Back in 2009, News of the Worldpublished a photo of Michael Phelps using a bong at the University of South Carolina the previous year. It led to Phelps getting suspended from swimming and, maybe more importantly, tarnished his public image.
Phelps has had to answer questions about the photo for years now and, during a recent interview with Joe Buck for his show, Undeniable, Phelps was asked about it again. But this time, rather than asking Phelps about his drug use, Buck asked him why he never had his lawyers go after the person who took the photo. Phelps said that he knows who took it.
“There were six people in that house,” he said, “and one person that I didn’t really know is the one [who took the picture]. I know who it is. I know his name.”
But he also said that, while his lawyers told him that they could have made his life a “living hell,” he chose not to go after the photographer. Instead, he’s letting karma handles things for him.
“That kid’s gotta look at himself in the mirror every day,” he said. “Karma’s a bitch. For me, it’s like, yeah, I messed up. I made a choice to do that. Nobody twisted my arm to do anything. I put myself in that position. And somebody took a picture of me. The thing for me is that I understand—doing what I’ve done—I’ve essentially written away privacy.”
Phelps’ appearance on Undeniable airs tonight on DirecTV.
Send all complaints, compliments, and tips to sportstips@complex.com.
[via For The Win]
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