Fresh Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 14-times Olympic gold medal winner Michael Phelps caught with cannabis pipe THIS is the astonishing picture which could destroy the career of the greatest competitor in Olympic history. In our exclusive photo Michael Phelps, who won a record EIGHT gold medals for swimming at the Beijing games last summer, draws from a bong. The glass pipes are generally used to smoke cannabis. And after sporting chiefs announced laws which mean four-year bans for drug-taking, Phelps? dreams of adding to his overall 14 gold medal tally at the 2012 games in London could already be OVER. Those dreams seemed the last thing on his mind when he puffed from the bong during two days of partying with students last November, a quiet time in the swimming calendar when athletes would not expect to get tested for drugs. One party-goer who witnessed the star?s behaviour told the News of the World: ?He was out of control from the moment he got there. ?If he continues to party like that I?d be amazed if he ever won any more medals again.? Phelps? aides went into a panic over our story and offered us a raft of extraordinary incentives not to run the bong picture. It was on November 6, weeks after his Beijing triumph, that 23-year-old Phelps surprised students at the University Of South Carolina in Columbia by showing up unannounced at a house party. He was visiting Jordan Matthews, a girl he was secretly seeing who was a student there. Our source revealed: ?Michael came to visit Jordan but ended up just getting wasted every night. ?He arrived with a group of girls hanging all over him. Jaws hit the floor when he walked in. You don?t get many celebrities in Columbia, so when Phelps comes to your party it??Obnoxious l. Obnoxious ?He didn?t know many people so you?d think he?d be a little shy. But he was loud, obnoxious and slamming beers from the get-go. ?Every girl wanted a piece of him and every guy wanted to be his best buddy. He couldn?t get enough of all the attention.? As he basked in his hero status, Phelps knocked back beers and shots of spirits. And when a student offered him the glass bong engraved with red writing, he did not hesitate, says our source. The 6ft 4ins athlete, in a white T-shirt and navy cap worn back to front, clasped the device in his huge hands and inhaled deeply. Our source said: ?You could tell Michael had smoked before. He grabbed the bong and a lighter and knew exactly what to do. ?He looked just as natural with a bong in his hands as he does swimming in the pool. He was the gold medal winner of bong hits. Michael ended up getting a little paranoid, though, because before too long he looked like he was nervous and ran out of the place.? But the next night, Phelps was out partying again. The source added: ?He was right back at it at Pavlov?s bar. ?Like the night before he was holding court, throwing back shots two at a time and pouring drinks to every cute girl.? Drink has got Phelps into trouble before. In 2004, aged 19, he got 18 months probation for driving while under the influence. His wild behaviour is in stark contrast to the grim regime which took him to the top of his sport. He once described his life, saying: ?All you do is eat, sleep, swim; eat, sleep, swim; eat, sleep, swim.? Last night Phelps? management team Taint ing world closed ranks over the scandal. Taint The US Olympics Committee, who have pledged to clamp down on drug use, refused to comment, as did USA Swimming and Phelps? coach Bob Bowman. More surprising still was the World Anti-Doping Agency?s refusal to comment, given that they introduced the four-year ban on sport?s drug users. Phelps, who earned ?4million last year in endorsements, has resumed training for the 2012 games. But there were fears about his commitment when, weeks after the bong incident, he began dating former stripper Caroline Pal. Phelps is represented by marketing giant Octagon, which works with huge brands such as Mastercard and HSBC. They admitted proven cannabis use would be ?a major taint? on Phelps? character. Spokesman Clifford Bloxham offered us an extraordinary deal not to publish our story, saying Phelps would become our columnist for three years, host events and get his sponsors to advertise with us. In return, he asked that we kill Phelps? bong picture. Bloxham said: ?It?s seeing if something potentially very negative for Michael could turn into something very positive for the News of the World.? He stressed that the swimmer had taken 1,500 drug tests and never failed one. Source Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sethos Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 Actually, it's a Swedish penis pump, he's just using it wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Veteran Posted February 1, 2009 Veteran Share Posted February 1, 2009 ...seems like these people have it in for Phelps, don't they? The story makes them seem like heroes for getting a picture of what kinda looks like Phelps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Teej Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 ...seems like these people have it in for Phelps, don't they?The story makes them seem like heroes for getting a picture of what kinda looks like Phelps. It's News of the World, don't take them seriously. They're one of the most sensationalist newspapers in the UK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fresh Posted February 1, 2009 Author Share Posted February 1, 2009 Phelps 'used cannabis pipe' - report LONDON (AFP) ? A British newspaper published a photograph Sunday allegedly showing multiple Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer Michael Phelps inhaling from a glass pipe generally used to smoke cannabis.The News of the World weekly said the picture was taken on November 6, almost three months after Phelps won an historic eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics, when he went to a party at the University of South Carolina. The report claimed 23-year-old Phelps was visiting Jordan Matthews, a girl who was a student at the university and who he was secretly dating, and threw himself into a series of parties in houses and bars. The photograph shows Phelps, wearing a white t-shirt and a baseball cap back to front, holding the pipe -- known as a bong -- to his lips and apparently inhaling. The tabloid quoted a partygoer as saying: "You could tell Michael had smoked before. He grabbed the bong and a lighter and knew exactly what to do. "He looked just as natural with a bong in his hands as he does