..........so, here we go again!

“I engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment. I’m 23 years old and despite the successes I’ve had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner people have come to expect from me. For this, I am sorry. I promise my fans and the public it will not happen again.” - Michael Phelps, in response to this photograph.

I'm glad to hear that Kellogg's dropped him as a front man for their product. This guy was made to be a role model for all aspiring young men and women via his hard work and Olympic triumphs. This act should result in him never, yes I said, NEVER being allowed to compete in the Olympics again - end of story! It should also result in him losing all $5 million in endorsement deals! This guy is not a role model for anyone to follow. Oh, and I guess he didn't learn much of a lesson from his 2004 DUI arrest? He cites "youthful mistakes" as his excuse for doing this. You know, there are brave men and women who are serving our country right now that face life and death decisions on a daily basis and many of them are his age and younger! The "youthful mistake" excuse carries no weight whatsoever with me.

As a teacher, I think to myself what would happen if I would have done the same thing at age 23. The result would have been much different. I would have been fired from my job without an argument or chance to muster up a lame excuse.

The point is clear. Michael Phelps will make it past his "youthful mistake", and will go on to earn millions of dollars in endorsement deals from companies and American citizens who have no standards at all. He's an athlete, and athletes who win seem to have a coating of Teflon that will allow the standards of behavior to slide right off.