Michael Phelps and a bong? Is there any truth to this?

That was my first thought too... match the watch and you've caught your toker. The gossip sites are one step ahead on this one... I found a site that has about 5 pics of him with that watch. The only problem is they look like they were photoshopped just to keep the story alive. Personally I don't think it's Michael in the picture. Not that he wouldn't do it, I just don't think that picture is of him. Those other pics with him wearing that same watch don't look photoshopped at all. I'm very dissapointed in Michael. My kids certainly won't be getting any new Michael Phelps merchandise and I will have to explain to them that he's not the hero they thought he was. His tales of cavorting around like a drunk college kid--except all of the time--have been the thing of legend since Beijing ended, but this is just too much.

Why would anyone lace pot with toxic stuff? It's just pot. I say legalize it and tax the hell out of it. Put restrictions on it, just like alcohol and tobacco. All the people who want to smoke it will pay for it and pay the price for it if they go against the restrictions. Educate the young about the horrors of it. I for one will use Michael's gaff as an education opportunity for anyone who brings it up. But, I will not lambast him for this. It's just pot. He'll still win a handful of golds in 2012. Everyone will forget and time will move on. Studies have shown that THC in certain applications can be beneficial. Legalize it and help out the economy. Who would want to lace pot? I can think of a number of different organizations that would love nothing better than to see some of our young college kids drop dead. Does al-Qaeda ring a bell to you? How many hands does this stuff pass through before it gets to the person using it? Too easy to taint. The only reason to legalize it is because of what I mention above. The widespread use by college kids makes it an attractive target for terrorists. If it was legalized, it could at least be inspected. Pot will neve be legalized for the same reasons our major cities don't have a red light district like Amsterdam.

Seriously. Who cares about this? If you have a kid that admires him, the only thing you can do is to try and explain that life isn't black and white. Ppl are human, they make mistakes. You and I may or may not agree with them, but nobody is perfect. The challenge is to honor and recognize everybody's faults and weaknesses. Well, amazingly enough, we agree on one thing: I don't give a toss that he smoked pot and pass no moral judgment. I wish he wasn't so abundantly stupid and reckless to do it publicly. No brain cell activity going on whatsoever. Why do people with no kids always feel compelled to give parenting advice though? And I don't see any value in "honoring" faults that include lying and cheating or engaging in illegal behavior. Maybe "honor" just isn't the right word choice? And my 14 year old knew about it before this thread was even started ...

The best you can come up with as an excuse for his behavior is that he isn't pulling guns in nightclubs? Plaxico Burress is only human too, after all.

Have you ever gotten in your car and went over the speed limit? Thats breaking the law, too. Nobody here is perfect, stop putting Phelps up as a god who will never make a mistake. Besides, speeding has a lot better chance of hurting someone else than smoking weed. Have you been smoking the weed as well, er, excuse me, the tobacco water pipe? I don't believe anyone has said he's a god or hold him to god standards. I think many of us are merely holding him to the same standards we'd hold our kids or other citizens to. In addition, please remember Phelps has/is banking literally on his wholesome image. Do you not recall he was one of the enhanced drug testing pilot program participants at the Olympics? I think it is very telling that many of those who are chiming in on the "it's just pot" mantra don't have kids and haven't had to explain this to impressionable youngsters in the past day. You probably also aren't aware that he had been all over Splash magazine the past year, which the swimmer kids really seem to like. How in the world can any sane person say this doesn't hurt anyone? The message he is sending is loud and clear. All the Phelp's apologists are now saying the same thing they said after the DWI. At least you are consistent.

Phelps isnt Christ, stop crucifying him. Wow, thanks for the sermon from the mount. I don't think anyone is crucifying him. I think the general tone has been one of disappointment, and utter stupidity. But, you hang onto the God theme a while longer. You'RE only human, after all. I will tell you that I would not consider this a "mistake" if my kids made it. But, then again, Phelps isn't a kid, he's an adult, right?

OMG. Are you for real?! Yes, I am a real person. I'm not sure what part of my opinion you are shocked by, but I hope you are not so naive that you think the lacing of drugs could not happen. It appears that you are not aware of the report of the DEA's discovery of an advanced plot by Osama bin Laden in 2002 to buy a massive amount of cocaine and poison it. Apparently, the plot failed when the drug lords decided that if the plan succeeded, it would pretty much destroy the market for their cocaine. Maybe you think I'm not real in saying that pot will never be legalized throughout the entire U.S. Pigs will do butterfly before that happens.

he is human and will make mistakes. And I wasnt a Phelps apologist in 04 when he drove drunk. I had a good friend die in an accident with a drunk driver. I was livid, however, I also understand that he again is human and that many people have driven drunk. Scary post. I'm not going to tell my kids "he's human and make mistakes." I'm going to tell them he's a flaming idiot with no judgment and they could wreck their own lives getting caught smoking pot. I don't encourage any hero worship of athletes, but it's natural for kids to do it themselves. Driving drunk is not "human" and way way more idiotic, reckless and awful than smoking pot.

I don't consider the use of illegal drugs to be a mistake, sorry. I had a much different conversation with my kids than you had with your cousin. I'm not crucifying or judging and I'm certainly willing to forgive, not that my forgiveness means anything to Phelps, nor is it my place.

But people tell me all the time as a 25 year old that im a kid and dont have as much wisdom and older adults. That's idiotic. You're not a kid. You're fully responsible for your own actions. You have as much wisdom or raw brain matter (I guess), possibly just less experience.