Phelps Hides From Paps— at Strip Joints

A few celebs are also in his corner

(NEWSER) - Michael Phelps’ sponsors are supportive—so far—following his bong imbroglio, AP reports. Watchmaker Omega called the whole thing a “nonissue,” and Speedo reiterated that Phelps is a “valued member of the Speedo team.” Experts say Phelps better stick to the straight and narrow—he promised the pot incident wouldn’t happen again, but he said the same thing after a 2004 drunk-driving arrest. More»

Swimmer struggling with fallout from 'stupid' bong encounter

(NEWSER) - Michael Phelps is weighing whether to compete at the 2012 Olympics in the wake of fallout over his much-publicized encounter with a bong, he tells his hometown paper, the Baltimore Sun. Phelps still has goals to achieve in the sport and will talk his decision over with his family and coach, says the swimmer, but he "clearly made a mistake" and has been deeply embarrassed by it. More»

(NEWSER) - Michael Phelps’ suspension ended today, and the swimmer is back in the pool preparing for a tourney next week in Charlotte, the AP reports. The Olympian said he was actually unaware of the end of the 3-month ban, imposed after photos emerged of him hitting a bong. “I had no idea,” he said. But he’s happy to be competing again, for the first time since his stunning success at the Beijing Olympics. More»

Many people could have taken bong photo

(NEWSER) - Plenty of people partied with Michael Phelps in South Carolina around the time he smoked marijuana, but the abundance of witnesses doesn't mean we'll ever know who took the picture that got the Olympian into trouble. Some fellow partiers saw iPhones out, but no one's even sure which night the photo is from, the State reports in reconstructing the events. More»

Shamed Olympic champ accepts USA Swimming's decision

(NEWSER) - Michael Phelps believes a 3-month suspension from USA Swimming is a fair enough price to pay for getting caught toking up, the AP reports. "Obviously, for a mistake you should get punished," said the acclaimed Olympic gold medalist. Phelps says he has been spending a lot of time in the pool, "training for who knows what yet." More»