He sure picked the best news cycle possible...

In our exclusive photo Michael Phelps, who won a record EIGHT gold medals for swimming at the Beijing games last summer, draws from a bong.

The glass pipes are generally used to smoke cannabis.

And after sporting chiefs announced laws which mean four-year bans for drug-taking, Phelps’ dreams of adding to his overall 14 gold medal tally at the 2012 games in London could already be OVER.

[News of the World]

Pretty funny stuff...

Complex: 5 Reasons We Knew Michael Phelps Was A Stoner

 

But over here at Complex, we weren’t surprised at all. In fact, we’ve known Phelps was a stoner for some time (maybe it takes one to know one). Forget the obvious giveaways (he’s 23-years-old and won’t have to work another day in his life): Here are the 5 surest signs that Michael Phelps was a pothead all along.

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#3: HE HAS HIGHLY QUESTIONABLE FASHION SENSE

• Guys who wear their hats like this are potheads. They also tend to be date rapists and very often go cross-eyed later in life.

#2: HE’S BARELY ARTICULATE

• Yes he’s tired, yes he’s done a million interviews, yes there’s obviously a time lag between New York and Beijing. That doesn’t make up for the fact that dude talks like an East Coast Jeff Spicoli with a cue ball in his mouth.

 .....

 

http://www.complex.com/blogs/2009/02/02/5-reasons-we-knew-michael-phelps-was-a-stoner/#more-22355

No big deal... except for the millions in endorsements he'll lose.

Never liked him anyways... 

More problems for him?

 Sheriff to Investigate, Possibly Charge Michael Phelps

 

 Michael Phelps may have admitted to "bad judgment" after a photo of him apparently inhaling from a marijuana pipe was published, but the sheriff in Columbia, S.C., where the incident took place last November, could have the final word.

In a statement issued Tuesday, Sheriff Leon Lott Jr. said an investigation is underway – and charges could be pending against the Olympic star, 23.

...

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20256663,00.html

 USA Swimming suspends Phelps for 3 months

http://sports.yahoo.com/top/news?slug=ap-phelpssuspended&prov=ap&type=lgns

 Kellogg drops Olympian Phelps after photo brouhaha

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090206/ts_nm/us_kellogg_phelps

 Michael Phelps may not swim in 2012 games

http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/news?slug=txmichaelphelpsmarijuana&prov=st&type=lgns

No charges....

 Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said today he was not going charge Michael Phelps over that photo of him smoking a bong.

http://www.tmz.com/2009/02/16/no-pot-charges-for-phelps/