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Police arrested Olympic swimming great Michael Phelps on a DUI charge early Tuesday, and officials say he was speeding and failed field sobriety tests when officers pulled him over.
Phelps was charged with driving under the influence, excessive speed and crossing double-lane lines in the Fort McHenry Tunnel on Interstate 95 in Baltimore, according to the Maryland Transportation Authority.
Phelps, 29, acknowledged the arrest and issued an apology in a statement released Tuesday afternoon.
"Earlier this morning, I was arrested and charged with DUI, excessive speeding and crossing double lane lines," Phelps said in the statement. "I understand the severity of my actions and take full responsibility. I know these words may not mean much right now but I am deeply sorry to everyone I have let down."
A Maryland Transportation Authority Police officer was using radar about 1:40 a.m. when Phelps' white 2014 Land Rover came through at 84 mph in a 45 mph zone, the transportation authority said in a statement. The officer stopped Phelps just beyond the tunnel's toll plaza.
"Mr. Phelps was identified as the driver by his driver's license and appeared to be under the influence," the statement said. "He was unable to perform satisfactorily a series of standard field sobriety tests."
The statement said Phelps was cooperative throughout the process. Phelps was arrested and taken to a transportation authority station, from which he was later released.
Phelps, who retired after the 2012 London Olympics, made a comeback to competition in April and won three gold medals while representing the United States' team in last month's Pan Pacific championships.
"The news regarding Michael Phelps and his actions are disappointing and unquestionably serious," USA Swimming said in a statement. "We expect our athletes to conduct themselves responsibly in and out of the pool."
This is Phelps' second DUI charge in Maryland. The first charge was in 2004 on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, and he received 18 months' probation and a $250 fine. Phelps also was required to deliver a presentation on alcohol awareness to students at three high schools.
At the time, Phelps told the judge in a packed courtroom: "I recognize the seriousness of this mistake. I've learned from this mistake and will continue learning from this mistake for the rest of my life."
Phelps is the most decorated Olympian of all time with 22 Olympic medals. He also generated negative attention in 2009, when a photo in a British newspaper showed him inhaling from a marijuana pipe.
Phelps, who has won a record 18 gold medals, did not dispute the authenticity of the photo published by the tabloid News of the World, acknowledging "regrettable" behaviour and "bad judgement."
USA Swimming, the sport's national governing body could suspend Phelps from competition as it did for three months when he was photographed with the marijuana pipe, even though there were no criminal charges in that incident, and it was not treated as a doping code violation.
The U.S. Olympic Committee does not have jurisdiction to sanction Phelps unless he were to be selected for another Olympic team. In either scenario, Phelps would have the right to a hearing.
Tuesday afternoon, longtime college and Olympic-level coach Jon Urbanchek, an assistant to head coach Bob Bowman during Phelps' time with Club Wolverine in Ann Arbor, told ESPN.com he was about to send a supportive text to Phelps.
"I wrote, 'Michael, we'll get over this one too. Regardless of what anyone says, you're a good guy,'" Urbanchek said.
Urbanchek called the DUI "a stupid mistake ... he should have known better,'' but maintained that Phelps is far more mature than he was when he was arrested for the same offense in 2004.
"You can't compare him to 10 years ago,'' said Urbanchek, now a volunteer assistant at the University of Southern California. "He's still a kid in some respects, but he's such a grown-up person now. I'm sorry for his family, for (Phelps' mother) Debbie, but I'm sure Michael will learn from this and it'll never happen again. I respect and stand by him, as I'm sure Bob (Bowman) and all of us who love him will.''
2 comments:
It goes to show that no one is immune from the power of alcohol and how it can even take down one of the biggest athletes on the planet. What I took away was how he took his medicine, made amends, and turned his life around to the point he won more gold medals at RIO this year in the pool.
Kim Hunter @ K Hunter Law
So Michael Phelps is human like the rest of us. I am not saying what he did was right in anyway at all. I just hope he really does learn his lesson and moves on from this to better things. He has done amazing things with swimming. I hope he doesn't jeopardize that by doing more stupid things.
Eliseo Weinstein @ JR's Bail Bonds
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