college students around to catch on camera whatever went down.

Michael Phelps is shown signing copies of his book in Westwood, CA on 12/10/09. Credit: Albert L. Ortega / PR Photos

2008’s Mother of Year Debbie Phelps has written a book about her Olympian son Michael and the struggles they’re gone through as a family. Star Magazine has excerpts from A Mother for All Seasons, and Debbie dishes on how she really felt about Michael’s bong-smoking and his 2004 DUI.

Some people totally disagreed, but I really thought the bong-smoking picture wasn’t a big deal. Sure, it would have been great if all of our athletic idols were all squeaky-clean, but I think Phelps handled himself with grace after the scandal, taking full responsibility. Now Debbie is taking responsibility too, writing that she didn’t blame Michael, “I was sure that I could have done something to better prepare Michael to make better choices.” Aw, poor Debbie. It’s not your fault. It’s not even that big of a deal.

Michael Phelps has had a lot of ups and downs — and his mom has been there for them all. Now, in a new book she opens up about their family’s struggles and golden moments. The collapse of their family, the Olympics and Michael’s drug bust — Star has an exclusive first look!

In A Mother for All Seasons, Debbie Phelps speaks out for the first time about her shock at seeing the human side of her golden boy, when Star released pictures of Michael Phelps smoking a bong in January, Debbie was “not happy” about his “disappointing, uncharacteristic behavior,” she writes.

But the bust was also “déjà vu all over again.” Michael’s 2004 DUI arrest had been her first major disappointment as a mom. “Nothing like this had ever happened with him,” Debbie writes. “It was unreal — like something out of a horror movie — with TV clips of jail cell doors slamming ominously shut, dooming the life and career of one golden boy turned loser.”

But, Debbie says, she never blamed Michael — only herself. “I was sure that I could have done something to better prepare Michael to make better choices.”

And after the details of the incident emerged, she says, she had more understanding. “He actually had tried to get someone else to drive after he had a few drinks,” Debbie reveals.

“Apparently someone in the crowd made a crack about not giving the keys to his brand-new Range Rover to someone else.” In the end, however, the details didn’t matter.

“Michael was clearly mortified.” And Debbie had to take a week off of work. “I stayed out of sight, hibernating at a friend’s house, crying my eyes out.” For more on his DUI and pot bust, as well as the truth behind their family’s split and happier moments at the Olympics, check out next week’s Star!

[From Star Magazine]

The DUI bothered me a lot more – there is absolutely no reason to drink and drive. Hopefully, Michael learned his lesson about that one. Perhaps he did, and he switched from alcohol to pot.

In the long-term wake on the bong-smoking scandal, not much happened to Phelps. He lost his Kellogs endorsement, but most of his other deals stayed put. He was temporarily suspended from any swim meets for a few months – no big deal, because the big matches aren’t for another year. All in all, I hope this is something that Debbie and Michael will be able to laugh about one day.

Olympic champion Michael Phelps wants everyone to know that he’s sorry for the pot-smoking pictures, and for pot-smoking in general. The swimmer sat down with Today’s Matt Lauer, in an interview that was shown Friday morning, to discuss Phelps’ acknowledgment that he had “bad judgment” and that he “hurt a lot of people”.

Okay, I totally realize that some people were offended by the Olympic God’s mortal pot-smoking, but seriously, it’s not like he beat up old people while wigged out on smack. He smoked a bong, for the love of God. The worst thing that happened was the munchies. Let him smoke! OK! has more from the interview:

Michael Phelps is speaking up about that infamous photo of him “allegedly” smoking marijuana.

In an interview with The Today Show’s Matt Lauer airing March 13 and March 15, Phelps admits that what he did was “bad judgement” and “a mistake.”

“It was– really, you know, the people I hurt, you know, is my family, clearly. My friends,” he says. “The close people around me. And most importantly, the fans. And– and, you know, I realize that that hurt a lot of people.”

