Michael Phelps Acknowledges Photo Showing Him Smoking Pot

Olympic great Michael Phelps acknowledged “regrettable” behaviour and “bad judgment” after a photo in a British newspaper Sunday showed him inhaling from a marijuana pipe.

In a statement released to The Associated Press, the swimmer who won a record eight gold medals at the Beijing Games did not dispute the authenticity of the exclusive picture published Sunday by the tabloid News of the World.

“I engaged in behaviour which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment,” Phelps said. “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.”

News of the World said the picture was taken during a November house party while Phelps was visiting the University of South Carolina. During that trip, he attended one of the school’s football games and received a big ovation when he was introduced to the crowd.

While the newspaper did not specifically allege that Phelps was smoking pot, it did say the pipe is generally used for that purpose and anonymously quoted a partygoer who said the Olympic champion was “out of control from the moment he got there.”

The party occurred nearly three months after the Olympics, while Phelps was taking a long break from training, and apparently would have no impact on the eight golds he won at Beijing. He has never tested positive for banned substances and even agreed to extra testing before the Games.

Phelps was in Tampa, Fla., during Super Bowl week to make promotional appearances on behalf of a sponsor. But he left the city before Sunday’s game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals, abandoning his original plan to be at Raymond James Stadium.

Phelps returned to the pool a couple of weeks ago to begin preparations for this summer’s world championships in Rome. He plans to take part in his first post-Olympics meet in early March, a Grand Prix event in Austin, Texas.

This isn’t the first embarrassing episode for Phelps after an Olympic triumph. In 2004, a few months after winning six gold and two bronze medals in Athens, the swimmer was arrested on a drunken driving charge at age 19. He pleaded guilty and apologized for the mistake.

In his book “No Limits: The Will to Succeed,” Phelps recounted how his first phone call was to his agent, and not his mother or coach Bob Bowman, because he knew they would yell at him.

Later, he called Bowman, who was supportive but told him, “Michael, just because you want to blow off some steam doesn’t mean you can be an idiot.”

Debbie Phelps, his mother, cried at the news.

“That hurt worse, maybe, than anything,” Phelps wrote. “I had never seen my mother that upset.”

Bowman did not immediately respond to phone and email messages Sunday.

Olympic teammate Dara Torres said Phelps has become such a prominent figure that everything he does is news.

However, she said: “This in no way shape or form diminishes anything he’s done.”

“It’s sort of a double-edged sword,” Torres said Sunday. “When you’re recognizable, you’re looked up to as a role model. He is recognizable and everything you do gets looked at and picked apart. I guess that’s the price of winning 14 Olympic medals.”

Jason Lezak, whose remarkable anchor leg of the 400-metre freestyle relay helped Phelps stay on course to break Mark Spitz’s record in Beijing, said he was “saddened” to hear of the report.

“While I don’t condone his conduct, I am a teammate and fan,” Lezak said in a text message to the AP on Saturday night. “Unlike many fair-weather people, I am sticking by him. If my wife and I can help him in any way, we will. I believe he will grow from this and be better person, role model and teammate.”

Phelps attends the Boston Celtics versus the Utah Jazz game on December 15, 2008 at TD Banknorth Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. Photo by Elsa/Getty Images.