Phelps' Vow to Kids Goes Up in Smoke

For a few swigs, anyway, he tried to have a peaceful couple of beers with his U.S. swim teammates. But soon enough, inside this Budweiser-sponsored party tent in Beijing, word circulated that Michael Phelps not only was in the house but was roped off within a VIP area in THE MIDDLE OF THE ROOM.

That allowed every Phelps fanatic in the place, mostly female, to rush toward the cordoned-off area, surround him like a zoo animal and launch a barrage of point-blank camera-phone pictures while shrieking their little heads off.

I remember the look on his face as he glanced at the hundreds of gawkers. He seemed amazed, puzzled, trapped by the avalanche of attention only days after completing his Olympic mission of eight gold medals. Before you knew it, he was long gone from the party, fleeing the piercing eyeballs of fame, his evening interrupted by abnormalcy and madness.

"I wonder how he's going to handle all of this,'' I said then and there to a writer pal, recalling how a few nights earlier, with the temperature a steamy 81 outside the arena, Phelps had arrived at intermission of a U.S. Redeem Team game with a hoodie pulled over his head and a blanket wrapped around his body.

This is not an attempt to psychoanalyze why the golden boy, two months later, was reckless enough to suck on a bong at a University of South Carolina house party and not recognize the damaging ramifications. All I'm saying is, imagine being 23 and inheriting the wealth, celebrity and expectations of a world that extols you as a god and demands nothing less than exemplary behavior.

The very weight of that burden might prompt a human being to run, escape, get drunk, get high. Or, perhaps this is no more complex that Phelps being a maniacal party boy who spent most of his life swimming lap after lap after monotonous lap and, having reached his goals, wanting to blow off some celebratory steam for a few months. Whatever the explanation, the image of Mr. America with a glass pipe won't be fading away.

It's permanent.

And, in the big picture of a world that needs him, very disappointing.

Much as we want to understand why Phelps would act like any young guy smoking marijuana at a party -- Barack Obama has admitted to inhaling, and so will I -- there is no defense here. The reason: Phelps has openly and eagerly embraced being a reliable role model (his words) for America's youth, and once you accept that monumental responsibility on a high-profile level, you simply cannot be doing the dumb things that other 23-year-olds do.

What struck me about Phelps in China was his willingness to turn his quest -- the most-watched event in American television history, remember -- into a daily effort to inspire kids. He talked about growing up, dealing with his parents' divorce, struggling with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, having a teacher tell him he'd never amount to anything. He urged kids to dream as he did, and his foundation started a program called "Dream, Plan, Reach,'' encouraging them to establish a plan and stay true to it.


"I want to be a role model for young people,'' Phelps said after winning his eighth gold.

"He feels a responsbility to use the platform he has right now,'' said his agent, Peter Carlisle.

Once he was committed to that path, Phelps had no recourse but to stay on the straight and narrow. Obviously, he hasn't, with his Gamecock Country slip-up following numerous reports of hard partying. So what does he say now to the nine-year-old who fell in love with him in August and was told to dream, plan, reach?

What are parents supposed to say when their kids ask about Phelps and the pipe? It's the height of hypocrisy to pledge his life to helping children, only to forget about them when someone on a college campus passes the bong. In the end, his vow was so much lip service. He wasn't mature and strong enough to live up to it.

"Any athlete that's an Olympic hero and has the eyes of the world, particularly when they have children following them, is held to a much higher standard," said U.S. Anti-Doping Agency CEO Travis Tygart, speaking to USA Today. "So it's an extremely disappointing decision."

It's particularly damning when coupled with a previous black eye, his drunk driving arrest in 2004. At the time, Phelps described it as an "isolated incident,'' issued a public apology and agreed to a plea bargain in which he spoke to children about -- ready? -- the evils of alcohol and drugs.

"I've let a lot of people down, including myself,'' he said then. "It is definitely an honor to be a role model for kids, and I hope to still be one and to have fans out there. ... This is a mistake that I made, and I'm going to have to live with this for the rest of my life."

Now, he has a second life-smudging mistake. To be fair, a bong photograph is tame compared to the criminal problems of other athletes. But Phelps isn't just any athlete. He was supposed to be the biggest on the planet, Sportsman of the Year, a shining hope for an ailing country, a savior to flush away steroids and sports' various scandals of recent years. Turns out he'd rather get wasted than rid the waste.

When you consider Tiger Woods has been in the intense spotlight for a dozen years and done nothing more damaging than tell one off-color joke in his early 20s, well, you see how far Phelps must go to become an American ambassador. The best thing I can say for him is that he didn't try to cover up the photo. In issuing his latest public apology, at least he didn't dispute the legitimacy of the shot, which appeared Sunday in the sort of London tabloid accustomed to busting Amy Winehouse with drugs, not the greatest of Olympic heroes.

"I engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment,'' Phelps said in a statement to the Associated Press. "I'm 23 years old, and despite the successes I've had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner people have come to expect from me. For this, I am sorry. I promise my fans and the public it will not happen again.''


Which is what he said the last time. The U.S. Olympic Committee, for one, is weary of the repeat apologies and didn't hesistate to scold Phelps in a release. "Michael is a role model, and he is well aware of the responsibilities and accountability that come with setting a positive example for others, particularly young people. In this instance, regrettably, he failed to fulfill those responsibilities,'' the USOC said. "Michael has acknowledged that he made a mistake and apologized for his actions. We are confident that, going forward, Michael will consistently set the type of example we all expect from a great Olympic champion."

A quick statement of contrition saved Phelps from more harm to his image. Obviously, he was well-coached by an agent who realizes the International Olympic Committee and his leading sponsors need him too much to come down too hard. Marijuana is not cocaine. Marijuana is not steroids. Therefore, Phelps can suffer a second strike without suffering financial and institutional fallout. Never mind that the IOC decries drug use of all sorts and wouldn't be nearly as kind to a less prominent athlete.

"Michael Phelps is a great Olympic champion," the IOC said. "He apologized for his inappropriate behavior. We have no reason to doubt his sincerity and his commitment to continue to act as a role model."

Falling in place Monday, companies such as Speedo and Omega lined up in support of Phelps, with the swimsuit firm realizing he single-handedly turned its LZR Racer suit into a legendary accessory. Don't think for a second, though, that there isn't concern about Phelps in corporate boardrooms. Executives hear the same stories that journalists hear, maybe more.

The running joke, of course, is that we now know why Phelps devoured those gigantic, 12,000-calorie breakfasts in China: three orders of pancakes, three orders of french toast, three fried egg sandwiches, a bowl of grits, an omelet and coffee. He had the munchies.

But nothing is real funny about this, not as a wobbly America launches a new presidency with Phelps as our reigning symbol of sports greatness. For all the jock heroes embraced by President Obama, it's interesting we've heard him say little about Phelps. Separated by an hour of highway between the White House and the swimmer's Baltimore crib, maybe it's time Obama summons him for a chat about handling the pressures of public life.

The country needs Michael Phelps to be a leader and an adult, not a joker, a smoker and a midnight toker.