USA Swimming has suspended Michael Phelps for six months following his DUI arrest in September. Phelps was stopped in the early morning hours of September 30th after police clocked him driving 84 mph in a 45-mph zone in Baltimore. Phelps proceeded to fail two field sobriety tests — an eye test and a walk-and-turn — and when asked to stand on one leg, he merely replied “that’s not happening”. Phelps agreed to a breathalyzer test at the police station, where he blew a .14, nearly twice the legal limit of .08. Phelps’ suspension means he will miss the 2015 FINA World Championships, and forfeit funding from the sport’s national governing board:
USA Swimming acknowledged the severity of the arrest, which is the 29-year-old’s second DUI in 10 years, and announced Monday that Phelps has received a six-month suspension from competing in the sport. Phelps announced Sunday he has entered a six-week treatment program. He has also agreed to withdraw from competing at next summer’s FINA World Championships. Phelps previously received a three-month suspension in 2009 after a photo surfaced of his mouth to a marijuana pipe.
Phelps, who hopes to compete at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, has already entered a rehab program, and will appear in court on November 19th.
[Deadspin]
