On Land, Not So Smooth
February 2, 2009
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(L to R) Marwan Naamani / AFP / Getty ; News of the World
Phelps at a press conference in Saudi Arabia in January, left, and in a photo published by "News of the World"
In the water, Michael Phelps is without peer. On land, he’s made splashes for the wrong reasons. Given the stratospheric heights to which he climbed during the Beijing Olympics last summer (8 gold medals in 8 races) Phelps’ stock had nowhere to go but down. And it plunged precipitously on Feb. 1, when a photograph surfaced in Britain’s News of the World depicting the aquatic golden boy taking a bong hit. Phelps was contrite and chalked up the incident, which the newspaper said occurred during a visit to the University of South Carolina in November, to a lapse of judgment. It’s not his first youthful indiscretion, however: just months after racking up six gold medals during the 2004 Olympics in Athens, the then 19-year-old superstar was charged with driving while intoxicated.
Next: Sex, Drugs and America's Team
Sex, Drugs and America's Team
February 2, 2009
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Robert Laberge / Allsport / Getty
Nate Newton hungered for glory. The offensive linemen credited his stellar NFL career — during his 14 seasons, he garnered six Pro Bowl bids and two All-NFL selections — to a burning desire to be top dog in every endeavor. Unfortunately, that same fire steered the former Dallas Cowboy awry in November 2001, when he was busted hauling 213 lb. of marijuana through Louisiana. While out on bail six weeks later, Newton inexplicably was caught ferrying another 175 lb. of pot in the trunk of his car. “I’ve always been competitive. I’ve always been in sports,” Newton explained. “I couldn’t see myself not being the biggest dope man.”
Newton wasn’t the only member of America’s Team to have his reputation tarnished by brushes with the law. Just months after helping the Cowboys win their third Lombardi Trophy in 1996, wide receiver Michael Irvin threw himself a stripper-filled, cocaine-fueled 30th birthday bash. Though he pleaded no contest to felony possession and received four years of probation, Irvin put the incident behind him, earning induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007. He also served a tumultuous stint as an analyst at ESPN, where he cultivated a reputation for colorful commentary and staggeringly wide tie knots.
Next: Capriati Struggles
