I think he just made a mistake. If it were any other 23year old we'd never hear about it, but because Mike happens to be an amazing, record breaking athlete he's not allowed to be young & make young, stupid mistakes.

I wouldn't give a damn if he were just a regular 23-year-old. However he is supposed to be a role model for kids everywhere, you know?

Honestly, smoking pot has become as common if not more common than smoking cigarettes in the world. It's not that big of a deal. Iwould have gotten more aggravated if he would have been smoking cigarettes because kids know where to buy those but any child that grows up in an anti-drug family will know that drugs are not the answer no matter who they say smoking pot. Right? And it is pot not any harder drugs that we have seen certain celebrities taking lately. In my head it doesn't change the fact that he will probably be the best Olympic athlete ever.

Phelps Can Continue to be a Role Model

I like Phelps and don't think his bong hit should hurt him. If he truly wants to be a role model, he can take his comments and platform to the next level. He can say simply, "Yes, that was me smoking marijuana, and the laws that ruin peoples' lives for using marijuana should be debated and changed."

Very Well Said, and quoted from (link)

i really just think it was a stupid mistake and he has apoligized. everyone makes a mistake a time or two.

It would be different if he had been caught using steroids, but him getting caught smoking pot doesn't change my opinion of him.

Hes still the sexiest man alive :)
and basically everybody does it, but he was just unlucky enough to get caught.

He just made a mistake!!!! EVEN THOUGH I WISH HE HADN'T!!! :O

How can we write to Michael and give him our support? I think it's terrible what the media is doing to him. Yes, he made a mistake and wished he hadn't and I hope he's learned not to trust anyone. When you've made it, there are too many trying to tear you down either for money or jealousy. God Bless You Michael! I'm still so proud of you and so is all of our family.

Its fucking pot people. It isn't meth, coke, heroin, or LSD. It's natural, none-chemical, none synthetic pot. I'm sorry, but the guy deserves to smoke some weed after winning 8 medals for this country. If he had taken steroids or something of that nature, well ok, then I can see the upset. But its weed. Give the guy a damn break.

I wrote this letter to USA swimming mostly for fun and I know it won't make a difference, but oh well.

Dear USA Swimming,


You are probably going to recieve thousands of letters and angry e-mails from Michael Phelps fans, and I realize this makes my voice an insignificant one, but I can't sit by without at least trying to get my point across. Even if no one ever reads this e-mail and I recieve some automated response from your organization, at least I can feel better about myself for trying to get my point across and attempt to make a change in an organization that I think made a mistake. My attempt at making a change may go unnoticed, but the change that Michael Phelps exacted upon the United States in the summer of 2008 was anything but unnocticed. Michael Phelps provided hope for a nation that was imbedded irreversably in two wars, an economic recession whose effects on the country were cutting deeper each day, and whose citizens were facing a future bleak and hopeless in nature. Phelps provided a common gathering point for our country. We assembled together to cheer on one man who symbolized a nation's resilence and determination. We came together, our entire country hopes embedded in one man's quest...and we watched as he tackled his adversaries. His victories inspired a nation. How can one photograph destroy that hope that brought an entire nation together? He smoked marijuana, and he came clean. If that doesn't show courage, I don't know what does. As baseball players continue to lie after years of false denials of steriod usage and aren't punished by their organization, Michael Phelps owned up to his mistake and admitted that he did something WRONG, yet gets suspended by the very organization he helped promote. And, yes, what he did was wrong, but think of what your suspension is telling the country. You're giving the impression that Michael Phelps accomplishment, that the hope he instilled in our citizens, means nothing because he made a mistake. In a way, you're almost tearing down the work that Michael Phelps constructed with his eight gold medals at the Bejing Olympics.


Sincerely yours,

Brianne H. S.

P. S. Oh, and to be a bit less figurative, Michael Phelps brought in thousands of new, young swimmers to club teams all around the country, insuring that your organizations cash revenue would multiply by God only knows how much. I, personally, have a difficult time believing that all those swimmers that Phelps almost single handedly brought to the sport have quit swimming because Phelps smoked weed. Don't you owe him a little bit more for the cash that he got for you guys over at U.S.A. swimming?

Im adding you to my fan list AND giving you props for that. Nice job dude.

I mean he's young. He makes mistakes, all is foriven. But he's supposed to be a role model and an athlete.

no everyone makes mistakes! & michael is human even tho we think of him as a super hero! or a super human!!! i think he learned his lesson & he apologized! da important thing is dat we learn frm our mistakes & he sure did learn frm his! & hes bak! he just broke da world record in da 100 fly 2day!!!!!!:)))

Nah. I've never considered him "innocent" or anything so when I heard I was like "Oh really? No shocker."

Everybody Makes Mistakes, This was just one of them. He's still amazing at swimming, and completely awesome!

I agree with RiceCakes on this.