When asked to recall the events leading up to the photo being taken Phelps says, “I mean, we were just celebrating, honestly. And– you know, there was probably two or three people there I didn’t know. It was a very small group. Six or seven people probably total in the whole house. Like nothing major. You know, not like a giant college house party. It was nothing like that. It was just a small group and we were just sitting around and celebrating.”

Phelps says he found out about the photo around the same time that the rest of America did. But he explains that while he knows he made a mistake, it wasn’t the handful of lost endorsements that first caused him the biggest worry.

“It’s not about money to me. So, you know, the– the contract side of things, yeah, I was disappointed,” he says. “But, you know, I think the biggest thing is– is who I hurt the most. Like, if I lost money, okay. It’s not an issue with me.”

In the age of camera phones and the readily accessible internet, did Michael ever think that maybe someone at the party might snap a picture and take advantage of the situation?

“I trusted my friends who were there about who they were,” he says. “And clearly they weren’t trusted people… Sometimes you learn the hard way.”

From OK! Magazine

The quote “Like, if I lost money, okay. It’s not an issue with me” has earned Phelps my eternal respect. It’s like he said, “Hey, Kellogs, you want to fire me? Whatever, kids still want to be me. Don’t bogart the blunt, dude.”

I really believe that the true villains are the people who took the pictures and released them. Can’t we live in a society where the biggest Olympian in the world can chill out for a few days without his every move and mistake being documented? And here’s another point: the people who took the pictures and released them were most likely right there smokin’ the bong too. They are nobody’s heroes.

Just two weeks after the photos of Michael Phelps smoking a bong were released publicly, the South Carolina sheriff who vowed to investigate the crime claimed that there wasn’t enough evidence to prosecute Phelps. So it looks like Phelps has gotten away with it (for now).

Or has he? Phelps either lost several of his contracts, or the contracts are not being renewed, like his Kelloggs contract. All because the Olympic golden boy smoked a little weed. After the sheriff’s announcement that there would be no prosecution, Phelps issued yet another apology. People has more:

Less than an hour after a South Carolina sheriff said he would not file drug charges against Michael Phelps, Olympic star – who was photographed last fall smoking a marijuana pipe – issued another mea culpa and pledged to “dive back into the pool.”

“I’m glad this matter is put to rest. But there are also some important lessons that I’ve learned,” Phelps, 23, said in a statement Monday.

“For me, it’s all about recognizing that I used bad judgment and it’s a mistake I won’t make again. For young people especially – be careful about the decisions you make. One bad decision can really hurt you and the people you care about.”

Richland County sheriff Leon Lott announced earlier Monday that a nearly two-week investigation had failed to produce enough evidence to prosecute anyone present at a November party at the University of South Carolina, where the photo was taken.

From People Magazine

Bill Maher was recently interviewed on Larry King Live, and Maher claimed that Phelps shouldn’t have to apologize, because, in Maher‘s words “pot never killed anybody”. It’s an interesting view, but it’s a view that won’t win over all of the moms and kids who adore Phelps and his Olympic achievements.

I’m glad Phelps isn’t going to be prosecuted, though. I tend to think that his apology and the pulling of his contracts and endorsement deals should be enough “punishment”. It’s not like he was abusing dogs or anything – he was just smoking a little weed.

Michael Phelps is shown signing copies of his biography on 12/11/08. Credit: PRPhotos

Michael Phelps isn’t the only one getting into trouble for his now infamous bong photo. The 23-year-old took responsibility for his actions and never denied that he was the one in the photo. However the county sheriff’s department that has jurisdiction over the home where the party was held definitely doesn’t think that’s enough, and they’re trying to go after Phelps. That’s resulted in a lot of outrage, with people pointing out that they weren’t arresting any of the other folks involved in drug use at the party. So now the sheriff’s department is remedying that as well, and has just arrested eight people connected to the bong photo.

New details have emerged about a party where Olympic champion Michael Phelps was spotted… The Richland County Sheriff’s Department has been taking a lot of heat from people in this country and all over the world. They want to know why Sheriff Leon Lott is going after Michael Phelps.

Many are saying the sheriff should concentrate on more serious crimes, or at the very least, not focus solely on the Olympic champion when there were others at the party who were also breaking the law.

