He may have gone public admitting his “bad” judgment, but that’s not stopping police in Columbia, South Carolina from opening an investigation into Michael Phelps’ alleged inhaling from a marijuana pipe.
The sheriff in Columbia, where the incident took place last November, announced yesterday that an investigation is now underway, and charges could be pending against the 23-year-old Olympic swimming sensation.
“If someone breaks the law in Richland County, we have an obligation as law enforcement to investigate and to bring charges,” deputies said in a written statement. “The Richland County Sheriff’s Department is making an effort to determine if Mr. Phelps broke the law. If he did, he will be charged in the same manner as anyone else. The Sheriff has a responsibility to be fair, to enforce the law and to not turn a blind eye because someone is a celebrity.”
As of today, Phelps’ sponsors (the people who pay him millions of dollars in endorsement fees) told reporters that they plan to stand by the swimming standout. In addition, sports analysts noted that the photo of Phelps with a pot pipe, which was published originally in the U.K. tabloid News of the World, is not likely to affect the swimmer’s eligibility to compete.
Meanwhile, a slew of Hollywood celebrities are speaking out in support of the Olympic gold medallist. Actor Ashton Kutcher recently went public defending Phelps. According to Kutcher, the controversial photo of the uber-athlete allegedly taking a hit from a bong should have never been published. Demi Moore’s better half went on to say that the media is unfairly targeting Phelps and the one who should be skewered is the person who leaked the picture to the press.
Kutcher posted a blog yesterday that read in part:
“I don’t smoke and haven’t in quite some time. But I’m not immune to a lapse in good judgment from time to time. The real (expletive) is the idiot that put out the pic. He’s a good kid. He could be a real (expletive) but he’s not. Maybe the media can quit dragging him in the dirt. I’m not saying it was a smart move. But he doesn’t need to be publicly outed for it. Who ever put the pic out is an (expletive)!”
What do you make of Kutcher backing his boy Phelps?