LOS ANGELES — Michael Phelps was suspended Thursday by USA Swimming for three months, the latest fallout from a photo that showed the Olympic champion inhaling from a marijuana pipe.
The 23-year-old Phelps also had his financial support cut off for the same three-month period by the sport’s governing body.
“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 to The Associated Press.
“Michael has voluntarily accepted this reprimand and has committed to earn back our trust,” the statement said.
The photo in question was published Sunday in the U.K. tabloid News of the World. It was reportedly taken at a house party that Phelps attended last November in Columbia, S.C. The swimmer, who won a record eight gold medals at last summer’s Beijing Games, has since apologized, calling his behavior “regrettable.”
Phelps also received bad news on another front Thursday, with Kellogg Co. announcing that it will not renew its sponsorship contract with him. The company said Phelps’ behavior was “not consistent with the image of Kellogg.”
While the past several days have been challenging for Phelps, his coach, Bob Bowman, expressed hope that the experience will improve the swimmer inside and out of the pool.
“Michael’s been through a lot and he’s learned a lot, hopefully,” Bowman told AP. “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.”
