A week after four-time Olympian Michael Phelps was arrested for DUI, USA Swimming has announced their punishment.
Citing a violation of Section 304.3.19 of the USA Swimming Code of Conduct, Phelps will be suspended from USA Swimming sanctioned competition for 6 months, he will withdrawal from the 2015 World Championships team, and forfeit the USA Swimming monthly stipend for 6-months.
Update: USA Swimming has clarified that Phelps’ withdrawal from the World Championships was something that “each (agreed)” to, and that he was not forcibly removed, per se.
He will be allowed to train with his club (NBAC at present), but won’t be allowed to compete through April 6th, 2015. If he comes back on that date, the first Grand Prix that he would be eligible for would be the April stop in Mesa. Coincidentally, that’s the meet at which he made his return to swimming last year.
Theoretically, Phelps could compete at a meet that was not USA Swimming sanctioned earlier. If his group elects to go that route, it would have to be taken on a case-by-case basis, as the rules on sanctions are complicated.
Phelps, even just 6 months into his comeback, had already returned to medal-contender status in at least the 100 fly, and would be in the conversation in the 200 IM as well.
“Membership in USA Swimming, and particularly at the National Team level, includes a clear obligation to adhere to our Code of Conduct. Should an infraction occur, it is our responsibility to take appropriate action based on the individual case. Michael’s conduct was serious and required significant consequences,” USA Swimming Executive Director Chuck Wielgus said. “Michael has publicly acknowledged the impact of his decisions, his accountability especially due to his stature in the sport and the steps necessary for self-improvement. We endorse and are here to fully support his personal development actions.”
The rule that Phelps has been suspended under is the broad, catch-all rule that gives them wide disciplinary powers:
304.3.19 Any other material and intentional act, conduct or omission not provided for above, which is detrimental to the image or reputation of USA Swimming, a LSC or the sport of swimming.
Phelps has a mid-November date set for his first legal proceedings on 5 counts in Maryland, where his BAC was reportedly .14, almost twice the legal limit, and he was clocked going 84 in a 45MPH speed zone.
Based on selection criteria, Phelps earned spots in the 100 free, 100 fly, and 200 IM individually for Kazan. Though official replacements were not announced, the next eligible swimmers in those races are Ryan Lochte in the 100 free, Tim Phillips in the 100 fly, and Tyler Clary in the 200 IM.
See the full press release from USA Swimming below:
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA Swimming announced today that, due to a violation of the organization’s Code of Conduct, Michael Phelps(Baltimore, Md.) will be suspended from USA Swimming-sanctioned competition for six months, withdraw from the 2015 FINA World Championships Team and forfeit his funding from the NGB for six months.
Phelps’ discipline is set forth under Section 304.3.19 of the 2014 Rule Book, which states “Any other material and intentional act, conduct or omission not provided for above, which is detrimental to the image or reputation of USA Swimming, a LSC or the sport of swimming.”
As a result, USA Swimming has taken the following actions:
- Six-Month Suspension from Competition. Phelps will be permitted to train with his member club, but shall be ineligible to participate in USA Swimming-sanctioned competitions through March 6, 2015.
- Withdrawal from the 2015 World Championship Team. Phelps and USA Swimming each agree that Phelps will not represent the United States at the 2015 FINA World Swimming Championships in Kazan, Russia, from August 2-9.
- Forfeiture of USA Swimming’s Monthly Stipend. The monthly payments from USA Swimming will be halted during the six-month suspension period.
“Membership in USA Swimming, and particularly at the National Team level, includes a clear obligation to adhere to our Code of Conduct. Should an infraction occur, it is our responsibility to take appropriate action based on the individual case. Michael’s conduct was serious and required significant consequences,” USA Swimming Executive Director Chuck Wielgus said. “Michael has publicly acknowledged the impact of his decisions, his accountability especially due to his stature in the sport and the steps necessary for self-improvement. We endorse and are here to fully support his personal development actions.”
The measures were approved by the USA Swimming Executive Committee and take effect immediately.
