Michael Phelps caught with cannabis pipe

Comfortably Numb

Comfortably Numb

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#1
#1
[/PHP] Scroll below to see a large version of this photo


14-times Olympic gold medal winner Michael Phelps caught with cannabis pipe







By Georgina Dickinson, 01/02/2009
THIS is the astonishing picture which could destroy the career of the greatest competitor in Olympic history.


In our exclusive photo Michael Phelps, who won a record EIGHT gold medals for swimming at the Beijing games last summer, draws from a bong.

The glass pipes are generally used to smoke cannabis.

And after sporting chiefs announced laws which mean four-year bans for drug-taking, Phelps’ dreams of adding to his overall 14 gold medal tally at the 2012 games in London could already be OVER
Those dreams seemed the last thing on his mind when he puffed from the bong during two days of partying with students last November, a quiet time in the swimming calendar when athletes would not expect to get tested for drugs.

One party-goer who witnessed the star’s behaviour told the News of the World: “He was out of control from the moment he got there.

“If he continues to party like that I’d be amazed if he ever won any more medals again.”
More on http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/new...el-Phelps-caught-with-bong-cannabis-pipe.html

What a dope. Hope it not true.
 
Warhawk

Warhawk

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#2
#2
Leaving this up for now - doesn't seem to be on any of the major news sites and you always wonder with these unclear photos. If it proves false, it will be yanked.
 
VF21

VF21

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#6
^^ditto^^

You know what REALLY bothers me? The apparent glee and delight taken by the "reporter"... Hey, look! We're gonna try and destroy someone's life! Whooooo!

If I recall, isn't "News of the World" on a par with the National Intruder or something similar?
 
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John Galt

John Galt

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#7
#7
I know it is not PC to say this or to think it... but....

If anyone in the world deserves to relax and pull on a bong if he wants to... it's Michael Phelps. It is the off-season for him, he has not had a dirty drug test, I don't think reefer is a performance enhancing drug so it's not like he's a cheater.

I would be appalled if this was steroids, but it's like catching a guy drinking a beer as far as I'm concerned.

It must really blow to be famous.
 
VF21

VF21

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#8
#8
That's pretty much my take (or toke, if you will). This stupid "gotcha" attitude by paparazzi towards celebrities is beyond disgusting and I just refuse to buy into it any longer.
 
Dime Dropper

Dime Dropper

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#9
#9
Wow, I was going to post similar feelings as above earlier but I thought people would strongly disagree with me so I left it. Not that I'd encourage the use of cannabis, but alot of people use it these days. Realistically, it is not far worse than smoking cigarettes or alcohol.

If this is true, it really isn't that big a deal.
 
J

JayBird

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#15
I agree with the "not a big deal" sentiment, but just to play devil's advocate... A person who dominates a sport as much as he does has got to know that he is a role model to young kids. What kind of message is he sending by smoking reefer (more importantly, getting caught and having it plastered all over the internet).

It sucks that athletes have this "duty" to be proper citizens, but that's just the way it is. Young kids are impressionable, and seeing their hero doing this might trigger something in their under-developed brains. From 5th grade on, those D.A.R.E programs and all those other anti-drug campaigns beat into kids' heads about the dangers of drugs and alcohol, and then they see Michael Phelps, a world champion, doing it and continuing to dominate his sport. Who is more convincing - the 12 grader doing his community service hours, or the dude with 12 gold medals?

Again, I do not believe that anything I said is worth much, and I totally agree that if Phelps wants to toke it up occassionally, he has every right to. Just saying I see why people would be P'd off/ disappointed over it.
 
Kingzrool

Kingzrool

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#16
#16
Francisco d'Anconia said:
I know it is not PC to say this or to think it... but....

If anyone in the world deserves to relax and pull on a bong if he wants to... it's Michael Phelps. It is the off-season for him, he has not had a dirty drug test, I don't think reefer is a performance enhancing drug so it's not like he's a cheater.

I would be appalled if this was steroids, but it's like catching a guy drinking a beer as far as I'm concerned.

It must really blow to be famous.
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Nicely put.
 
B

BMiller52

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#17
#17
VF21 said:
^^ditto^^

You know what REALLY bothers me? The apparent glee and delight taken by the "reporter"... Hey, look! We're gonna try and destroy someone's life! Whooooo!

If I recall, isn't "News of the World" on a par with the National Intruder or something similar?
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Agreed. That's rather disgusting IMO. It's not like he was cheating and taking roids, he works harder than 99.9% of the people on the planet and is the best at what he does.
 
Section 101

Section 101

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#18
#18
Sac.1989 said:
absolutely. Its not a big deal in all honesty and his sponsors speedo and omega have taken that stance too
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Those are pretty niche type sponsors. Do you buy a new pair of speedos every year? :p

A major sponsor or potential sponsor could be turned off costing him $$$.

But come on. Your a big time celeb on top of the world after all the medals. Then your dumb enough to not just hit a bong, but do it at a college party in front of strangers? It's one thing if it was part of a drug test, but to get caught with a picture is just plain dumb.
 
Spike

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#20
#20
So it turns out his extraordinary diet and caloric intake were just a case of the munchies.
 
VF21

VF21

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#21
#21
Section 101 said:
But come on. Your a big time celeb on top of the world after all the medals. Then your dumb enough to not just hit a bong, but do it at a college party in front of strangers? It's one thing if it was part of a drug test, but to get caught with a picture is just plain dumb.
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So you've never done anything that could have been very embarrassing if there were cell phones capable of taking pictures in the immediate vicinity?

