MICHAEL PHELPS A REAL DOPE

Michael Phelps has achieved greatness in sport, but he is a failure
as a role model. He can be trusted to win gold medals and make
endorsements. He could not, however, be trusted to operate a submarine.

Photographs of Phelps inhaling marijuana were recently published.
Inhaling marijuana was not his greatest failing. It was the aftermath
more than the offense itself that revealed Phelps' most significant
shortcoming.

Phelps issued a statement that began, "I engaged in behavior which
was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment."

Some - including this newspaper in the editorial titled "Olympian
wrong, but admits error," published Feb. 3 - praised Phelps for
'fessing up and admitting his mistake. However I cringed when I read
his statement. I imagine other submariners cringed as well. I am
certain the late Adm. Hyman Rickover rolled over in his grave.

Lack of Character

The problem with Phelps' statement is that his behavior reflects not
on his judgment, but his character. Judgment can be improved with
training, education and practice. Character must come from within.

Judgment is decision-making with less than complete information. The
mind must fill in the gaps. As a result, judgment is a guess. It may
be an educated guess, but it is nonetheless a guess, and even the
best and brightest sometimes guess wrong. Guessing wrong is bad judgment.

Judgment is necessary when complete information is not ascertainable
by anyone. If you buy real estate or stocks at the peak of the
market, that is bad judgment. That doesn't make you a bad person,
just a bad investor. No one knows for certain how the markets will
react, thus bad judgment about markets is excusable.

Judgment is necessary when rules limit the information available.
Juries sit in judgment of the accused. The jury is limited to the
information presented in the courtroom. If justice is not served by
the verdict, the jury, no matter how flawed the judgment is not held
to account.

Judgment is necessary when the mind is not given sufficient time to
process available information. If another's car darts in front of
yours and you turn the steering wheel left when you should have
turned right, that is bad judgment. You may be a bad driver, but not
a bad person. Split-second decisions are often wrong, and they are excusable.

But when a person has all the information needed to make a sound
decision, when he knows the activity is illegal, when he knows a
public revelation will reflect poorly on him, when he has all the
time in the world to make an informed choice and he chooses anyway to
do something he later regrets, that is not bad judgment. That is bad character.

The difference is significant. Except where a person gives us reason
to rely on their judgment, such as an investment advisor or the
holder of a public office, even a pattern of bad judgment is
excusable. Patterns of bad character are not excusable, yet a single
transgression, depending on severity, may be excusable. We are humans
after all, not saints.

Not Just Bad Judgment

But the gravest sin of all, the one Adm. Rickover had no tolerance
for, the one where a single transgression was certain to doom a naval
career, is the excusing or minimizing one's bad character by passing
it off as bad judgment.

Good character is synonymous with integrity. It means doing the right
thing when no one is looking. If a person does not recognize the
flaws in their own character, they cannot be trusted to do the right
thing when no one is looking. They can't be trusted with a nuclear submarine.

The only bad judgment Michael Phelps exhibited in the marijuana
incident was when he judged that his behavior would remain private.
Everything else he did was a matter of character. Regrettably, he
does not appear to know the difference.

So he can bring glory to his country while moving through water. But
he cannot serve his country under water.