Should Michael Phelps Be "Too Embarrassed" to Compete Again?

By the looks of it he should be embrass he's a role model but now many people will make a lot of doubt in him. Would a role model do something like that, he makes an apologies but that is not enough he should already know what are the consequences of being a look up artist. This would be the greatest lesson that he will ever learn in his entire life try to be a role model in good not in bad.

I agree. I think he's basically a nice kid whose whole life has been competition and winning and he was just cutting loose for once and acting like an irresponsible kid, doing what most of them do a time or two. I don't think he should be punished severely for this.

I understand why some people think it does not play well with his image of being an idol for young people but my own personal opinion is that he is not doing something that millions of other people do not do on a daily basis.

No, he shouldn't be embarrassed but too angry. Why should it matter that he tried pot on an off year? I can see smoking during and Olympic year would be Dumb!Let's face it,all Phelps is required to do is swim well in the Olympics and he did.All the other things are optional.Michael is on top of the swimming world. He did it. If he wants to compete in the next Olympics, it would be just icing on a huge cake. Many are concerned because he is supposed to be a " role model". The problem with that is to be a role model you have to be perfect or you get criticized.And the press hounds your every move.Who in their right mind would want to be a role model these days?I am rare,I don't care if smokes pot.He wasn't perfect im my eyes outside the pool and he never will be.

He's still an amazing athlete! His poor choices, as he put it, are typical of someone his age, especially a kid who has foregone most socializing in order to prepare himself to be that great athlete. Now that he's faous, everybody wants to be his friend and show him a good time. He has said he'll make up for it, and he probably will! Embarrassed? Of course he is. But too ashamed to compete? Hardly. He'll show those who have turned against him that he's still a great athlete, and the rest is quite beside the point. Endorsements from some companies have dried up, so this is costing him millions, but there's no reason for it to cost his swimming future.

People are being to hard on him. I guess he learned a valuable lesson about being in the spotlight. You can't really enjoy life with everyone out to take advantage of you.

We all do things that we aren't especially proud to admit that we have done. He should brush it off and get back to business. He is an impressive athlete. He will do wonders for the youth of the world to show strength in the face of his embarrassing moments.

I agree. I don't think he should stop competing because of this.

He is one of the best swimmers. Now he has a negative news and I think we still have to give him a second chance. He is still very young and it's hard to avoid the mistakes. We are all not perfect. If he already realized that he was wrong and didn't want to make the same mistakes again. I think it's nothing wrong for him to compete in the swimming pool again. I love China

this guy is just another example of letting celebrity go to his head. it was already big enough if you ask me! people who are priviledged enough to have great talent and benefit from it should also learn a bit of grace and have some dignity.

No I don't think he should be ashamed to compete again. He has trained and worked hard to achieve this goal. Just because the media thrives on bringing people to the ground just to make a penny off of a paper sold doesn't mean that he should be ashamed. I mean I'm not saying wear a poster saying you're proud of it but seriously..there is none of us that doesn't have some skeleton in our closet somewhere. Personally I think the press should be restricted from telling personal stories unless the person chooses to do so themselves. Looks to mlke tha is invasion of privacy or at least should be! And by the way you're right about the fact if this is the worse thing he's ever done he's flying pretty good!

i think that in his public role, it wasn't smart to be seen smoking pot, however, the media really needs to put this one to rest. michael is 23 years old and just out of college - how many people can you name that never did something they regret or that could have hurt their reputation at his age? it is unfortunate that young kids have to witness this kind of negative publicity about an otherwise great role model, but in reality, his reputation never would have been tarnished by this if the media didn't make it public knowledge!

so great sports man accepting is mistake was so great of him and hope he must be forgiven for what he has done happy mylotting

This is natural that a world hero when made sort of a criminal by media should feel embarrassed. But I do not see any point as to for what reason he should not compete again. He should keep up the sportsman spirit. Since he repented his action there should be no more fuss on this. May be the some media person would get some penny with their exaggerated write ups. But Phelps should not withdraw himself from next Olympic and rather try to show the world that he still has the power to be number 1.

You know I was going crazy looking for a discussion...it isn't a big deal to some but for me, I am trully pissed about this. I mean, he isn't getting in any trouble for this but there are people who are banned from competing for doing things like this..what the heck makes him so special? He should have been stripped of his medals and did some time just like everybody else...yeah, there are other athletes that got in trouble for it and some that look stoned when they play, but this guy gets to just say he is sorry? what type of mess is that?

Hi annie! I really don't know what to say. I can understand that he is embarrassed and that some people will now have a problem with him competing. It is truly a shame to have him have his career ruined at such a young age. But, sadly the public is not as forgiving about things like this. I personally have no problem with him competing and think that everyone should just leave him alone. He already admitted that he made a mistake and won't do it again. It's too bad that this will probably kill his career because of an overzealous photographer!

Hello, I hope this episode in his life will be a wake up call for him. He should have been more discreet, I don't see it as a big deal afterall he is still young and dumb. The person who gave that picture should be sued for exposing personal things about him.He may be a celibrity but even celibrities have a right to have freedom and free choice to live of their own lives without the prying eyes of the press.