Other Voices:

PHELPS' HYPOCRISY

Being famous has its downside. Just ask Michael Phelps. The young man
who set Olympics swimming records with eight gold medals in Beijing
last summer may feel his reputation is a little tarnished after some
embarrassing photos showed up in a British tabloid.

A few months after the Olympics, Phelps visited the University of
South Carolina. A photograph from a party depicts him appearing to
inhale from a marijuana pipe. Neither Phelps nor his representatives
deny that the photo is genuine and Phelps has apologized to fans. ...

Yes, he should have known better and he is someone children and youth
likely admire because of his athletic abilities. But he's human. ...

We're not excusing Phelps' behavior. Like everyone else, we hope he
learns from this experience and understands that, like it or not, he
is looked up to and emulated by people of all ages, but especially
children. ...

We can admire an athlete or an actor or any public figure all we want,
and it's good to have "heroes" these days. But in truth, we're all a
little hypocritical in our criticism. ...

We believe he regrets his action and hope he improves his judgment as
to how his actions can appear to others.

And while we're at it, why don't we all hope we do, too?