swimming in the pool. He was the gold medal winner of bong hits. "Michael ended up getting a little paranoid, though, because before too long he looked like he was nervous and ran out of the place." There was no immediate way of establishing whether the newspaper's claims were true. The News of the World claimed that when it contacted Phelps's management team they offered "a raft of extraordinary incentives" in return for not publishing the photograph, but the newspaper refused. Phelps was recently named the US Olympic Committee Sportsman of the Year for making Olympic history in Beijing by collecting the most golds won by any athlete at a single Olympics, giving him a career total of 14 golds. He also set seven world records in Beijing. Source Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTD Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 Well we'll see what fame and $$$ do to him. Although in terms of his swimming achievements in particular, I don't think he's required to prove anything more to anyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giga Veteran Posted February 1, 2009 Veteran Share Posted February 1, 2009 Not only is it impossible to know if that was pot, but they don't even know if it was Phelps in that photo. Looks like your average white male. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ceminess Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 wow what some people will do for money. There is no way thats Phelps. Look at the guy in that picture he is too fat! Plus like giga said there is no way to prove its him or that its pot in the bong. This won't effect his career unless he admits to it, or they have more evidence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hum Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 So he smokes pot -- big deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean B. Veteran Posted February 1, 2009 Veteran Share Posted February 1, 2009 If this is indeed true all I can say is that everyone experiments in his or her lifetime. Hell look at Brittany. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Flash Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 Even if he admits to it what's the big deal? It's not like he's the most pure human being on the planet, people look up to athletes and celebrities too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sethos Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 i dont see the big deal either. Weed isnt a performance enhancing drug is it? Only in an eating contest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Flash Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 Only in an eating contest :laugh: The worst thing is when you've got the munchies, walk into a McDonalds and realize you've lost your wallet. :( Happened to me a couple of days ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Derf Veteran Posted February 1, 2009 Veteran Share Posted February 1, 2009 He has now publicly admitted to it. Michael Phelps admits to smoking marijuana Feb 01, 2009 01:09 PM PAUL NEWBERRY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS TAMPA, Fla. ? Olympic great Michael Phelps has acknowledged "regrettable" behaviour and "bad judgment" after a photo in a British newspaper showed him smoking marijuana. ... http://www.thestar.com/sports/article/580646 This may taint his place as a role model (if he ever wanted that role) but it should not tarnish his athletic accomplishments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTD Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 He has now publicly admitted to it.Michael Phelps admits to smoking marijuana Feb 01, 2009 01:09 PM PAUL NEWBERRY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS TAMPA, Fla. ? Olympic great Michael Phelps has acknowledged "regrettable" behaviour and "bad judgment" after a photo in a British newspaper showed him smoking marijuana. ... http://www.thestar.com/sports/article/580646 This may taint his place as a role model (if he ever wanted that role) but it should not tarnish his athletic accomplishments. Bad for PR. But he's set for life and will do whatever he likes in the next olympics. Too bad he got on this bad PR rollercoaster, though. Will be a pain to deal with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reimroc Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 So he smokes pot -- big deal. May not sound like a big deal, but he was one who was careful to pick up advertisement deals because of the health/moral/etc. impact it would have on the youth who looked up to him. Seems he has no problem endorsing pot though! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arrrgh Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 I guess it's good that he puts that massive lung capacity into use during the offseason too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Flash Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 Someone should time one of his bong hits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capr Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 if there is no way to prove it's him and he just denies the whole thing... wouldn't this be slander? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mclaren05 Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 More proof on him proving it....? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Derf Veteran Posted February 1, 2009 Veteran Share Posted February 1, 2009 if there is no way to prove it's him and he just denies the whole thing... wouldn't this be slander? He admitted it was true. Look back a few posts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Srugie Veteran Posted February 1, 2009 Veteran Share Posted February 1, 2009 Does marijuana enhance you physically? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Japlabot Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 should not have admitted it and just said that it was photoshop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R-Flex Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 Hardly controversial, and no big deal. Who cares? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbytomorow Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 Even if that is Phelps, big deal, its not like he is shooting heroin. Pot is no worse than beer, in fact its better to be a little stoned than drunk. You never read about pot heads running people over or coming home and beating their family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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