Newspapers all over the world – both online and offline – exploded with all sorts of stories when a picture of Michael Phelps holding a bong was released. The picture was supposedly taken in November at a college party in South Carolina. The photo released to the world was of Michael holding the bong. Although nothing concrete could be seen from the picture, the swimming superstar admitted to smoking from it.
The results were obviously devastating to this person whom everyone held in high regard. He already has had several endorsement deals cancelled because of the incident. On the legal end, however, Michael Phelps has nothing to worry about now. According to the sheriff’s department of Richland County, South Carolina, where the photo was taken, there is no physical evidence that any law has been broken.
While the Olympic medalist admitted to “inappropriate behavior,” there was no mention of marijuana or any other illegal substance use. As such, no charges can be filed – and none will be filed. Phelps’s statement prior to this announcement was:
I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner that people have come to expect from me. For this, I am sorry. I promise my fans and the public — it will not happen again.
He has not gotten off totally free though. He has been suspended by USA Swimming from competition for 3 months starting February 6. Kellogg Co. will not renew its deal with Phelps.
Still, it seems that the swimmer continues to be a hero for many. In Sheriff Leon Lott’s words, “Michael Phelps is truly an American hero. But even with his star status, he is obligated to obey the laws of our state.”
News about the woman giving birth to octuplets made the headlines about a week ago. Since then, people have been giving their own points of view regarding the matter. There have been supportive people while there have been people who criticized the woman for choosing be artificially inseminated with so many babies at once – especially since she already has 6 children. No matter how much noise was made about the multiple births, the mother kept mum for a while.
Book publishers and TV personality Oprah Winfrey have once again been duped by an author claiming that his story was real. Readers might remember Winfrey’s support for James Frey, author of A Million Little Pieces, which was supposed to be his memoir about his struggle with drug addiction. That story broke into a million little pieces when proven to be an exaggerated account of what happened in real life.