Olympic champion Michael Phelps drove through a stop sign in Salisbury last week, according to police, and into a drunken-driving charge that some analysts say could tarnish his gold-medal image.
The Baltimore County teenager, who won eight medals in the Athens Olympics, was pulled over late Thursday, arrested and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, police said.
After Maryland State Police released information on the arrest yesterday, Phelps offered an apology.
"I made a mistake," the Towson High School graduate said in a telephone call to The Sun. "Getting into a car with anything to drink is wrong, dangerous and unacceptable. I'm 19, but no matter how old you are, you should take responsibility for your actions, which I will do. I'm extremely sorry for the mistake that I made."
He declined to answer further questions, including whether any of his endorsement deals are in jeopardy.
Ryan Schinman, president of the Platinum Rye Entertainment consulting firm, said the arrest is "a huge blow," even if Phelps is never convicted.
"He made a name for himself not only in the pool, but with his squeaky-clean image, which is hard for corporate America to come by these days," said Schinman, who consults for Fortune 500 companies.
Phelps' endorsements from such "family-oriented" companies as McDonald's could be jeopardized because they likely contain morality clauses, Schinman said. But he added that some companies may make allowances because no one was injured.
Marc Ganis, president of Sportscorp Ltd., another sports marketing and consulting firm, said that although he doesn't think Phelps' current endorsements will be affected, the arrest will "tarnish his image."
Mark Lepselter, president of New Jersey-based Maxximum Marketing, said the long-term impact will be minimal so long as Phelps doesn't have future problems. For now, Lepselter said, "I don't think this is going to be a major blow to his career ... . I don't think there are many people who have not made some mistake along those lines when they were 19."
Phelps' work with children - which includes his "adoption" of Riverview Elementary School in Halethorpe - creates unique problems for those trying to educate youngsters about the perils of alcohol and drugs, said Michael Gimbel, director of substance abuse education for Sheppard Pratt Health System. He said, "It's easy for kids to look to celebrities and say, `Everybody's doing it.'"
