The Olympic swimming sensation(轰动一时的人或物) Michael Phelps, who was photographed inhaling from a marijuana(大麻) pipe, has lost a major sponsorship deal and has been suspended(暂时剥夺…的权利,此处指被禁赛) from competition for three months.
Kellogg, the food company, said Thursday that it would not renew its contract with Phelps when their deal expires(期满, 终止) at the end of February. It would not disclose the value of its contract.
Later Thursday, USA Swimming suspended Phelps for three months.
“Michael’s most recent behavior is not consistent(一致的) with the image of Kellogg,” Susanne Norwitz, a spokeswoman for the company, said in a statement.
USA Swimming publicly reprimanded(严责, 惩戒) Phelps, who won eight medals at the Beijing Games, temporarily withdrawing its financial support to him and barring(禁止) him from competition through early May. Phelps receives a monthly stipend(薪金) of $1,750 from the organization. The national and world championships will be held in the summer.
“We decided to send a strong message to Michael because he disappointed so many people, particularly the hundreds of thousands of USA Swimming member kids who look up to him as a role model and hero,” the organization said in a statement.
Phelps’s agent, Drew Johnson, also released a statement, saying that Phelps accepted and understood the decisions. “He feels bad he let anyone down,” the statement said. “He’s also encouraged by the thousands of comments he’s received from his fans and the support from his many sponsors. He intends to work hard to regain everyone’s trust.”
Darryl Seibel, a spokesman for the United States Olympic Committee, said Thursday that U.S.O.C. officials were willing to work with Phelps to ensure that he does not repeat his misstep.
Kellogg, which has featured Phelps on its Frosted Flakes and Corn Flakes cereal boxes, is the first company to drop Phelps after a British tabloid(小报) last weekend published a photograph of him inhaling from a marijuana pipe.
Phelps, 23, admitted that the photo, taken at a student party at the University of South Carolina, was authentic. He subsequently apologized, calling his behavior “inappropriate.”
On Thursday after his practice in Baltimore, before the three-month suspension was announced, Phelps spoke publicly for the first time about the November incident. When asked by WBAL-TV in Baltimore what he could have been thinking at the time smoking from a marijuana pipe, he responded: “Obviously not much. It’s a bad judgment. I can learn from it.”
He admitted that he was not prepared for the overwhelming attention in the last week. “I think it’s hard to really be ready for any of this,” Phelps told the television station. “But I’ve been able to talk to a lot of people, a lot of people who have been in my shoes in other sports, and I’ve been able to get their perspective and just talk to them a little bit. That’s been helpful the last couple of days.”
Several of Phelps’s sponsors, including Speedo and Omega, have accepted his apology. Others, including Visa and Subway, have not taken a position.
As it stands, Phelps’s actions have put a dent((负面的)重大的影响) into his sponsorship spoils, which some marketing experts say could reach $100 million in his lifetime.