It is disappointing to have watched Michael’s “unretirement” with excitement only to realize that he won’t be able to compete at Worlds. But he demonstrated incredibly poor judgement, putting himself and others in danger.
Drunk driving accounts for 1 out of every 3 traffic death’s in a year. That is a high price for someone to pay as a result of another person’s unwillingness to call a cab. It is not unfair, given the potentially serious consequences, to weigh the potential outcome of his actions; indeed, the only reason we charge people for things like speeding and drunk driving is because we know that the results can be tragic.
Of course, the above has been stated by others.… Read more »
USA Swimming Athlete Selection Procedures 2015 FINA World Championships:
A. Available Swimmer. “Available Swimmer” shall mean a swimmer who, at the time of selection and through the championships: (I) is a registered athlete member of USA Swimming in good standing.
B. Qualifying Competitions. “Qualifying Competitions” shall be USA Swimming Nationals (Aug 6-10, 2014) and Pan Pacific (Aug. 21-24, 2014).
L. Team. “Team” shall mean the 2015 World Championship Team announced on or before October 1, 2014.
As soon as USA Swimming suspended Phelps, he was no longer an athlete in good standing and therefore, was not an “Available Swimmer”. I don’t know why USA Swimming chose to put out a bull s*** statement.
Probably the only thing Phelps “agreed” to… Read more »
Did you hear about the skier in Norway that got a DUI and other charges and didn’t get suspended by the Norwegian ski team? Pretty interesting compared to Phelps…
http://olympictalk.nbcsports.com/2014/10/09/petter-northug-drunk-driving-jail-cross-country-skiing-winter-olympics-norway/
Because the team selection procedure for worlds includes:
Available Swimmer – “Available Swimmer” shall mean a swimmer who, at the time of selection and through the championships: (1) is a registered athlete member of USA Swimming in good standing.
As soon as USA Swimming suspended Phelps, they had no choice but to drop him from the World Championships, but of course, USA Swimming chooses, once again, to put out a BS statement which does not reflect the truth.
This story of Michael has nearly more comments in one week than comments for last year world championships . I find that very strange or funny . Either ways , it proves that swim fans never get tired from swimming stories or accomplishments .
Failure is not a problem , not recognizing it is . Michael did fail but will rebound , refreshed and recentered ; no mather what he has to go through . I can relate to that immensely .
Yes, the Phelpsian Saga is gruelling & intriguing on so many levels. Real life, raw, imperfect, complete. It holds more suspense than the usual swim story of “look at this swimmer swim fast”.
I don’t know at what time SwimSwam posted the update about the “agreement” (on withdrawing from Worlds), but I just read it and it changes the perspective a little bit for me.
I now suspect that MP knew he would not be ready for Worlds anyway, and got into an “agreement” over it with USA Swimming to make sure everyone would read the withdrawal exclusively as part of the penalty imposed on him. This way he will not have to give too many explanations.
Actually, USA Swimming team selection procedure for worlds includes:
AVAILABLE SWIMMER – “Available Swimmer” shall mean a swimmer who at the time of selection and through the championships: (1) is a registered athlete member of USA Swimming in good standing.
Therefore, one cannot be suspended and be in good standing simultaneously.
Furthermore aquasphere goggles retail between 40-60 bucks here and sell out quickly. I bet they are massively p###ed.
Aqquashere goggless leave less goggle marks and are good for people who go to work and nit bed. It could be dekicate ete area does not bounce back like it used to :
However older peoole are more disapproving of dui havung more overall life experience from the pre testing times. They renember the carnage . That generation now making the laws have brought it down to .05 in Australia.
There is no way a mug shot of MP above the goggle stands will help sales here.
Hmmmm – does anyone think that perhaps Phelps will participate in the FINA Masters World Championships? From what I’ve read, seems Masters worlds is a much larger event than the World Championships. Since Masters worlds is right before Worlds it would be hilarious.
