"Michael Phelps smoked so much weed, that was his PED" - Pat McAfee
Michael Phelps, swimmer extraordinaire, was recently the topic of discussion at NFL punter Pat McAfee's talk show.
The series, titled "The Pat McAfee Show" is centered around dissecting the top sporting stories of the day, and is available on ESPN and YouTube. On the show's latest episode, McAfee and his weekly guest JJ Watts discussed the dietary habits of the legendary Michael Phelps.
Watts, also an NFL player, told the host that the Baltimore Bullet, the most successful Olympian of all time, has never taken a supplement in his career.
"Phelps has never taken a supplement in his life. No creatine, no aminos, no protein, nothing. That guy dominated the world, with whatever 400 hundred gold medals, zero whey protein, zero creatine, nothing."
McAfee was shocked at the information and went on to ask Watts if he was being serious. Watts confirmed that he got the information from Michael Phelps himself, saying,
"I asked him three times, I was like, dude I don't believe you, I literally do not believe you, but nothing"
At this point, someone in the background can be heard saying "he smoked the weed", to which McAfee responds,
"Yeah, he smoked so much weed, which I appreciate, that was his (Phelps') ped (performance enhancing drug), like let me go ahead and get some vitamin THC in me".
Michael Phelps' 2009 Weed Controversy
Fresh on the back of his 2008 Beijing Olympics success, Michael Phelps was met with controversy when a photo of him smoking marijuana at a party in a University of South Carolina fraternity went viral.
The viral photo led to cereal brand Kellogg's ending their sponsorship of the swimmer, stating that his behavior did not line up with the brand's image. Additionally, Phelps was also handed a three-month-long suspension by the American Swimming Association, USA Swimming.
As the controversy flared, Michael Phelps released an apology through his then-marketing agency Octagon, stating that he demonstrated bad judgment, and assured his fans that this would not happen 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."
Speaking on the issue, Phelps' long-time coach Bob Bowman had said,
"Michael has issued his statement. He regrets his behavior and I’m sure he’ll learn from this experience."