When the fan blades are turnin'...

You know somebody's gonna throw a handful.

Recently, several news sources are reporting that Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps has been suspended from the USA Swimming for three months.

Yesterday, USA Swimming had this to say:

USA Swimming has reprimanded Michael Phelps under its Code of Conduct by withdrawing financial support and the eligibility to compete for a period of three months effective today, Feb. 5, 2009.

This is not a situation where any anti-doping rule was violated, but 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 a hero.

And folks, it gets worse. One of Mikey's sponsors, Kellogg's, has decided not to renew his contract when it expires at the end of February. On a side note, how out of touch is Kellogg's with its consumer base? I think this sends a clear message to anyone that has the munchies.

As I said before, I think this is much ado about nothing. Again, I am not endorsing his drug use, but I believe people should do what they want--but they must face the consequences. Looks like the consequence in this situation is a pay cut.

USA Swimming does have a point though, all those children who looked up to Phelps must feel a bit let down. In the same regard, it isn't his responsibility to raise those kids to stay away from drugs. Phelps seems to be a genuine guy, so maybe he will use this opportunity to as a learning experience for the youngsters--Tony the Tiger will fire you if you smoke pot!

I wonder if the people on the boards of those two organizations have ever toked before. Just sayin'...