A couple days after Michael Phelps apologized for being photographed with a marijuana pipe, the cereal maker says it has dropped the 14-time Olympic gold medalist as a spokesman.
“We originally built the relationship with Michael, as well as the other Olympic athletes, to support our association with the U.S. Olympic team,” a rep for the Battle Creek, Mich.-based company said Thursday, and the swimmer’s recent behavior is “not consistent with the image of Kellogg.”
Their contract with Phelps is set to expire at the end of this month. At press time, the 23-year-old also has a sponsorship deal with Subway, which has declined to comment on its golden boy’s slip-up.
Also Thursday, USA Swimming, the sport’s governing body in the U.S., suspended Phelps from competition for three months to teach the lad a lesson.
“This is not a situation where any anti-doping rule was violated, but we decided to send a strong message to Michael because he disappointed so many people, particularly the hundreds of thousands of USA Swimming member kids who look up to him as a role model and a hero,” the federation said in a statement.
“Michael has voluntarily accepted this reprimand and has committed to earn back our trust.”
“It’s times like these where you really do get true support, and I’ve really been able to find out who my friends and family are,” Phelps told E! News before the dual announcements were made. “That was some bad judgment, bad mistakes, and I’m all over it.”
Phelps, who showed up on boxes of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes and Frosted Flakes after winning a record eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics last summer, publicly apologized Tuesday for not just saying no to drugs after the British tabloid News of the World published a pic of him appearing to smoke pot at a party last fall.
“I engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment,” Phelps said in a statement. “I’m 23 years old, and, despite the successes I’ve had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner people have come to expect from me. For this, I am sorry. I promise my fans and the public it will not happen again.”
He then made the smart move of averting attention to whether he’ll compete in the 2012 Olympic Games or not.
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Phelps suspended from competition
Michael Phelps’ day grew lousier by the hour on Thursday.
First he lost a major sponsor, then he got suspended.
The Olympic great was suspended from competition for three months by USA Swimming, the latest fallout from a photo that showed him inhaling from a marijuana pipe.
The sport’s national governing body also cut off its financial support to Phelps for the same three-month period, effective immediately.
“This is not a situation where any anti-doping rule was violated, but we decided to send a strong message to Michael because he disappointed so many people, particularly the hundreds of thousands of USA Swimming member kids who look up to him as a role model and a hero,” the Colorado Springs-based federation said in a statement.
“Michael has voluntarily accepted this reprimand and has committed to earn back our trust,” the statement said.
Phelps won a record eight gold medals in Beijing and returned to America as one of the world’s most acclaimed athletes. He made headlines of a different kind, however, in the wake of the photo, published Sunday by News of the World, a British tabloid.
Earlier Thursday, cereal and snack maker Kellogg Co. announced it wouldn’t renew its sponsorship contract with Phelps, saying his behavior is “not consistent with the image of Kellogg.” The swimmer appeared on the company’s cereal boxes after his Olympic triumph.
“Michael accepts these decisions and understands their point of view,” said one of his agents, Drew Johnson. “He feels bad he let anyone down. He’s also encouraged by the thousands of comments he’s received from his fans and the support from his many sponsors. He intends to work hard to regain everyone’s trust.”
Phelps’ coach, Bob Bowman, said he believes Phelps will emerge from the experience a stronger swimmer and person.
“Michael’s been through a lot and he’s learned a lot, hopefully,” Bowman told The Associated Press during a telephone interview. “I support him and I want to see him do better. I’m here, as always, to try to help him move forward. He’s learned some tough lessons and he’s disappointed a lot of people, me included.”
Phelps has acknowledged “regrettable” behavior and “bad judgment.” He didn’t dispute the authenticity of the photo, reportedly taken at a house party while Phelps was visiting Columbia, S.C., in November during an extended break from training.
“I certainly understand USA Swimming needed to take action,” Bowman said. “We will certainly abide by everything they’ve put down.”
USA Swimming provides a $1,750 monthly stipend to national team members to help defray travel and training expenses, plus performance bonuses. However, it’s a small percentage of the millions Phelps makes through endorsements.
The 23-year-old has resumed training in his hometown of Baltimore, but his plans to return to competitive swimming will have to be put on hold. Phelps had planned to compete in early March at a Grand Prix meet in Austin, Texas.
Now, he won’t be able to compete until early May, which would give him a little more than two months for some racing before July’s world championships in Rome.
“This is the result of a poor decision Michael made,” U.S. Olympic Committee spokesman Darryl Seibel said in an e-mail. “He understands there is accountability and has pledged to not repeat this in the future. We have offered our assistance to make certain he is as consistent and successful away from the pool as he is in it, and we are confident that will happen.”
After the suspension, Phelps would be able to compete at a May meet in Charlotte, N.C.; there’s another Grand Prix competition in Santa Clara, Calif., the following month. The U.S. team for Rome will be chosen at the national championships, which begin July 7 in Indianapolis.
“He’s been very good in practice,” Bowman said. “I think he feels good to be back in the water. Certainly, he’s not in very good shape.
“We’re anxious to get back to a really normal routine and we have,” Bowman said. “We’re moving on.”
Several of Phelps’ Olympic teammates rallied to his defense. Among them was Dara Torres, the 41-year-old silver medalist whom Phelps jokingly referred to in Beijing as “Mom.”
“I see him as a kid trying to grow up in the most intense spotlight known to any athlete. He has apologized and what else can he do?” she told the AP by telephone. “The thing I hope is that people realize Michael is still a person and not just a swimming hero.”
Torres said she sent Phelps a text a few days ago to extend her support.
“He didn’t let the USA down at the games, so we shouldn’t let him down,” she said.
Torres doesn’t expect a three-month suspension in a non-Olympic year to have much affect on Phelps’ career. He intends to keep swimming through the 2012 London Games.
“Knowing Michael the way I do, I guarantee you it’s going to make him want to do well,” Torres said. “All this is going to do is light a fire under him.”
Amanda Beard compared Phelps’ ordeal to some of the disdain she faced after posing nude in Playboy magazine before the Beijing Games.
“If anyone knows public scrutiny, it’s me,” the four-time Olympian said in a text message. “When I posed for Playboy, so many officials looked down on me. Michael knows he isn’t a bad person. He made a mistake. People need to get over it. I want to cheer him on in London.”
Gold medalist Ryan Lochte, who was one of Phelps’ teammates and main rivals in Bejing, said: “It really is kind of harsh. It’s just a picture.”
And even a rival agent came to Phelps’ defense.
“Enough is enough,” said Evan Morgenstein, who represents a large number of Olympic swimmers. “The penalty is far greater than the crime. He has said he is sorry. Let’s move on to the real problems in this country.”
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