When you are as famous as Michael Phelps, it is difficult to go out in public and not get recognized. Outside the privacy of his own home, wherever Phelps goes, someone is bound to have a camera pointed at him, trying to capture the legend in the wild.

Unfortunately, it has been more of an inconvenience for the swimmer than a blessing. After all, this is how he wound up in a drug scandal and lost a huge sponsor.

Michael Phelps on not suing for the leak

In 2009, swimming legend Michael Phelps was photographed inhaling from a marijuana pipe. A British tabloid printed the picture, causing the swimmer to lose a major sponsorship deal with Kellogg’s, get a three-month suspension and lose financial support from USA Swimming.

The picture was taken at the University of South Carolina in November 2008, three months after his eight-gold victory in Beijing. According to Phelps, there were six people present in the room, one of whom he didn’t personally know. 

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After the picture was published, he knew who was behind the leak but didn’t wish to sue. “That kid’s gotta look at himself in the mirror every day. Karma’s a b*tch,” Phelps reasoned. 

“For me, it’s like, yeah, I messed up. I made a choice to do that. Nobody twisted my arm to do anything. I put myself in that position. And somebody took a picture of me. The thing for me is that I understand — doing what I’ve done — I’ve essentially written away privacy.”

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Phelps has had another brush with the law

The legend of Michael Phelps started at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. Here, Phelps came home after winning eight medals, including six gold. By the 2008 Beijing Olympics, his medal tally had gone up to 14. He had broken swimmer Mark Spitz’s 1972 record of seven golds.

Phelps established himself as a legend over the next quad and decided to retire after the 2012 London Olympics. But it was too soon for the swimmer to rule out his participation in the Rio 2016 Games. His retirement only lasted a few months.

But his comeback suffered a major blow in 2014 when the police arrested him for driving under the influence. USA Swimming banned the champion from competition for six months, and Phelps entered a six-week treatment program.

After this incident, many believed that Phelps won’t be able to perform up to his potential in Rio. But the champion proved them wrong, winning an astonishing 6 medals, and bringing his gold tally up to 23. Phelps may have had a few kinks in his journey, but he will forever be a legend in the pool.

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