Today’s Guest Column
Part of being a professional athlete is being a role model on and off the field or in and out of the pool. This can cause extra stress and pressure, as athletes have to make sure all their decisions reflect them in a positive light, as if they are always in the spotlight. For some professional athletes, maintaining a good image is a difficult task. One athlete in particular has been making headlines this past week, not for his athletic abilities but rather for his mistakes: swimmer Michael Phelps.
On Sept. 30, 22-time Olympic medalist Michael Phelps was charged with his second DUI in this state, violating USA Swimming’s code of conduct. He was charged with driving under the influence, excessive speed and crossing double lane lines on Interstate 95. He registered a .14 on a blood-alcohol test, while the legal limit in this state is .08. Phelps’ trial is Nov. 19, and if convicted he faces a year in jail, a six-month suspension of his license and a $1,000 fine.
On Monday, USA Swimming suspended Phelps for six months and he will not be competing on next year’s U.S. team at the FINA World Championships in Russia, even though he already qualified. Also, USA Swimming will not be paying Phelps his monthly stipend during the suspension.
Phelps took all the sanctions without resistance and also announced that he will be attending rehab. On Sunday, Phelps released a series of tweets stating his remorse and disappointment in himself. One of them read:“I’m going to take some time away to attend a program that will provide the help I need to better understand myself.”
This is not Phelps’ first offense. In 2004, when Phelps was 19, he was arrested for drunken driving but USA Swimming took no action. Then in 2009, he was suspended for three months after he was photagraphed using a marijuana pipe. But he was not charged for that.
Considering that this isn’t Phelps’ first or second offense, his actions are just boring at this point — boring in the sense that Phelps obviously has not learned from his mistakes and it seems as if he is just keeps pushing his limits. Why did USA Swimming not take action for his first offense 10 years ago? Also, the court waived the conviction for Phelps back in 2004. Maybe if Phelps hadn’t gotten off as easily as he did for his first DUI, then he might have realized the standard he would have to keep for all his years as an athlete and beyond.
Phelps is the most decorated Olympic athlete ever, and 2014 was going to be his comeback year, as he announced earlier this year that he was coming out of retirement and had his sights set on competing in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016. Not being able to compete in the world meet will greatly set him back from meeting his goal in competing in a fifth Olympics.
Phelps had huge plans for 2014 and now they are all gone because of his own fault. Hopefully this will be his last offense as he has already taken action to seek help and is facing jail time so the seriousness of his actions will finally set in for him.
Jessica Nocera is a sophomore government and politics and journalism major. She can be reached at jnocera@terpmail.umd.edu.
