Defending Michael Phelps

Michael Phelps, possibly the greatest Olympian in history, was reprimanded by USA Swimming, the national governing body of competitive swimming in the United States.

The verdict: USA Swimming withdrew financial support for Phelps, and declared him ineligible to compete for three months, beginning February 5, 2009.

The reason? This:

This incident has forced Michael Phelps to issue a public apology, apparently to soothe his disappointed fans.

How in the world can a sports body suspend the guy who brought home eight gold medals from the Beijing Olympics, just for smoking some weed during his off-season?

If only Michael Phelps were brave enough, he would've probably stood up and defended his pot smoking. That would've given the other closet potheads the courage to stand up and speak out. And thus would begin the Battle for Decriminalization.

What Michael Phelps should've said was: "I use a bong to filter out the tar. At least I don't smoke joints and harm my extremely powerful lungs."