Anon,
That is a great point. Aquasphere goggles seems pretty common with masters swimmers in my area and what an awesome opportunity to get the word out on his new sponsor than compete at Masters Worlds. It makes so much sense to be sponsored by a company that is growing with nowhere near the market share of the big guys. Who really will pay $299 for a competition swimsuit anyways? Market growth with be with older folks (like me) who move toward swimming in their later years. As Phelps nears retirement, he can transition into masters and have a lot of fun promoting his sponsor and staying in shape.
Anon,
Turns out masters worlds appear to be just after worlds 2015 in Kazan. Either way it would be super cool for Phelps to show up at FINA Masters worlds, lay down some world leading times, and hang out with the regular folk swimmers. An awesome PR opportunity. If you remember, Nathan Adrian competed at US Masters short course nationals, so it wouldn’t be setting any precedents. What a great opportunity. And…..it will almost be a years since his DUI. People have short memories and love a comeback story. I hope he seriously considers it.
Think what his participation would do for masters swimming. No one can relate to swimming at elite level meets, but any regular joe can… Read more »
Your right – Worlds is before Worlds Masters – and they overlap 5 days. I really don’t think Masters swimmers will hold a DUI against Phelps. Personally, I feel that sports help people through their difficult times. It can be a FUN experience for Phelps. No chaperones, no curfews, no bed checks – an overall adult experience! Best of all NO USA SWIMMING.
Agreed – Adrian and other national teamers have swam at Masters Nationals so there shouldn’t be a problem.
FINA code of ethics: Equality, Dignity, Fair Play, Integrity, Neutrality, Conflicts of Interest, Resources, and Confidentiality. USA Swimming sure could sure learn from FINA.
i have been following the threat for many days too ! Anon , this is by far the most eloquent comment so far that i have read . Great opengate for Michael if he thinks about it . I would be happy to hear that he took that Master swimming decision by next year . Much less hassle he will endure and more fun ; less of willing to be perfect from all his races and more letting go of that crazy goal . What makes someone happy is not the persuit of perfection but the balance of evolving experiences through a sport or anything else . Well done .
Thanks. Most of the public would not even know the difference between Masters Worlds and Worlds. USA swimming constantly brags about their 400,000 membership when in reality many school districts have many more students. Most USA Swimming clubs do not want athletes once they graduate high school and many families involved in these clubs do not know the correlation between club swimming and the Olympic Team. Most people think USA Swimming is for kids under 18 years old.
As I’ve become more aware of the political side of sports, I realize that the best athlete is not always the one chosen or the one who makes the team.
Great story – Phelps smashes world record AND world masters record in… Read more »
Didn’t MP say years ago that he wanted to change the sport of swimming? Can you think of a better way than showing up for masters worlds and let everyone know that they can come out and compete too? MP could personally challenge all the people watching his interview on TV to sign up for their local masters swim team and get in the water. Think what that would do for swim participation, not to mention construction of more pools. It gives him a free platform to accomplish his goals.
And…..think of how positive it would be for MP to go and just have fun again and enjoy hanging out with nice people who are only there because they… Read more »
Masters Swimming is a great idea for Michael! At the tender young age of 38, I watched the Beijing Olympics, became enthralled with swimming, bought my first pair of goggles the next day, and joined a Masters swim team. I’ve been swimming 6 years now & have concentrated on Open Water swimming. But MP was my original inspiration, & he would be very welcome at Masters meets!
Michael could inspire people to swim, but I can see how it could also be counter-productive. As a masters swim coach, I already have enough swimmers who assure me they “aren’t good enough for meets” — simply because they have preconceived notions of what a masters swim meet is like. Michael probably won’t help on that front.
To bad USA has not been as tough on sexual predators as with Michael Phelps / drinking!
I agree completely. USA swimming should look at the 108 coaches banned for sexual abuse. That’s much bigger than a young adult who lost his youth while USA swimming made a lot of money.
USAS behavior has been deplorable concerning sexual predators. They protect the predators, blame the victims, and set up a community that attracts more predators. Meanwhile, the USAS community gets rich off the olympic wannabes that can be replaced in a second. MP has a problem. But he is a victim of a system that uses elite athletes and then tosses them aside. I would like to see USAS toss aside the leaders of this organization that not only looks the other way, but covers up criminal activity.