Actually, I've never gotten behind the wheel with a "buzz", but then two glasses of wine puts me under the table. I don't drink when I have to drive. And there's a huge difference between going fast and being reckless. Drinking impairs your judgment. It just seems the height of stupidity when you have endorsements that come with being an elite athlete to put that at risk so you can drink. I can't even get hired at Wegman's so maybe I'm not one to talk.
That being said, it's not like he was doing 10 mph over the speed limit. He was doing almost 40. In a tunnel. And weaving in and out of traffic. And that certainly does put innocent lives at risk, which IMHO is inexcusable. I'm all for tough DUI laws. As a reporter, I covered too many accidents that were caused by some drunk idiot behind the wheel. Phelps has done it before. He didn't learn his lesson then. Does he need help? I don't know, getting drunk and speeding doesn't necessarily make you an alcoholic. It just could be a case of arrogance. There are just some athletes who think they're invincible and maybe he's one of them.
I have no opinion on whether he should be banned from USAS, but it's not uncommon for an organization whose members stand to earn big money to impose standards of behavior. It's not fair in many cases, but you know that going in.
Actually, I've never gotten behind the wheel with a "buzz", but then two glasses of wine puts me under the table. I don't drink when I have to drive. And there's a huge difference between going fast and being reckless. Drinking impairs your judgment. It just seems the height of stupidity when you have endorsements that come with being an elite athlete to put that at risk so you can drink. I can't even get hired at Wegman's so maybe I'm not one to talk.
That being said, it's not like he was doing 10 mph over the speed limit. He was doing almost 40. In a tunnel. And weaving in and out of traffic. And that certainly does put innocent lives at risk, which IMHO is inexcusable. I'm all for tough DUI laws. As a reporter, I covered too many accidents that were caused by some drunk idiot behind the wheel. Phelps has done it before. He didn't learn his lesson then. Does he need help? I don't know, getting drunk and speeding doesn't necessarily make you an alcoholic. It just could be a case of arrogance. There are just some athletes who think they're invincible and maybe he's one of them.
I have no opinion on whether he should be banned from USAS, but it's not uncommon for an organization whose members stand to earn big money to impose standards of behavior. It's not fair in many cases, but you know that going in.