Now it appears the case has expanded beyond Phelps’ activities. The party took place in November at a house on Blossom Street near Five Points. It was at that house where someone snapped the photo of Phelps taking a hit on a marijuana pipe called a bong. Lott says the picture indicated a law was being broken in his jurisdiction. He said he couldn’t ignore the violation just because Phelps is rich and famous.

We’ve now learned that since investigators began trying to build a case, they’ve made eight arrests: seven for drug possession and one for distribution. These are arrests that resulted as the sheriff’s department served search warrants.

We’ve also learned that the department has located and confiscated that bong. Sources say the owner of the bong was trying to sell it on eBay for as much as $100,000. The owner, who wasn’t even at the party, is one of the eight now charged. Phelps is not one of those charged at this point, but the sheriff’s department has strong evidence that matches the photo to the house on Blossom Street.

[From WIS News 10]

When asked if he thought Phelps should be prosecuted, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford told Fox News, “I don’t see what it gets at this point.” That’s a perfect summary of this whole thing. Most people have an opinion about pot, and I tend to understand both sides of the issue. But how does prosecuting anyone over this help?

Obviously the sheriff wants to send a message, but I can’t help but wonder if what he really wants is attention. There’s the whole issue that Phelps is supposed to be a role model – and again, that’s something you could argue either way. But in terms of criminal action, it seems excessive and unwarranted, not just in terms of Phelps but for everyone involved.

Kellogg has dumped Michael Phelps from his endorsement deal. After being photographed hitting the bong, Phelps apologized and began to publicly acknowledge that the 2012 Olympics might have to go without him. Phelps probably also gave a little prayer that his multi-million dollar endorsement contracts wouldn’t go south.

Kellogg’s official statement is not that Phelps was fired, but rather that his contract is not being extended. As of this moment, Kelloggs is the only one to jump ship – Visa, Speedo and Omega are staying with Phelps. Perhaps they think smoking the bong isn’t that big of a deal? Is it an implicit endorsement for mary jane? Who knows.

Smoking pot is not grrrrrrrreat.

So says Kellogg in not pursuing a new contract with Michael Phelps as a corn flakes spokesman after a photo showed him apparently smoking a marijuana pipe.

“We originally built the relationship with Michael, as well as the other Olympic athletes, to support our association with the U.S. Olympic team,” a company spokeswoman says in a statement. “Michael’s most recent behavior is not consistent with the image of Kellogg. His contract expires at the end of February and we have made a decision not to extend his contract.”

Phelps also was suspended from competition and denied financial support for three months by USA Swimming, the sport’s national governing body.

“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 federation says in a statement. “Michael has voluntarily accepted this reprimand and has committed to earn back our trust.”

The 23-year-old all-time Olympic swimming champ with eight gold medals last summer has apologized. His rep said Thursday the swimmer “accepts these decisions and understands their point of view.”

“He feels bad he let anyone down,” the rep says. “He’s also encouraged by the thousands of comments he’s received from his fans and the support from his many sponsors. He intends to work hard to regain everyone’s trust.”

Phelps’s other sponsors, including Speedo, Omega watch and Visa, have stuck by him.

From People

I honestly thought that corn-flake-making Kellogg company was a subsidiary of Halliburton/Kellogg, Brown and Root, that’s how much I know. Turns out, the “Kellogg” of Halliburton/KBR is another Kelloggs altogether. So Michael Phelps just got rejected by a corn flakes company, not by a company that makes war machines. So that’s something.

Visa, Omega and Speedo are sticking with Phelps for a reason – he’s a good kid who’s insanely talented in the pool. Let him hit the bong every once in a while, it’s no big deal!

Note by Celebitchy: Phelps may have a little more time to think about that money he lost and whether he’s going to go to the Olympics. He was just suspended from all competition for three months by USA Swimming, the governing body that regulates all competitive swimming in the US. USA Swimming said in a statement that they wanted to send a message that the kind of behavior Phelps was engaging in is not acceptable:

The Olympic great was suspended from competition for three months by USA Swimming, the latest fallout from a photo that showed him inhaling from a marijuana pipe.

