“In Loving Memory of United States Swimming, 1980-2025, Aged 45. They set the bar high—until they stopped reaching for it.” Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps were pretty vocal about their stance on the recent mess that the US Swimming team found itself in. At the 2025 World Aquatics Championships, the team suffered from gastroenteritis. And that upturned their strengths at Singapore as multiple athletes had to be sidelined. But Phelps and Lochte weren’t alone in their criticism. 

The NBS voice of swimming, Rowdy Gaines, recently took to Instagram and shared a cascade of posts showing his unwavering support for Phelps. According to Gaines, people had to listen when someone like Phelps was making a point. The 28-time Olympic medalist claimed, “Call it a funeral, or call it a fresh start. We’ve got 3 years. LFG. Is this the wake up call USA swimming needed? Let’s find out…” Following the disappointment at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships, the American team is left with just three years to prepare for the 2028 Olympics. 

Nevertheless, Gaines came out clean. “This Is Bigger Than One Meet. Yes, this team battled illness. Jason Knapp and I acknowledged that on air repeatedly. The athletes gave everything – under brutal conditions, far from home, in a post-Olympic year. They showed resilience and heart.” With 9 gold, 11 silver, and 9 bronze, the American team won the overall medal count and the gold medal count. But despite that victory, there were a few shortcomings that the 3X Olympic gold medalist had to talk about. 

The 2005 Hall of Famer continued, “A strong medal haul doesn’t mean there aren’t serious structural issues underneath. If we only measure success by what shows up on a scoreboard, we risk missing the warning signs that could cost us in the years ahead.” And the miss wasn’t about the meet at Singapore or the gastroenteritis-troubled team. It was a lack of effective leadership that seemingly affected the US Team.

Being a part of the International Swimming Hall of Fame since 1995, and having set 10 world records in his career, Gaines knew the importance of good leadership. 

Gaines stated, “USA Swimming has gone an entire year without a Chief Executive Officer. That’s not just an oversight – it’s a failure of leadership. And that’s what Michael and I are calling out. His post wasn’t an overreaction. It was a gut-check.” But we can’t really rule out the fact that even though many athletes were sidelined in Singapore, Team USA managed to secure a big win.

And that win seemingly forced an apology out of ‘The Baltimore Bullet.’ Michael Phelps has publicly apologized on several instances that drew negative attention. But let’s see what the deal is with his latest apology. 

Did Michael Phelps really apologize?

The US team broke the world record in the mixed 4⨯100m freestyle relay and touched the wall with the stopwatch reading 3:18.48. Soon after the big win, Lilly King took to Instagram Story and threw a jab at Phelps and Lochte. Tagging the two in the post, King remarked, “Y’all been real quiet tonight.” And when a fan account shared the story, ‘The Flying Fish’ had to react. 

In the comments section, Michael Phelps wrote, “We should be so proud of how the team swam as a whole …. Right? Apologies for having higher expectations for the leadership of the team. My opinions were way off.” But his apology seemed a bit off.

He continued, “USAS has what they finally want: me to ‘stay in my lane.’ They will continue to help the kids reach childhood dreams by their continued support 6g.”

Not the tone one would use in an apology letter, right?

The last time USA Swimming had a CEO was when Tim Hinchey led the team at the Paris Olympics. And Chrissi Rawak stepped back just days after becoming the CEO. Now, with the poor leadership in the spotlight, all we can hope for is that the team’s training and food conditions don’t lead to a sidelined team in the future.