Michael Phelps said his three-month ban from competition is a "fair" punishment after photographs were published appearing to show him smoking cannabis.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olym...es/7873669.stm

Personally this decision really annoys me - I cannot believe that he's been banned for 3 months for this by USA Swimming. He has violated no anti doping rules in the sport. After all he's done for US swimming they treat their best star like this. Why can't he be entitled to let his hair down once in a while? What has he done wrong, smoked a bit of dope and had some idiot reporter snap him in the process... So what - so many people do it, would he have been banned if he had gone on an alcohol bender?

Alcohol isn't an illegal drug.

It isn't fair, of course, but so it goes.

Very true it's not illegal, but probably does far more damage in many ways - but that's another story.

So he did something illegal - then he could be prosecuted and punished by the law. But I still don't understand why the US swimming body feels it needs to act and punish him.

Perhaps for bringing the sport into disrepute?

Although violence towards women doesn't seem to get punished very often by sporting bodies...

Maybe, to the authorities, a drug is a drug is a drug. If he's an accomplished sportsman, he would know which substances are acceptable (ale) and which aren't (spliffs), and should, therefore, know better.

I would probably earn more than a suspension from my job were I to be photographed smoking cannabis. He's got off lucky, I'd say.

Amazing how guilty he seems to feel isn't it. As it says there he apparently disappointed a many. It still seems to be in people's heads that when someone is so extraordinarily successful he just does not need to reach out for drugs. It is like saying, winning all these medals is all good and nice but it is not enough. Personally I could not care less but being a sports hero apparently carries with it some responsibility of behaving like a good citizen and all that blabla nonsense.

I don't think it is nonsense, though. Being a sportsman or sportswoman does carry a certain amount of responsibility, just as being a teacher, a well known priest or imam, or a politician does.

If people expect you to set an example, and in all those professions people do, then you really do have to set an example.

It's unfair that rock musicians, plumbers and bankers are largely exempt from these rules, but that's the way it is, and anybody who becomes a sportsman, teacher or police officer (for example) should know that before they set out to achieve their ambitions.

Yep, does that include Prince Harry too

Partly, although he never had a choice in the matter.

He's not been banned because he did something illegal per se but because he broke the code of conduct. Organisations have codes of conduct not just to set standards of behaviour but to emphasise their values. He represents a national sporting team and taking drugs is not what they stand for. If they didn't do something it would make a mockery of having a code of conduct.

Forget swimming the sport and Phelps the swimmer here. This stuff is about swimming the business and Phelps the product. A multi million dollar business. The target audience for buying cereal with Phelps on the box for their kids doesn't like any "bad" behaviour (however hypocritical their position is). Phelps has damaged his brand and the swimming authorities will feel their brand tarnished as well. They need to be seen to be doing "something" if they want to keep their business on track. There are many mouths to feed and snouts in the trough to be protected

In relation to others who have had longer bans just for missing a test, it would seem that he has got off quite lightly.

There are probably some officials who have the view that if he smokes cannabis, has he/will he take other banned drugs?

The banning system for drugs in sport is a very haphazard system: life bans in some sports and not much more than a slap on the wrist in others.

Normally I would agree with you about the possibility of him taking bannned drugs, but Phelps was very vocal about all athletes being tested time and time again during the games. He even volunteered to more tests than required.

Personally, I think he just messed up and is owning up to it. I'm American and will be the first to say that some laws in the US are ridiculous - but if you are willing to be a role model (not just in winning 8 medals but also getting involved in youth swimming) you can't be a role model when it is convenient for you.

I accept that sportspeople do need to act responsibly, and realise that they are role models. BUT, they are primarily sportspeople. And this particular guy has I'm sure been a source of immense pride to his fellow countrymen. And he has probably inspired hundreds of thousands of young swimmers across the globe, it's hardly a case now of "Hey, see that fella was caught smoking weed, let's give us this swimming lark and all get stoned out of our brains." The guy is a unique talent, has done so much good for the sport, but one step out of line and bam, you naughty boy you, no competitions for you for 3 months.

Of course you'll get away with off the field antics more in some sports than others (e.g. soccer). Imagine the English FA banning Cristiano Ronaldo for 3 months because he was photographed smoking dope in some private party in Manchester? Couldn't see it happening. Alex Feguson probably wouldn't be too happy though...

As regards code of conduct, fair point - didn't mention that in the BBC article, but I saw it in some other articles.

Yokine, I agree with what you say, and there's just so much hypocrisy in all of this. Phelps himself is probably being a hypocrite - he's probably not really sorry, just realises how much money he'll lose on contracts and sponsorships if he's not seen to be remorseful. Dope is so freely available in the US, so widely used that (I believe) it's hypocritical to ban an athlete and imply that by his actions that he would be partly to blame for young people taking up dope. The whole legal situation anyway regarding dope is hypocritical when alcohol (IMO) is a more dangerous drug.

His crime was to get caught. He could perhaps have been a bit more careful, and I'm sure he knows that - but he came out and admitted what he did and said he was sorry. I'm sure there are scores of other athletes who would smoke a bit in private. His actions (to me) were harmless and done at a private party. A 3 month competition ban for one of the world's greatest athletes for smoking a bit of ganja at private party is still to me way over the top.

This is an interesting debate.

My $0.02 are that just because he is an athlete he is a human being. We all do things that could bring us into disrepute from time to time. Should his moment cause him more damage then anything the rest of us do?

There were similar situations in other sports, In cycling Jan Ulrich got tested positive for ectasy and had a 6 month ban, he was caught in an out of competition drug test (AFAIK) so did fall under the doping laws. More recently Tom Boonen got done for cocaine. He effectively got off with a fine and no sporting sanction as it was recreational and not performance enhancing (when it was taken). He did have to go through the criminal court proceedings though too.

Phelps ban is probably largely for show though. He was on a break and I am not aware of what competitions he will acutally miss in the next 3 months. The ban does not stop him from traiining and I would bet that he will be back in the pool kicking butt at the next large international swimming event.

Or less damage?

If he was a police officer, a teacher or a politician, he'd almost certainly lose his job.

A few months' suspension is quite mild in comparison.

Yes, but he is not, and in effect he is self employed. Would you fire yourself if you got caught with a bit of whacky backy?

I wouldn't allow myself to get caught.

I think it could be largely for show too. Sporting bodies wanting to be seen to be doing their part for "the good of the sport, and the young aspiring swimmers out there" (yawn, yawn). I wouldn't be surprised if Phelps himself came to some kind of agreement with them to limit the damage - knowing he won't be missing any serious competitions anyway. A charade to keep everyone happy, and all for a bit of "whacky backy"

Isn't that what being 'professional' is all about - in any profession?

yeah - especially in teaching.......