The sport’s national governing body also cut off its financial support to Phelps for the same three-month period, effective immediately.

“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 Springs-based federation said in a statement.

“Michael has voluntarily accepted this reprimand and has committed to earn back our trust,” the statement said.

[From ESPN via WeSmirch]

Phelps is an extremely focused, high level athlete who is able to tune out a lot of distractions while he’s working on a goal. He has the mental focus to recover from this and move on.There’s little chance he would have earned 14 Olympic medals in his career if he things like this get him down. If Phelps keeps training now and returns to competition as soon as he’s able this will just be a minor setback and not a defining moment in his life.

Phelps is shown at the Olympics on 8/28/08. Credit: PRPhotos

Olympian Michael Phelps has admitted to the press that he’s so shaken by the photo that was released of him smoking pot from a bong that he’s not sure he’ll compete in the next Olympics. The 23 year-old super swimmer says that he really needs to think things through and talk to his friends and family before he makes a decision:

Phelps, who said that he “clearly made a mistake” and that the past week has been both embarrassing and uncomfortable for him, spoke with The Baltimore Sun inside Meadowbrook Aquatic Center after finishing his daily workout. While he still has goals he wants to achieve in the sport, he said, he’s going to discuss it with his family and his coach, Bob Bowman.

“This is a decision of mine that I’m not going to make today and I’m not going to make tomorrow,” Phelps said. “It’s going to require a lot of time and energy and a lot of thinking for myself – but also talking to Bob and talking to my family and just deciding what I want to do.

“Yeah, there are still goals that I have in the pool, 100 percent. But I’m not going to let anything stand in my way. If I decide to walk away, I’ll decide to walk away on my own terms. If it’s now, if it’s four years, who knows. But it is something I need to think about and decide what I want to do.”

Bowman said that he doesn’t foresee Phelps retiring until after the 2012 London Olympics but that he understands how difficult it is for the 23-year-old to live up to the public’s expectations.

Phelps, who grew up in Rodgers Forge, said he realizes that his actions seem that much more foolish considering that this is his second public slip-up, after a drunken-driving arrest in 2004. He said it “definitely wasn’t easy” to tell his mother, Debbie, a principal at Windsor Mill Middle School, about the picture.

“Seeing my mom reminded me of how it was the day after I got my DUI, and I swore to myself I’d never do that again,” he said. “This is just a stupid thing of mine that I did, and I have to live with it.”

Phelps said he has spent the past few days with his mother and two sisters after the photo was published in Britain’s News of the World over the weekend. “We’ve been talking a lot,” he said. “I’ve been able to get back to my family. It’s part of my life I need back.”

When asked whether he regularly smoked marijuana, Phelps said he did not.

“This was stupid, and I know this won’t happen again,” he said. “It’s obviously bad judgment, and it’s something I’m not proud of at all. I will say that with the mistakes that I’ve made in my life, I’ve learned from them. Every one of them. And I’ve become a better person. That’s what I plan to do from here. It’s definitely not what I wanted, and it’s clearly not what my mom wanted.”

[From The Baltimore Sun via We Smirch]

Phelps is training again now, something that helps him focus and block out a lot of the noise in his life. He says that he’s been harassed by paparazzi since the scandal broke, including having “guys yelling into megaphones outside my window at 7 o’clock in the morning” and “People knocking on the door.”

I feel bad for the guy, he’s young and incredibly talented in one area but that doesn’t mean he’s immune to the minor temptations that a lot of kids his age indulge in, something that many other people have pointed out. If he wants to continue training he can go on to even greater achievements, and he’s come so far in his swimming career he shouldn’t let an incident like this derail his dream. He didn’t get to where he is today by letting setbacks get him down.

Michael Phelps is shown heading to a swimming complex in Baltimore with a new security guy on 2/3/09. Credit: Splash News. Header image is of Phelps promoting his book on 12/11/08. Credit: PRPhotos