Michael Phelps reconsidering 2012 Summer Games
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In his first interview since a photo surfaced of him with a marajuana pipe, Olympian Michael Phelps acknowledges that he ‘clearly made a mistake’ and is now reconsidering whether to compete during the 2012 Olympic Games.
Phelps’ first public comments since the photo surfaced last week in a British newspaper came in a story printed today by Baltimore Sun staff writer Kevin Van Valkenburg. (The Sun and The Times both are owned by Tribune Co.)
Here’s a bit of the story:
Phelps, who said that he ‘clearly made a mistake’ and that the past week has been both embarrassing and uncomfortable for him, spoke with the Baltimore Sun inside Meadowbrook Aquatic Center after finishing his daily workout. While he still has goals he wants to achieve in the sport, he said, he’s going to discuss it with his family and his coach, Bob Bowman. ‘This is a decision of mine that I’m not going to make today and I’m not going to make tomorrow,’ Phelps said. ‘It’s going to require a lot of time and energy and a lot of thinking for myself - but also talking to Bob and talking to my family and just deciding what I want to do. ‘Yeah, there are still goals that I have in the pool, 100 percent. But I’m not going to let anything stand in my way. If I decide to walk away, I’ll decide to walk away on my own terms. If it’s now, if it’s four years, who knows. But it is something I need to think about and decide what I want to do.’
Dan Patrick interviewed Van Valkenburg on his radio show this morning.
-- Greg Johnson