Wow, What a Statement!

We are all aware by now of Michael Phelps' recent incident involving him having a picture taken while smoking an illegal substance at a party. Although he never accepts responsibility for what he did, he stated that it was a mistake and that he used poor judgment. There are a few things that bother me about this.

The following expert was taken from Yahoo Sports in an interview Phelps gave to NBC.

In an interview with NBC’s Matt Lauer, the swimming star didn’t directly answer the question of whether he was smoking marijuana.

According to excerpts released by the network Thursday, Phelps replied: “It was a bad mistake. I mean, we all know what, you know, what you and I are talking about. It’s a stupid mistake. You know, bad judgment. And it’s something that, you know, I have to, and I want to teach other people not to make that mistake.”

USA Swimming suspended the Olympic great for three months after the photo was published in a British tabloid Feb. 1. He also lost his sponsorship from Kellogg.

Phelps has previously apologized for his poor judgment.

The photo was taken at a house party while Phelps was visiting Columbia, S.C., in November during an extended break from training after he won a record eight gold medals in Beijing.

“There was probably two or three people there I didn’t know,” he said. “It was a very small group. Six or seven people probably total in the whole house. Like nothing major. You know, not like a giant college house party. It was nothing like that. It was just a small group and we were just sitting around and celebrating.”

Phelps said he trusted his friends that the people he didn’t know there could also be trusted.

“I’ll say that there are a lot of people out there who want to take advantage of any situation they have. … Sometimes you learn the hard way,” he said.

There is a cavalier attitude portrayed about this when he speaks about the photo. It's clear that he is not genuinely upset by his actions. Instead he is upset at the misfortune of getting caught. He thought everyone at that party could be trusted. Why is it that people in the celebrity spotlight are treated so much differently from the majority of the rest of the world? We've all made bad choices in our lives. And we have all learned from them, hopefully. But from my experience, when one is truly sorry for the hurt and anguish caused, there is a brokenness that is apparent in the manor of that individual. Disappointment is letting down a friend or family member, or others that look up to you. Remorse is evident and is essential in recovering trust.

Personally, though the incident happens daily and is appalling, I could care less that he made a bad decision and that I had to hear about it. By now these actions by the rich and famous are the norm. We are used to it. It's unfortunate that popularity allows actions to be accepted because bad actions are expected. I wish there was a true standard of honorable living felt by all role models today. Perhaps one day as age paves the way for wisdom, celebrities will gain a bit more humility and realize that chasing self indulgent desires and not caring about consequences is fleeting. There are many public figures and heroes that care what others think. I'll continue to listen to their words.