Phelps is a kid. He made a small error in judgment. He wasn't driving drunk or anything similar. He took a toke off a bong at a frat party. If you're going to condemn him for that, you might as well start pointing fingers at the entire Baby Boomer generation AND our new president, who has openly admitted doing worse than a hit off a pot pipe.

People need to put it in perspective. And let it go...

He admitted his mistake and apologized. That's good enough for me. Now if he tested positive on a drug test, it would be entirely different but IMHO there's nothing to see here and people need to just move on.
 
Mr. S£im Citrus

Mr. S£im Citrus

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#22
#22
VF21 said:
So you've never done anything that could have been very embarrassing if there were cell phones capable of taking pictures in the immediate vicinity?
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I decline to express my personal opinion of his behavior, but regarding this particular quoted portion, I will say that I've never done anything that I thought could come back to me around people that I didn't trust implicitly. If I'm Michael Phelps, and I have to ask one or both of the following questions:

1) Who's this guy?
2) Can I trust this guy?

I wouldn't smoke, or do anything else that might cast me, as a multi-millionaire public figure/role model, in a negative light in his presence.
 
kingsnation

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#23
#23
Mr. S£im Citrus said:
I decline to express my personal opinion of his behavior, but regarding this particular quoted portion, I will say that I've never done anything that I thought could come back to me around people that I didn't trust implicitly. If I'm Michael Phelps, and I have to ask one or both of the following questions:

1) Who's this guy?
2) Can I trust this guy?

I wouldn't smoke, or do anything else that might cast me, as a multi-millionaire public figure/role model, in a negative light in his presence.
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Very very true. I also think being the leader that he is (whether the role is wanted or not) He has to be constantly aware of his surroundings and know that at all times, because he is a multi-winning gold medalist, people are always watching and waiting/expecting you to fail.

I hope he learns from this and realizes that as a leader - you lose certain rights. One of them is the right to do dumb things in public.
 
BritishColumbia

BritishColumbia

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#24
#24
Mike is a great athlete and the greatest swimmer. However, it doest not make him a great person or the mister untouchable. I am surprised that so many people think that this is not a big deal. It is. People like him are ambassadors of sport and he is old enough to understand it. He had DUI, now marijuana. Everyone has its own opinion but I personally extremely disappointed in Phelps. He is still a great swimmer to me but not a great package (athlete + human being).

I hope people will not go crazy and disqualify him for 4 years or even more than 6 months. He has not done anything that bad and I think his DUI was a more serious thing than weed. However, 'I am sorry' is just not enough. He has to be accountable for his actions.
 
VF21

VF21

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#25
#25
Michael Phelps is human. The idea that he has to suddenly be a saint is ludicrous. I do not condone what he did AT A PRIVATE PARTY but it was a moment of stupidity and nothing more. Is there anyone here who can honestly say they haven't done something equally as stupid but were just lucky enough not to get caught?

IF - and that's a HUGE IF - it happens again, then he deserves to receive some kind of punishment. I suspect, though, that he's learned his lesson.

Disqualify him for 6 months based on what? A picture and a self-incriminating apology? Neither of those would stand up in a court of law.

At least he didn't lie about it and try and deny his own failings.
 
kennadog

kennadog

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#26
#26
I think you can only be suspended in his sport for "performance-enhancing" drugs.

Alcohol enhances stupidity. MJ enhances the ability to eat huge quantities of food and laugh at unfunny things. ;)

Of course he shouldn't have been driving drunk (take a cab, Mike) and he shouldn't have been smoking MJ (at least keep it private).

I think some people are forgetting that he has had to be more disciplined, hard-working and single-minded than 99% of the population can ever begin to imagine.

He essentially gave up childhood and his teen years to achieve some of the greateast goals in sports, ever. Other than the fact that he loves to swim, "fun" for the sake of fun has not been part of his vocabulary, let alone his life.

So I can't be "disappointed," because I'm not surprised that for the first time in almost his entire life, he was seeking some relaxation, fun and trying to experience being closer to "normal" in his social life. Did he make a couple of less than stellar decisions. Yes. Oops. Has never happened to me or anyone else I know. ;)

Golly gee, he's a human being! And I'd still hold him up as an example of a fine young man, including his mistakes and apologies as an exhibit.
 
pdxKingsFan

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#27
#27
At some point I hope these conversations shift from how stupid celebrity-X is for getting caught to how arcane our marijuana laws are in this country.
 
Section 101

Section 101

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#28
#28
VF21 said:
So you've never done anything that could have been very embarrassing if there were cell phones capable of taking pictures in the immediate vicinity?

Phelps is a kid. He made a small error in judgment. He wasn't driving drunk or anything similar. He took a toke off a bong at a frat party. If you're going to condemn him for that, you might as well start pointing fingers at the entire Baby Boomer generation AND our new president, who has openly admitted doing worse than a hit off a pot pipe.

People need to put it in perspective. And let it go...

He admitted his mistake and apologized. That's good enough for me. Now if he tested positive on a drug test, it would be entirely different but IMHO there's nothing to see here and people need to just move on.
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I've done plenty of things and there are even some pictures. First, it was around friends, no strangers to see. Second, I'm not a public figure and nobody cares.

Yes it was a mistake to do it in the first place. The bigger mistake was the location and timing. All things public figures do have consiquences. He already learned that from the DUI. This wasn't the first time for an error in judgement. Now it's starting a pattern.
 
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