Michael Phelps stoned by the media

Is anyone else getting tired of seeing our Olympic hero Michael Phelps being crucified by the mainstream media?

I know I am and was disgusted to see this poll question on SportsCenter Thursday night:

Do you think less of Michael Phelps after what he did?

Ummm...let me think about that...NO WAY! He actually gained some ground in my book because now I don't think of him as a dorky swimmer kid.

Just because Phelps likes to party every once in awhile doesn't mean he is a bad person. The guy is an adult at 23 years of age and can make decisions for himself, right or wrong.

And do you know how many millions of Americans smoke weed? Let me just help you out, it is A LOT more than you think. There are probably about as many people partaking in the marijuana pastime as there are speeding on the roads.

Both offenses are breaking the law right? I can guarantee you speeding kills more people every year than marijuana does.

So after an apology from Phelps the USA Swimming committee suspended him from competition for three months.

Wait a second, this is news to me. They actually have real swim meets outside of the Olympics? And people actually go and watch them? Okay seriously, I know they have competitive swimming events but my point is why would Michael Phelps even care about this suspension?

I've seen a picture of Phelps from these non-Olympic events and the dude doesn't even shave. You know how swimmers are supposed to cut down on water resistance by removing every hair on their body? Well, he doesn't even do that for these because he is competing against other Americans who he probably beats by a pool length, with one arm tied behind his back!

I am sure his training and preparation are all aimed at one goal every four years, and that is winning as many gold medals at the Olympics as possible. I seriously doubt his financial well-being is dependant on the $3,500 first place check from the Long Beach Aqua Classic presented by Speedo.

But he may have to downgrade his ride from a Bentley to a Lamborghini because he did lose ONE of his sponsors in wake of this public scrutiny.

The Kellogg Co. has decided not to endorse the acclaimed athlete in the future, but the rest of his sponsors decided to stick with him and accepted the incident as a mistake. Since most of Kellogg's products are sold for children, I guess there were too many soccer moms picketing at the corporate office for them to continue their partnership with Phelps.

I know Phelps said he wanted to be a role model but hey, even those guys make mistakes sometimes. Remember the Kobe Bryant saga in Colorado? How about the former president of our country named William Jefferson Clinton?

Until Phelps starts costing the United States gold medals in the Olympics, let the kid do whatever he wants.


Freelance writer Scott Cooley shares his thoughts.