Olympic champion Michael Phelps is putting his swimming career on hold after he got into another DUI arrest. This is the second DUI of the Olympian. His first DUI was when he was 19. He pleaded guilty to the charges and since he was still young them he was able to avoid conviction. He was just given probation before judgment and sentenced to 18 months on probation and a fine.
Phelps will be undergoing a six-week program which "will provide the help I need to better understand myself."
Phelps was arrested in Baltimore early Tuesday and charged with drunken driving. Based on police records, he failed a series of field sobriety tests and had a blood-alcohol content of 0.14 percent, well above the legal limit of 0.08.
According to his representatives at Octagon, Phelps voluntarily entered an in-patient program that will keep him from competing at least through mid-November. But there were no talks of him quitting in swimming.
In Phelps statement he said "The past few days have been extremely difficult. I recognize that this is not my first lapse in judgment, and I am extremely disappointed with myself. I'm going to take some time away to attend a program that will provide the help I need to better understand myself."
He continued "Swimming is a major part of my life, but right now I need to focus my attention on me as an individual, and do the necessary work to learn from this experience and make better decisions in the future."
On the other hand, Octagon also released their statement on the matter. They said the swimmer is entering "a comprehensive program that will help him focus on all of his life experiences and identify areas of need for long-term personal growth and development. Michael takes this matter seriously and intends to share his learning experiences with others in the future."
As of now, USA Swimming has not taken any disciplinary action for his arrest.
According to executive director of USA Swimming Chuck Wielgus "We fully support Michael's decision to place his health and well-being as the number one priority. His self-recognition and commitment to get help exhibit how serious he is to learn from this experience."
