Saturday, February 07, 2009

Much A Bong About Nothing

fourteen gold medals later...For the last couple of days, the Internet has been abuzz with the picture of Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps taking a hit from a bong. I'm still trying to figure out what all the hub-bub is about. Okay. Okay. Possessing and smoking cannabis is illegal. But let's get real... going 55 in a 45 zone is illegal... but no one is tripping out if you wander over the speed limit (and don't run an old lady over).

Phelps, who is awash in media attention and endorsement millions since he bagged eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics, quickly apologized for his "poor judgement." Or was he apologizing for letting someone snap a pic of him hitting a bong during what was a November party at the University of South Carolina in Columbia. I even read that a 'bama sheriff in Richland County is contemplating filing criminal charges if they can determine that he actually smoked marijuana on the school campus... like the HUNDREDS of other college students on that campus who do the exact same thing on a daily basis?

USA Swimming, the nation's governing body for competitive swimming, said it was withdrawing financial support for Phelps and barring him from competition for three months. USA Swimming issued the following statement, "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. Michael has voluntarily accepted this reprimand and has committed to earn back our trust."

And now Kellogg Co. is piling on by stating that they would not renew his advertising contract. Kellogg's 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 released the following statement, "I'm 23 years old, and despite the successes I have had in the pool, 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."

The U.S. Olympic Committee also issued a statement that said in part: "Michael has acknowledged that he made a mistake and apologized for his actions. We are confident that, going forward, Michael will consistently set the kind of example we all expect from a great Olympic champion."

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like we said back in the day, 'fire it up!'

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plez sez: believe it or not, i was once 23-years old... and buck wild! *smile* yeah, at one time there was a bong in my dorm room... and on more than one occasion my room had a towel stuffed under the door while my roommate and i had the place reeking of endo... big frickin' deal! that's what NORMAL college students do... it wasn't every day and i was still on the dean's list as an electrical engineering student! was i right? no. did anyone get hurt? nope. and it's been more than 25 years since i've hit a bong... and yes, i inhaled!

if plezWorld did it, it can't be that bad!

the olympics was last summer... let dude have some fun and let his hair down. he obviously isn't a pothead, he broke numerous records on his way to winning a record number of gold medals... and didn't fail any drug tests.

p.s.a.: kids don't do drugs... or you'll end up a drug addict and a loser like michael phelps! HA HA HA!

legalize it.

~ ~ Citations ~ ~

Read the CNN.com article about Boss Hog who threatened to file charges against Michael Phelps.

Read the CNN.com article about Michael Phelps hitting a bong.

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7 comments:

Kim said...

illegal drugs are a serious offense and should never be legalized just so a bunch of dummies can get high. I beleive Marijuna is a gateway drug it It baffles me that people can't stay off dope for a million dollars that sums it up. Michale Phelps is a dummy and a loser just like anyone who engages in drug use. I'm wondering if he was juiced during the Olympics...

Anonymous said...

Wrong is wrong just like the underage drinking and DUI he had a few years ago.

Lets not justify stuff by saying its the actions of "normal" people. I'm as normal as can be and I've never experimented with a drug. I'm not better than anyone but I'm just as normal.

plez... said...

kim & symphony,

i respect your positions, but i beg to differ. i feel the criminalization of many recreational drugs is a waste of time and valuable community resources, which could be used elsewhere for greater effect.

Anonymous said...

We actually aren't differing on the criminalization of drug users plez.

If that's your argument I was a bit thrown off by bringing Phelps into the conversation.

Because that's not really the issue with Phelps. Other than a local law enforcement agency saying they will look into it, there aren't a lot of resources being put into this particular situation.

Right now Phelps is taking a PR hit. And that's just part of the program when you're a public figure.

Kim said...

legalizing drugs won't solve any problems, people take drugs for either recreation or to escape some kind of pain or dysfunction. Alcohol is legal and look at the lives it has damaged.

Unknown said...

you all are stupid. yes drug use is wrong and bad. but please, marijuana is not a problem. The south carolina police are being rediculous. ok, and think about the percentage of Americans who do and have smoked pot before. its criminal to charge him for a picture. if they do that then they need to arrest everyone in south carolina if they are photographed with drugs or underage drinking. fuck the south carolina police force nothing but a bunch of fucking losers out to make a buck

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